NELSON PLUNKET SOCIETY.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13825, 21 July 1915, Page 1 (Supplement)

NELSON PLUNKET SOCIETY.

FAREWELL TO NURSE MORGAN,

(From "The Colonist," June 21.)

There was a large gathering of members'of thePlunket Society, and mothers with their babies a+ the Temperance Hall on Saturday afternoon to bid farewell to Plunket Nurse? Morgan; who has been appointed to the position of ma? tron of the ivaritane Hospital at. Dunedin. The president of i'.ie ?ocai branch :'Mrs N. L. Buchanan) presided, and the proceedings opened with Ihe singing of th<* National Anthem, after which Mrs Buchanan expressed her great pleasure at seejng such a large gathering. She said they met with a feeling of sadness at having to< say good-bye to Nurse Morgan, yet there was a. feeling of gratification that her departure from Nelson meant well-earned promotion. The society, she said, bad been fortunate in securing the services of Nurse Wix as successor to Nnrse Morgan, and with Nurse Honeyfield she would continue the work. Miss Ruth Atkinson, one of the committee of tl-e society, paid it was quite impossible to express what they felt towards Nurse Morga:-, but it would be out of place if the committee did not express in some way their ?ense of what they owed to her. Speaking as :i member of the committee, she thought they bad as good an organisation as fell to the lot of most societies -—they had an enthusiastic president, .-% capable and willing secretary and treasurer, and a committee always ready to act—the machinery without the fire—and Nurse Morgan was the momentum that set the thing in working order. That the.v had been most fortunate-in securing Nurse . Morgan for the first Plunket nurse in Nelson they only now really realised. There were many essentials, without «hich jabonr was vain, that went to make up the society. In a Plunket nurse the* first essential was a book knowledge,! which was not difficult, to achieve; the second v as experience, which came only with opportunity and power to use it; and the" third was.eonsciertiousness in regard to duty at a cost -of much personal discomfort and inconvenience. She said without fear of contradiction that m Nnrse Morgan they had ail these essentials and qualifications combined. (Applause.) It was therefore hardly surprising that their committee should' be bemoaning their loss, but in these days, when the Empire is fighting for life-ami liberty, the demand for self.sacrif.ee was universal; therefore the committee felt thak their local needs must be.sacrificed, in order that Nurse Morgan mijiht go and do greater good to the greater number. . She referred to Nurse Morgan's duties at Karitan-:. Hospital, and wished her every success| in her neAv sphere, (Applause.) Miss Atkinson moved, "Tnat this meeting, in, bidding: farewell to Nurse; Morgan, wishes to express its grateful apprecia in Nelson. While greatly regretting her departure, .this meeting tenders its warm congratulations to Nurse Morgan en her promotion to the matronship of the 'varitane-Harris Hospital for Children, and wishes her every success in the important pnd responsible position she has been called to fill in that institution."

Tho motion was seconded by Mrs S. A. Lucas, and carried by acclamation Nurse Morgan was then presented with a bouquet by Cynthia Fell (granddaughter of the president), who was one of the first Plunket babies in Nelson. Mr E. A. Wood said they me* with joy and sorrow—joy because they knew Nurse 'Morgan was uoing to .fulfil a grand work at the Karitane Hospital, and siorrow because sbe was leaving them. Wlnle Nurse Morgan had been them in their sorrows —and her noble work would leave an influence that would bo felt for many years to come, in her work sbe had not looked for any reward, except the growing up of strong and healthy children. Re then asked Nurse Morgan to* accept as a' token of their esteem a travelling clock, a rug, and an album containing original letters of appreciation from mothers written to the'society. The album bore an inscription expressing appreciation of in Nplsoii <<he had 'tone- great' work. and had- enshrined herself in their memories. . The mothers welcomed' her more as a '.sister —she- sympathised with •lion for all she has dune for the babies -ajad^motbei'S' • whom ■■ she**has: attendedthe manner in which Nurse Morgan had carried out her duties, and congratulating her upon her well deserved promotion. The presentations were made by Ken. Wood. Nui-.se Morgan, who. on rising was received with applause, expressed her thanks for the presentation, and said it was t v?rygreat effort for her to say srood-bye. She came to them as a stranger, and-as a woman who had to help the nation. They were all British and wanted the nation to b^ one i.they could atill be r»roud bl. To build jup a nation they "must bave strong, j healthy babies, and that was the object lof the Plunket Society. During the next ten years o-rer 250,000 children would be bornjn New Zealand, but unfortunately about 1500 died every year from improper treatment. This deathrate could be reduced to less than half lby means or competent nureing: women j should be taught in . simple and prac- ! tical way the "laws and needs of life^-' fresh air, suitable food; exercise,, etc. ■; Every healthy adult was \vorth££3oo ';o the country ; :every wasts-elwas Ji grays liability. Just now the. country needed all the healthy children it could get. Some .people--, said -that at the present time they could not take an interest in the Plunket 'Society-they had • tame ;fcr nothing else but the war. Terrible as 'it.wa^ to. pee men" dying on the battle-pSeids—ithoW^men-had lived their lives, while i'hv- littlesouls they were trying j trt> vh%lp Had ; their": lives to livo. The i reason: .she had not gone'to the war -was" that' the cry of the little children was to ..her ''the call &' the future Empire. If the^womc.n riirf rmt do th'oir .duty where would ': tlVo'-.. Empire bo'r Some fpjl beoaus^df. nisregrard- for infant Hfe- other K?o?i?v|=ir«ls bad become decac!elit;;for tho •: saiuQ>rwj!p«;; ; -'Jf ( ;'t ; he Avolnen^■■fai!exl;Jn.•+•ho^^^'n■t•y■ i •shi &yntonJLd.' -be sorry for.Britairi:: ::T!-ey*oul*^ntli| dread noughts, 'but what --iisa wouWthey*' 'I* -wiihout:'.healthy menr:to :m;in tbemf .NTurse Morgan said: H was .her tiutv to try arid teich; women xhe hignei' ideals xt? motherhood, arid,,^ve ;cliildrea their birthright. ; GhlWren: should be. fedf ut the natural way; 'orif that could not be done," they, sho'nld be fed with, huinari•ised'milk*- which was the,:iiest. best ltMno They =would get. a much finer race by. natural feeding than by arti-

ficial feeding. She was shocked to find that. 40 per cent, of the men who had offered as recruitt had been rejected as being physically unfit. That was because as, children they had not been given their birthright. It rested with the women to see that the race - was improved. Afternoon tea was then handed round, and a pleasant function terminated.