CHRISTCHURCH CHURCH HOSPITAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20292, 28 December 1927, Page 12

CHRISTCHURCH CHURCH HOSPITAL.

ORDER OF ST. ELIZABETH. FAREWELL TO NURSES AND THE REV. MOTHERS. (Feom Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 11. The Rev. Mother of the Order of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, with Mother Alice and Mother Margaret, is leaving by the Rimutaka to-day to be present at the opening of the Christchurch Church Hospital, which is to be conducted by their confraternity. Mother Alice is to take charge of the hospital. For some years she has been superintendent of a children’s colony run by the Order in Sussex, and she has proved herself to possess exceptional administrative power and business capacity. Mother ' Margaret is to go on to Western Australia to take charge of a mission to be established at Banbury and Margaret River. On December 13 three nurses will go out by the s.s. Arawa to be the nucleus of the Church Hospital nursing staff. These are the matron, Miss Thwaites, who has spent 11 years at the London Hospital; Miss ijovegnove and Miss Dunwall, both of whom have also served their time at the London Hospital. It is hoped that the hospital will be opened before the emt of February. Seven other members of the nursing staff will be chosen from among New Zealand nurses. During this week a quantity of material has been sent from London for the (furnishing of the temporary chapel. This has been supplied by supporters of the confraternity, and consists of hangings, an altar, crucifix, and candles. On Tuesday of this week meetings were held at St. Gertrude’s Hall, Earl’s Court square, to bid farewell to the rev. mothers and the nursing sisters. At both the afternoon meeting and the evening meeting the supporters of the confraternity crowded the hall. The Bishop of London sent his blessing, and hoped that those who were going out to the dominions would be very happy in their new work. The Rev. 6. H. B. Coleridge (vicar of Leatherhead) presided at the evening meeting, and other speakers were the Rev. Mother, Mother Margaret, the new matron, the Rev. Canon Siddans, St. Saviour’s, Walthamstow, and Sir Trustram.-. Eve. The Rev. Mother spoke of the occasion as a thanksgiving day. Two years ago when the Order decided to take over the responsibility of the hospital not even the foundation stone had been laid. Now two wings of the building had not only been completed, but had been paid for, and this had been made possible by the devotion and enthusiasm of their friends in New Zealand who could not give large sums of money. They had cause for thanksgiving for all that their brothers r sisters in Christchurch had done. Supporters in London had provided tne beautiful furnishings for the chapel, and they had cause for thankfulness for their shard in the work. The Rev. Mother went on to speak of the call they had had in Western Australia. The Bunbury district was the same -size as the whole of Ireland. A thousand people a year were going out from this country to settle there and clear the bush. There were two “ Bush Brothers ” carrying on Christian work over the vast area, but there was not a consecrated church in the district. The request to establish a mission there had come from the Governor’s wife. Lady Campion, and when they visited the place they simply could not refuse. The Rev. Mother told how by lantern lectures illustrating the life of the pioneers in the Bunbury district they had raised £SOO in London before May of this year, and during the last six months this sum had reached £IOOO all but £3O 0s 4d. The first thing they would do was to build a consecrated chapel at Bunbury, and a mission house at Margaret River. Miss Thwaites spoke of the hospital. She said they all thought it was a very great mistake that a chapel had not been started with the hospital. Now, however, it had been arranged that one of the rooms on the first floor of the present building should be used as a temporary chapel. No expense had been spared in the equipment of the hospital. Everything was to be of the beer, and they would hold to their ideal that the healing of the body should bo accompanied by the healing of the soul, so that they might send their patients out whole in body and soul. Hearty wishes were expressed for the future welfare of those going out to the dominions, and the meeting closed with a brief prayer for their safe keeping and success.