Notes from Comfort Ship Log

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22444, 13 June 1936, Page 8 (Supplement)

Notes from Comfort Ship Log

QVER £23 already for our fundi Good work, ray faithful and hard-working crow! The Ship has carried a lot of cargo into the poor homos of Auckland these past weeks, and although the number of parcels has not been so large as in other years, all the gifts have, been practically now, and have included ever so many quite new hand-knitted woollies and other warm garments. Another S.O.S. was received this week from a woman with four little ones. She lives in the basement of n small houso in one of our poorest city districts and by letting the upper rooms, just manages to pay the rent of the house. Two of the children have been ill, and when nurse called there was no ■warmth nor comfort for these poor little ones. So you can imagine how grateful they were when the good ship called with coal and firewood, somo warm cot-covers and clothes for the little folk. 1 must tell you the sad sequel to the story of one case Nurse was attending: that of a poor man living in one room. He had been ill for some time, but nobody takes much notice of these solitary folk, and it was not until he was very ill indeed that the people of the houso called at the St. John rooms and asked a nurso to call. She went at once and she found him lying all alone in a cold, cheerless room, so ill that she called a doctor imroH'"t: , lv, got a fire going ; . and gave him some warm food. He thanked nurse !<>i !ier kindness, calling her "an angel of mercy." But as so often happen.-,, the call came too late. The poor old fellow was taken to hospital that night, and before morning he was dead. But at least there was warmth and comfort, and the cheer of a kindly presence in those desolate, cold hours when his feet were treading the brink of the dark river. So carry on, fellow voyagers, and let us make the closing weeks of our Winter Campaign even more of a success than the opeping ones! Thanking you all, —The Captain.