WAR SERVICE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 62, Issue 4403, 17 March 1941, Page 5

WAR SERVICE

WOMEN’S AUXILIARY. TE AWAMUTU WOMEN. A largely attended and enthusiastic meeting of ladies was held in the Council Chambers, Te Awamutu, on Thursday afternoon last, to hear an address by Mrs H. C. Ross, a member of the executive of the Hamilton branch of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary, who was accompanied by Mrs D. Boyt (secretary).. The deputy Mayoress (Mrs J. C. Montefiore) presided.

After Mrs A. Kay had read parts of the constitution, Mrs Ross addressed the meeting, urging all women to do what they could to advance and help the war effort. It was necessary to have co-ordination in order to prevent overlapping, so it had become desirable that all women should be registered for war work, just the same as was done in regard to the men. Cards would be supplied and women would be asked to sign these and to indicate on them what sort of war service they were prepared to undertake and best able to perform. At Hamilton all members of the organisation were working strenuously so that at six hours notice it would be able to feed several thousand people. By this organisation everybody would know what was expected of them and the authorities would be able to detail everyone to an exact duty so that should an emergency arise, there would be no fear of chaos resulting. She urged all to sign the form, so that everybody would be in a position to render some sort of essential work. The Red Cross and St. John Ambulance would remain as separate units, but she hoped that all women who did not belong to either of these organisations would respond wholeheartedly to the present appeal to service, as “unity was strength”. The growth of the Women’s Institutes and Women’s Divisions should show what women could do when properly organised. In urging all to join, she mentioned that Mrs Kay was the local representative on the Hamilton executive and she suggested the formation of a local sub-committee in Te Awamutu to forward the interests of the organisation locally.

After a general discussion, it was decided to convene, at an early date, a meeting of representatives of local institutes to further the objects of the organisation locally. These will be: the deputy-Mayoress, Miss Hazel Macky (representing Mrs Macky, wife of the Waipa County Chairman) a representative each of the Plunket Society, Women’s Division, Women’s Institute and the Women’s Auxiliary' Corps.