V.A.D. BUILDING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 34, 17 December 1943, Page 5

V.A.D. BUILDING

SECTION ASKED FOR

POROUOH COUNCIL DkSCUSSION

The fact that the letting of a shop on the Strand had brought to an end the training headquarters of the Whakatane branch of the V.A.D. movement, was mentioned in a letter to the Borough Council last Monday, when the Secre'tary of the Red CroSs Society after outlining the valuable work of the Society in Whakatane made formal request for a suitable section foi' the proposed construction of a V.A.D. Headquarters. ''We only have two sections as far a.s I know,,' said His Worship the Mayor, when discussing the letter. "One is bj r Messrs Dalgety's and the other adjoins Mr Christensen's section. He was keen to helip the Red Cross Society but did not know whether the Council should go to that extent. Both sections were in the 'brick area' and he also understood that the St. John Ambulanoe Association were contemplating buiiding a hall which he thought would provide suitable accommodation, for the V.A-Ds. also. He. felt that of the two organisations the St. John Ambulance was the most permanent. Cr Shaplev contended, that if both organisations would work in together they should most definitely be helped. He would not W<e to see. a decided 'no' given to the request for he recognised the wonderlul work the lied Cross ladies had been doing. Cr Sullivan said he understood that the V.A.D. training would be continued after the war and that l'or this reason the Red Cross committee was forccd to take measures to find a suitable building for training and headquarters. He moved that the writer be informed that as soon as. her committee had drafted up plans for the proposed building that these be submitted to the council for suitable consideration.

Cr Canning seconded (pro forma) pointing out that the St. John movement was in a similar position in that it was busy seeking for a hull or other suitable building for housing their units. He could say that that organisation would be quite prepared to work in with the Red •Cross and provide suitable accommodation for the V.A.D. training. JHe fe.lt that the two bodies could easily work in together and it would save, the building of two halls at a very critical time. He mentioned also the fact that Sir Heaton Rhodes when in Whakatane had. donated £5 towards a joint hall fund, expressing the hope, "that both organisations would work in with one another.

The motion was then carried