IN EGYPT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 62, Issue 4422, 7 May 1941, Page 8

IN EGYPT

Y.M.C.A. PREMISES. OFFICIAL OPENING. (New Zealand Official News Service.) CAIRO, 2nd April. Thousands who subscribed to the New Zealand Patriotic Fund would have been delighted had they been present to-night at the official opening of the re-modelled premises of the Y.M.C.A. in camp. There are now comfortable and commodious quarters for the men in their off-duty hours within easy reach of most parts of the camp, providing a distinct improvement on the facilities available when the camp was first occupied. The hut was declared open by Brigadier N. S. Falla, C.M.G., D. 5.0., V.D., Commandant of the Base.

The guests included Brigadier Foster, assistant Adjutant-General of the British Forces in Egypt, Lieuten-ant-Colonel F. Waite, Patriotic Fund Commissioner, Brigadier L. M. Inglis, Mr H. W. Shove, Y.M.C.A. Overseas Commissioner, Miss E. M. Nutsey, Matron-in-Chief of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service, and Mrs A. P. F. Chapman, New Zealand Y.M. C.A., who is to be in charge of the Lowry Hut to be erected shortly in the camp.

Lieutenant-Colonel Waite, outlining the functions of the Patriotic Fund, said that he was a trustee of the amount that had been subscribed by the people of New Zealand for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. It was his duty to see that the men obtained a reasonable amount of comforts, conveniences, and amenities, and at the same time take care that enough was kept to provide for the task of rehabilitation, which was equally important. Many said that they had received nothing out of the fund, but he wished it to be known that the Y.M.C.A. was the principal expending agency and, as an illustration of how the fund was used, he said that the hands that had come away with the troops had been equipped from the money subscribed for patriotic purposes. As one who had been with the New Zealand Army twenty-five years ago in this country he was relieved to think that the men were able to stay in such a place as this Y.M.C.A. and write a letter home.

A happy note was struck by Brigadier Falla in formally declaring the hut open when he expressed the hope that, while it was very fine and a credit to the Y.M.C.A., it would not have too long a life, as the soldiers

did not want to be here indefinitely. The building will accommodate at least 800 men, and will be a boon during the summer, as it has a large central portion with a huge canvas awning, which will provide a cool retreat. With a canteen at one end and a writing room at the other, the centre equipped with a stage, and a floor with two levels, the building is made of brick and wood, and has an attractive appearance in relief to the army huts nearby. The Kiwi Concert Party presented an entertainment at the end of the proceedings, which were attended by a gathering of senior officers and a large number of soldiers.