RELIEF TEAMS FOR GREECE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26033, 22 December 1945, Page 8

RELIEF TEAMS FOR GREECE

OFFICIAL FAREWELL FUNCTION (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 21. The party of New Zealand relief workers which is travelling to Greece as representatives of the New Zealand Council of Organisations for Relief Service Overseas to assist under U.N.R.R.A. in the. restoration of the health and well-being of the Greek people was bidden farewell at a gathering in the Wellington Town Hall today. Consisting at the moment of 22 members, the party is under the leadership of Dr Sylvia Chapman, of Wellington, and is made up of two health teams, a relief of refugees team and a laboratory team. Mr J. A. Horne, of Hamilton, is the deputy leader and the chief administrative officer and chief transport officer is Mr B. A. Watts, of Whakatane. ''List of Personnel The full list of personnel, to which there may .be last-minute additions, is as follows: First Public Health Team.—Dr Sylvia Chapman, senior medical officer; Dr Alison Hunter (Wanganui), medical officer; Miss I. M. McLean (North Auckland), nurse; Miss Iris Lawson (Dannevirke), nursing assistant; Miss Kathleen White (Christchurch), dispenser; Mr J. A. Horne, adjutant for stores, transport and accounts; Mr W. O. Petty (Masterton), transport officer, and Miss Margaret Bamford (Dunedin), assistant transport officer. Second Public Health Team—Dr Athol Patterson (Wanganui), medical officer and leader of the team; Miss W. W. McGregor, (Rangitikei), nurse; Miss Margaret Wood (North Canterbury), nursing assistant; Mr T. M. Stephens (Wellington), adjutant for stores, transport and accounts; Miss Louise Logan (Dunedin), transport officer. Relief of Refugees’ Team.—Mr GH. Gilhng (Rotorua), leader; the Rev. L. A. Hayman (Christchurch), adjutant; Miss Margaret McLean (Waikato), registrar; Miss Elsie Steven (Napier), health officer; Mr B. A. Watts, transport officer; and Mr J. McDevitt. interpreter. Laboratory Team. Miss Pauline Buddie, B.Sc. (Auckland), technician, leader and bacteriologist; Mr D. H. Diggle (Napier), assistant technician; and Miss Verna Corbett (Napier), driver-clerk. The magnitude of the task facing the team when it arrives in Greece was stressed by the vice-chairman of C.0.R.5.0., Mr C. G. White, in introducing the party to the gathering. Mr White said there had been a good deal df criticism in New Zealand of C.0.R.5.0., and untrue reports had been made from the shelter of anonymity. The latter he regarded as despicable. “We shall carry on with out task just so long as the Government wishes us to carry on,” he declared. “So long as we are in our present position we shall carry on undeflected from our course. • If the Government should come along and say that it wishes some other organisation to take over, we shall withdraw without grumbling,” Government’s Congratulations The congratulations and good wishes of the Government to the members of the party were expressed by the Acting Prime Minister, Mr W. Nash. No one, he said, should under-rate the sacrifices which they were making in undertaking their task. “Your work may be even harder than the trials of war,” said Mr Nash, addressing the party. “ You will have to go into hard and difficult country. Your courage will be needed to thefull, but through you New Zealand is endeavouring to do all it can to continue the standard of its work since 1939. I thank Greece for all she ' has done for New Zealand, and wish you all good luck and success in your task.”

The Honorary Vice-consul for Greece, Mr T. E. Y. Seddon, said they would find that the gratitude of Greece to Britain and the British was remarkable.

Dr Sylvia Chapman said the party hoped to make the most of its opportunity to repay New Zealand’s debt. Its job would certainly be very hum-drum-dealingl with smells and drains and other homely matters. *' But if wo can save a few people from tuberculosis, protect a few villages from cholera and typhoid, or improve the health of a few people, we shall have done what we are being sent to do.” Mr Horne thanked the people all over the country who had assisted m gathering supplies and equipment for the party. The chairman of the Interchurch Council on Public Affairs, the Rev. A. T. Macky, said that the council of C.0.R.5.0. was deeply conscious that the task on which the party was being sent would call for endurance, initiative, understanding, sympathy, and patience, but it v/as confident that they would prove worthy of the choice. The party will leave in the Mooltan from .Wellington on Sunday.