RED CROSS ACTIVITIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 75, 23 May 1944, Page 2

RED CROSS ACTIVITIES

BAY OF PLENTY CENTRE

WORK DURING YEAR The sub-centres compris'ng Eastern Bay of Plenty Centre have this year raised the following sums for Red Cross purposes: Whakatane £1003 3s. lOd; Awakeri £68 9s 2d; Edgecumbe £49 12s 3d; Matata £8 17s 2d; Taneatua £94 2s 9d; Te Teko £131 7s lOd a total of £1355 13.5. Knitting and sewing has been done by all .sub-centres, ably nss.'s - eel by the Women's Institute, Te Teko League of Mothers and the High School girls. A total of 133 pairs of pyjamas, 7 bed jackets, 13 dressing gowns and 99 knitted art- | icles have been made and despatched to the Joint Council. During the year the Centre has paid its Headquarters quota, also donated £305 to British Red Cross, £43 lis to Chinese Red Cross, £32 6s to Turkish Red Crescent, £11 7s 7d to Disaster Relief Fund, £7 to Vitamin D Fund,. £45 to Subsidiary Fund and £20 to the Auckland Red Cross for its Fire Loss Fund, a total of £523 5s 7d. Various cases of clothing have been given away by the respective sub-centres for the relief of distress in their districts, the Whakatane Sub-centre has made cash donations of £83 15s to necesfr. sitious cases in its own. area. Seventy-five copies of the Red Cross magazine are taken by the Centre each month, while Mrs T. W. James, as correspondent, has contributed various items. Mrs James also visits sick and wounded men in the Whakatane Hospital each week, and distributes cigarettes and chocolate supplied by the Joint Council. ... ..... The V.A.D. under Mrs F. Prideaux has had to cease instruction classes for the meantime owing to losing their training room. However it is hoped the committee will be able to acquire a permanent Red Cross room during the coming year. Two Church parades have been held in which the Junior Red Cross have joined. On the occasions of the visits of Her Excellency Lady Newall, and later of Miss I. Crooke, the Detachment formed a guard of honour. There are three Junior Red Gross circles -at the Whakatane District High School, one each at Taneatua, Matata Native School and Ruatoki Native School. They are all keen and doing good work. One circle gave £8 3s 8d to the Prisoners of War and another formed a Children's Library at the Hospital, while a third is collecting funds for a bassinette for the Maternity Annexe. Several parties of American servicemen, sent by the American Red Cross have been entertained in the district, apparently to the mutual pleasure of their hostesses and themselves. The Centre was honoured this year by the visits of the V.A.s Comraan-dant-iin-Chief Her Excellency Lady Newall, Miss I. Crooke, DirectorGeneral of Red Cross V.A.D. and Mr C. G. White, Chairman of the Dominion Executive. These visits were appreciated, and gave a welcome fillip to the further efforts of the Red Cross Sub-centre in this area. Election of officers resulted as follows: President, Mrs W. Sullivan; Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs A. W. Winstone. Officers for the sub-centres are as follows:— Awakeri: President, Mrs J. Connolly;, Secretary, Mrs N. Macdonald. Edgecumbe: President, Mrs M. Roberts; Secretary, Mrs C. Jesperson. Te Teko: President, Mrs L. B. Smith; Secretary, Mrs D. Thomas. Taneatua: President, Mrs E. M. Hill; Secretary, Mrs Seminens. Matata: President, Mrs E. Ansell; Secretary, Miss M. Burt.. Whakatane: President, Mrs W. Sullivan; Secretary, Mrs A. Winstone.