The Social Round

Southland Times, Issue 24419, 26 April 1941, Page 5

The Social Round

The engagement is announced of Dorothy Agnes, second daughter of Mr and Mrs E. J. Race, Pomona street, Invercargill, to William Henry, youngest son of Mr and Mrs W. T. Walker, formerly of Bluff. Miss Leary, Queenstown, is the guest of Mrs R. Lee, Dee street, Gladstone. Mrs W. Menlove, Queenstown, is visiting Dunedin, where she is a guest at Wain’s Hotel. Mrs Vernon McDougall, Queenstown, has been visiting her mother, Mrs J. Hamilton, Bluff. Her Excellency Lady Newall has accepted the office of Warden of the Canterbury Women’s Club. The first meeting of the Battalion Band Mothers’ Club was held in the band room on Thursday afternoon. There were present many mothers of % senior bandsmen, band boys and learners. Mrs A. Cook was elected president and Mrs Shields secretary. Two Swedish girls, Misses Lisbeht and Greta Listervik, have been visiting Melbourne and Sydney after walking tours in New South Wales and Queensland. They arrived in Australia in September 1939, after having walked through nearly 20 countries. Thenplans, which included similar tours in New Zealand, America, and Africa, were curtailed because of the war. They are now engaged in writing their second book, the first one of travels in 16 countries having been lost in Norway, with 3000 negatives, at the time of the German occupation. Working in a block of Mayfair flats in London, 34 women are sending to British prisoners of war in Germany hundreds of food parcels and book parcels. Their number includes two New Zealanders, Miss Jessica Durrad, daughter of the Rev. and Mrs W. J. Durrad, Wellington, and Miss Nancy Williams, daughter of the Rev. and Mrs Williams, Christchurch. Five thousand prisoners are card-indexed. Details of their families, their likes, dislikes, careers, and special requirements. and the dates and details of parcels sent, are recorded. Each book parcel sent contains six books, chosen by the men. It is the pride of the department that he will get whatever book he requests, however difficult it is to obtain.

WOMEN’S PATRIOTIC ACTIVITIES

METROPOLITAN COMMITTEE

The Women’s Metropolitan Patriotic Committee met for the first time in its new rooms in Don street. The meeting room presented a cosy appearance to those members who had been on duty selling poppies on the street. Thanks to the generous donations of furniture by various donors, the room was well equipped for the purpose of holding meetings. Those present were Mesdames J. R. Hanan (chairman), J. Hargest, Stanley Brown, A. Walker, J. Mcllwraith, M. Simmonds, R. Acton, B. Hewat, R. Abernethy, W. A. Brown, W. Denham, J. J. Gough, Pasley, J. Ruthven, C. Poole and the secretary, Mrs A. J. Neil. A letter was received from Riverton about the quality of the wool supplied by headquarters for knitting for the soldiers. It was decided to send a protest to Wellington stating that a number of the sub-committees had refused to handle the distribution of the wool as it was of such poor quality. Mrs Hanan reported on the meeting of the Invercargill Metropolitan Patriotic Committee and advised those present that the support of the women’s committees was asked for for the functions to be held in May for raising funds. The matter of stalls at these functions was discussed and it was agreed that the women should run a coffee stall on each night of the flower show, but that as the collectors were gathering in from their districts some £3OO monthly it was not possible to ask donors to give goods for stalls. Advice that the Girl Guides were to begin a canvass of the town for suitable cloths for cleaning put poses for machinery for the air force was received and the members of the committee were asked to co-operate. It was decided to appoint Mrs Stanley Brown as depot hostess for the future. The date of the next meeting was set for Thursday, May 1, at 2.30 p.m. SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS Waikiwi: The next meeting of this committee will be held at the home of Mrs Acton (president) on Tuesday at 2.30 p.m. All members are asked to attend.

Gladstone: This committee has been engaged on the house-to-house sale of poppies. Avenal: This committee will meet at the home of Mrs John Macdonald, corner of Dee and Avenal streets on Wednesday at 2.30 p.m. The Lady Galway Guild will also continue its meetings. This committee did its turn of duty selling poppies on the street on Thursday. Members of the committee will be on duty at the depot next week. Georgetown: The Lady Galway Sewing Guild will meet on Wednesday al 3 p.m. in the Presbyterian Sunday School Hall, Centre street. The monthly collection will begin on May 1. This committee desires to thank the residents for their continued splendid support through this avenue of giving. Knitters are busy and also the work of renovating clothes for the Lady Galway Guild is being done. This committee raised £l6/11/6 for the R.S.A. poppy fund. , , „ Central: Thanks are due to the knitting women in charge of Mrs Guy Millar for seven scarves and four pairs of socks. The members are busy with the monthly collections. This committee was on duty at the depot during the past week. North Invercargill: This committee will meet on Monday at 2.30 p.m. South Invercargill B: All collectors are asked to hand in their money to the secretary as soon as possible in order that the monthly return can be made up. VICTORIA LEAGUE IN LONDON DEATH OF SECRETARY IN AIR RAID

Since the war began the Victoria League in Wellington has been receiving wonderful messages of cheer each month from the league’s secretary in London, Miss Gertrude Drayton, C.8.E., 0.8. E., states The Evening Post. These letters, many of which contained news of the actiyities of individual New Zealanders in England, have been read regularly at the league’s monthly luncheons in Wellington, and have been eagerly anticipated, particularly by the mothers of boys abroad. Last week, at the usual league luncheon, members were distressed to learn of the death of Miss Drayton and members of her staff in London, the following cable having been received by the Wellington president, Mrs J. A. Doctor, from the London president, Lady Beatrice Harlech: “Regret to inform you in recent raid Victoria League Club wrecked. Miss Drayton and other members of the staff lost their lives. Please inform branches in New Zealand. Intend to continue work. Will inform you as soon as possible. Present address: 81 Cromwell Road.”

Miss Drayton, who visited New Zealand in 1936 in the course of a world tour, was tendered an informal mayoral reception when she arrived at Auckland, the Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, paying warm tribute to the great work being done by women in the world. Miss Drayton has been secretary Of the Victoria League for the last twenty years, her associations going back to 1911, when she was assistant secretary till 1916. She was secretary of the King George and Queen Mary Victoria League Clubs in London for men of the overseas forces from 1916 to 1919, and was secretary for the King George and Queen Elizabeth Club in the present war, many New Zealanders on leave in London making use of the club where Miss Drayton extended a personal “motherly” welcome. Miss Drayton, who was very fond of gardening and of reading, was 61 years of age at the time of her death, t

Mrs H, Newton, Bluff, is spending an extended holiday with her sister, Mi P. Gallagher, at Timaru. Pilot Officer B. G. Wallace and Mrs Wallace left for Auckland by the express yesterday morning. Miss Esther Riddle has returned to Queenstown after spending a few days with her mother, Mrs N. D. Riddle, Underwood. A committee meeting of the Southland Girls’ High School Old Girls Association was held in the Women’s on Wednesday evening. It was decided to hold the annual dinner at the Country Club on May 5. When, the Women’s War Service Auxiliary office closed for the week on Thursday there were more than 200 enrolments, and on Monday evening in St. John’s hall, Tay street, at 8 o’clock ‘ a rally of all those women, who have enrolled will be held. Others who are interested, and who have not yet had

an opportunity to register, will be welcome, and members of the committee will be there to take further enrolments. At this function arrangements will be made for first aid and physical culture classes, and community singing will be held.