PLUNKET SOCIETY

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3480, 16 June 1934, Page 5

PLUNKET SOCIETY

TE AWiAMUTU BRANCH ANNUAL MEETING. MRS J. McCARROLL ELECTED PRESIDENT. The election of officers at the annual meeting of the local branch of the Plunket Society, held in the Borough Council Chambers on ' Monday afternoon' last, resulted as under:—. Branch, patron, Mrs C. G. (Downes; president, Mrs J. W. McCarroll; vicepresidents, Mesdames W. H. Mandeno, E. Myers, J. C. Self and A. C. Whitelaw; hon. secretary, Mrs H. A. Siwarbrick; hon. treasurer, Mrs 0. S. West; hon. auditor, Mr D. Bockett; committee, Nurse Davey, Mesdames F. Brewer, S. G. Broadbent, H'. Y. Collins, T. G. Culpan, V. Fitzpatrick, M. Glasgow, N. F. Goodall, G. Hall, F. M. Harkness, F. N. Heath, K. Hiskens, S. C. Houston, W. P. Locke, N McAlister, A. J. McGovern, S. C. Macky, G. W. Mairs, W. J. Melville, F. N. Moody, J. Muir, A. E. O’Brien, J. Oliphant, H. de L. Peake, A. A. Reese, C. W. :Rlickit, J. B. W. Robertton, A. H. Storey, A. L. Storey, and W. G. Macky; Kawhia representatives, Mesdames R. C. Bonnington and iR. Ward; Ohaupo representatives, Mesdames F. J. B. Rybum and A. L. Wiley; Pirongia representatives, Mrs Anderson and Miss L. Robson; advisory board, Drs C. F. Blundell, K. N. Hiskens, J. B. W. Roberton and L. S. Rogers; Messrs F. W. Bevin, S. A. Empson, J. Oliphant, H. A. Swarbrick and J. G. Wynyard; executive committee, Mesdames J. W. McCarroll, W. H. Mandeno; J. C. Self, A. O. O’Brien, J. Oliphant, „0. S. West and H. A. Swarbrick.

The annual report presented by the cpuTmittee, and adopted by the meeting, reads as follows: In presenting this, our fourteenth annual report, we have pleasure in chronicling another year of steady progress. The internal working of the branch has been, in the main, a repetition of the years since the depression came upon us, but externally there has been a marked change, and we have become much more closely linked with the other South Auckland branches. Sub brandies: The work at Pirongia has been continued on the same lines as last year. The president and the secretary continue to battle gamely against heavy odds, and we feel sure that once the depression lifts this sub branch will rapidly recover under their capable leadership. Kawhia has made a very determined struggle, and we have to congratulate this sub-branch most heartily, not only on raising the heavy travelling expenses for nurse, but also in paying their allocation in full last year. Ohaupo, our oldest goes steadily forward. Committee: One special and twelve ordinary meetings have been held during the year, the average attendance being between 15 and 16 members. The committee has been strengthened during the year by the addition of a Kihikihi representative, Mrs T. G. Culpan. Early, in July a very happy gathering took place at Mrs J. C. Montefiore’s residence, “Matariki,” when members of the committee met to pay a tribute to |he work of the secretary, Mrs H. A. Swarbrick. As a mark of their appreciation of her sevei’al years of service to the branch, Mrs Swarbrick was presented with a pyrex dish in a handsome silver holder.

It is impossible to measure in words what the branch owes to Nurse McLeod for her devoted services, and any expression of gratitude is totally inadequate in proportion to the extent of our debt. This year we have had Nurse Armstrong with us from the beginning of July, 1933, to the middle of January, 1934, while Nurse McLeod was on leave for the purpose of obtaining her maternity training certificate. The highest tribute we can pay Nurse Armstrong is to say that considering she had to stand in Nurse McLeod’s place she was extraordinarily successful. The visit of Miss Pattrick to the branch in May, 1934, was, as always, a source of both inspiration and pleasure to those who had the privilege of meeting her. The allegations of disloyalty made against Miss Pattrick by the executive of the central council of the society early in January, 1934, came as a staggering shock to the branch, and the complete vindication of Miss Patrick by the special conference held in Dunedin during February was a> great satisfaction to those who had never doubted her self-sacrificing devotion to the work of the society. The healthy state of our finances as disclosed by the balance sheet is a matter for much thankfulness. Following our custom of the past few years we have confined our appeal to \the general public to one big effort, our annual Paddy’s Market, which this year brought in £7B 6s 9d. W<e know well that this sum represents more than pounds, shillings and pence; it represents effort on the part of the committee, and effort amounting in some cases to self-sacrifice on the part of those who gave and bought. In addition to this we received through head office a very welcome anonymous donation of £l2 10s, while the donations from parents made through the box in the rooms also helped considerably. In conclusion we pay our annual mead of thanks to the Waipa Post for the invalulable publicity they give to our work; to the Borough Council for the use of the Plunket Rooms, and also of the Council Chambers for our meetings; to the members of the medical profession for their co-oper-ation with nurse; to Mr A. H. Roberts for technical assistance in her work; to all those who provide her with free transport; to the business people for their generous response to the canvassers for the Paddy’s Market; to the management of the Regent Theatre for advertising the same on the picture screen; to Mr W. D. IRL Mc- * Curdie for sundry repairs; to Mr D. Bockett for auditing our accounts; to the treasurer and the secretary for much faithful service, and last, but by no means least, to our many friends, both known and unknown, who by their support, whether in monev, kind or encouragement, enable us to carry on from year to year with increasingly good heart. The nurse’s report for the yearended 31st March, 1934, read: — New cases 253, visits to the homes

396, visits to rooms, adults 1943, babies 1790, older children 282; total visits 4411. Total number of visits paid m the whole district: Te Awamutu 4411, Ohaupo 702, Pirongia 348, Kawhia 68, total 5529. Telephone calls 286, babies under supervision 221, older children 28. The balance sheet disclosed the receipts of the branch for the year as £372 7s Bd, as against payments £344 18s 6d, leaving a credit balance of £27 9s 2d, an extremely satisfactory state of affairs. The principal sources of the branch’s income were: Members’ subscriptions £l4 Os 6d (not nearly as good as it should have been), donations £27 2s Id, sub branch contributions £34 3s, Padcy s Market £7B 6s 9d, penny in the slot £24 Os Bd, and Government subsidy £lls Is Bd. The balance of the £372 7s 8d is largely made up of receipts from the sale of Karitane products, but these can scarcely be regarded as actual income to the branch, as payment, has to be made for them to the Karitane Products’ Society, Ltd., in Wellington.