HOLDS THE FORT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 178, 30 July 1942, Page 3

HOLDS THE FORT

WOMAN ENGINEER

KEEN AND APT PUPIL

One of the objections against the training of women, as a regular policy, for such specialised callings as that of engineering, as recentlyexpressed by the chairman of Auckland Technical College Board of Managers, was that so few of them were likely to remain in that particular industry, the cost of their training being wasted.

The engineering school of the Seddon Memorial Technical College has, however, one woman pupil to whom this objection is not likely to apply, inasmuch as she already owns an electrical engineering business, of which she has been obliged to take control since the death of her father, who established it.

She is Miss Margaret Patterson, and in the two months of training already carried out at the engineering school she has proven herself a keen and most apt pupil. She is determined to acquire an expert knowledge which will enable her successfully to carry on the business until the return of her brother, Squadron Leader lan Patterson, at present on active service in England.

Miss Patterson has already become very much at home with lathe work and with drilling and soldering, which form the basis of the particular branch of engineering with which her establishment is concerned. Also she is no mean draughtsman and already handles this side of the activities of her firm, which is kept fully occupied with various important work, frequently of a military or semi-military nature.

Miss Patterson is also an air pilot, well krtown to the flying fraternity throughout the North Island. She vl™ became air-minded back in 1936, and in 1937 obtained her flvine license. J s

Any spare moments she mav have from her business activities are readily absorbed in her further actiCorps. erf°f the Red Cross