EDUCATIONAL VALUE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26543, 19 August 1947, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL VALUE

WORK OF PLUNKET SOCIETY “ I don’t think any other society in the world gets such a measure of State assistance, without State interference, as we do,” said Mrs James Beg&, Dominion president of' the Plunket Society, at the provincial conference of the Auckland branch, which was opened last week. “ We have always had marvellous help from successive Governments, but we are masters in our own house, and I hope we always shall be, and that the State will never take us over.” Mrs Begg praised the public spirit of the women on the committees who, she said, did not ,come in contact with the human side of the society’s work as much as the Plunket nurses did, and therefore did not, perhaps, receive all the credit due to them from the mothers. The committees made the Plunket service possible, by raising funds for the work to be carried on, said Mrs Begg. Mrs R. P. Towle, president of the Auckland branch, welcomed Mrs Begg, also Miss K. P." Rapps, Dominion secretary, and Miss S. H. V. Lusk, nursing adviser of the Dominion Council, all of Dunedin. She mentioned that Dr Helen Deem, the society's medical adviser, was at present at America. In her address Mrs Begg stressed that the society was an important educational organisation in the community. This was shown by the fact that 100 Plunket nurses and over 100 Karitane nurses, some from Australia and other places, were trained annually, mothers were educated in baby care and lectures were given to schools, Girl Guides and the Junior Red Cross. For some years Dr Deem had lectured on infant welfare to fifth year medical students, and recently she was officially recognised by being appointed assistantlecturer at the Otago Medical School. Mrs Begg added that she hoped the society would always adhere to its policy of free service. Branches were thanked by Mrs Towle for their donations to Karitane. Since he last conference, she said, the society had succeeded in getting its nurses’ salaries brought into line with those of other nursing services, and mobile Plunket rooms had been set up in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin.