WIDE NURSING SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20721, 14 November 1930, Page 5

WIDE NURSING SERVICE.

KARITANE HOME MATRON. DEPARTURE FOR SYDNEY. After long service with the New Zealand Health Department, including a remarkably fine war record, Miss Vida Mac Lean, who has been matron of the Karitanc Homo in Auckland for the past threo years, will leave this evening for Wellington, en route to Sydney, where she is to take charge of the largo home controlled by the Australian Mothercraft Society, Plunket System. This society, advised by Sir Truby King, is enlarging the work in Australia on the lines already followed in New Zealand. Miss Mac Lean, who was horn in Wanganui, received her training afc the Wanganui Hospital, being later. attached to (ho Cambridge Sanatorium and the St. Helens Hospital in Wellington. At tho outbreak of the Great War she was sent by the Healt'i Department with the Samoan Expeditionary Force, attached to I lie New Zealand Medical Corps. Returning to New Zealand in 1915, she was shortly afterwards sent to England with a contingent of . r >o nurses. After a vear's service at. the New Zealand general hospital at Abassieli, near Heliopolis, in EjJvpt, Miss Mac Lean returned to England in 1915, and was appointed charge sistei at the No. 1 New Zealand general [ hospital at Brockenhurst, later being appointed matron of the New Zealand convalescent hospital at Hornchurch. After returning as matron to (ho Brockenhurst general hospital, Miss Mac Lean came back to New Zealand in 1919 and was appointed matron of the general hospital at Trcntham. In 1920 Miss Mac Lean left Trcntham, and after conducting a private hospital in Wellington for four years, interested herself in the Truby King system of baby nursing, and in 1925 took a course at the Karitane Home in Dunedin. After being in charge of the Truby King Mothercraft Centre and antenatal clinic in Kent Terrace for some time, Miss Mac Lean was appointed in 1927 to the position of matron of the Auckland Karitanc Home. At the end of last year she was given leave of absence, by the courtesy of the Auckland committee, to take control of the Australian Mothercraft Society's Sydney homo fot two or three months, and while in Australia she visited other centres. Miss Mac Lean has always maintained her interest in tho Army Medical Corps, and she lias been matron of the Army Nursing Service for the Auckland Province since her arrival here three years ago. Miss Mac Lean, who was mentioned twice in despatches, holds the Royal lied Cross Medal for her war services. Miss Mac Lean expressed great appreciation last evening of the co-operation she had always received from the committee, the people of Auckland and the parents, and paid a tribute to tho work of the advisory board. "I have been very happy here and I have always found the work fascinating," she said. Miss Joan Carmichael, who is well known in Auckland for her work at the Plunket headquarters in Symonds Street, is at present act ing-matron at the Auckland Karitane Home.