PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25735, 5 January 1945, Page 4

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

Mrs Marshall Macdonald, of Wellington, is at present visiting Dunedin, and is a guest at the Law Courts Hotel. Misses Elza Gray, June Sime, Agnes Hill, and Tui Davie have left by car to spend a camping holiday at Alexandra. Miss Kathleen Begg. daughter of Mr and Mrs O. J. Begg, of Roslyn .left for Wellington on Monday. The New Zealand Fernleef Club in London had its first wedding breakfast on Wednesday after ' the marriage of Lieutenant T. J. Oliver, 2nd N.Z.E.F., ot Hamilton, to Leading Wren Edna Talbot, of Nottingham, at Caxton Hall. Lady Freyberg produced an iced wedding cake; The guests included Mr W. J. Jordan and the bridegroom’s brother. Flying Officer H, Oliver.

Mr and Mr Alec Leeden entertained a large house-party and many guests from all over Otago at the homestead, Hillgrove, on Boxing Night, in honour of their son Gordon and his fiancee. Miss Isobcl Aitcheson, of Lake Waltaki. The dining room was cleared for dancing and a number of visitors from Dunedin provided enjoyable musical Items, News has been received In Auckland that Miss Frances Mac Gibbon, a New Zealand nurse whose relatives have heard nothing of her for two years, is safe and well at Cannes, in the South of France, where, as a nursing sister attached to a large hospital, she has been throughout the war. Miss Mac Gibbon comes from Dannevirke and trained at the New Plymouth Hospital, afterwards leaving for England, Princess Alexandra, the small daughter of the Duchess of Kent, was recently train-bearer at the wedding at St. Margaret's, Westminster, of Miss Georgina Wernher and Lieutenant-colonel ■H. P. Phillips, Coldstream Guards. The little Princess wore a long fluffy frock of white net and a white satin Juliet cap. The bridegroom, who is six feet five inches in height, is with the Allied mission, and he and his wife will make their home for the present in Washington. Mrs Grantham, wife of Mr Alexander Grantham, C.M.G., who has been appointed Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific in succession to Major-general Sir Philip Mitchell. was formerly Miss Maurine Samson, of San Francisco. She was married in 1925 and has no children. Mr Grantham, who is 45 years old, graduated M.A. at Cambridge, and in 1934 was called to the Bar, Inner Temple. He was Colonial Secretary in Jamaica from 1938 to 1941, and has since been Chief Secretary in Nigeria. Miss Agnes Lilian Grant, well known for her work among the Maoris, died in Napier recently. She graduated Bachelor of Arts at Canterbury University College, and then took a position at the Hukarere Maori Girls’ College, where she learnt the Maori language. For six years she worked at the newly-opened Native, school at Kariol. in the King Country, and later visited England, where she studied theology and teaching at Cambridge University and in London. Returning to New Zealand, she took up missionary work in Rotorua and also specialised in the training of Sunday school teachers and in Bible class work. . . , At present serving in Italy, Principal Matron Eva C. Mackay, whose award of the Roval Red Cross was announced in the New Year Honours, is the third daughter of Mr and Mrs J. R. Mackay, of Hastings. She is matron-in-chief of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service in the Middle East, having succeeded Miss Nutsey. of Auckland. Miss Mackay went overseas with the 2nd Echelon, after serving as sister-in-charge of the hospital at the Ngaruawahia military camp. On arrrival in England she was appointed matron of the Pinewood .Hospital, Great Windsor Forest. She later served in military hospitals in Egypt, Greece, and Crete, and on the army being evacuated from the Balkans she was appointed matron of the No. 1 Base Hospital at Helwan.