RED CROSS ACTIVITIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 52, 15 March 1946, Page 2

RED CROSS ACTIVITIES

EASTERN BAY CENTRE WAR EFFORT REALISES £5387 The Eastern Bay of Plenty Centre has reason to be proud of its record during the war years. Nearly £IO,OOO has been raised by Red Cross sub- 1 centres and the Ladies’ Working Committee. Amounts raised are (in round figures) as under:— For Red Cross All Purposes Fund: Whakatane £3596 Edgecumbe £SOO Te Teko £4lB Taneatua £406 Awakeri £325 Matata £142 £5387 In addition a total of £1240 was

raised (in conjunction with the Men’s Patriotic Committee) for the Joint Council Sick and Wounded Appeal. After the formation of the Patriotic Fund Board all sums for Prisoners of War and Sick and Wounded had to be paid into the Fund, and over £2244 was paid in by the Red Cross. Also a sum of £932 .was raised for soldiers farewell parcels and other purposes, making the impressive grand total of £9803.

In addition to raising funds a great deal of other work has been accomplished; 548 varied hospital comforts were despatched by the Sewing Circle under Mrs M. Ramson; 1162 Patriotic parcels and 350 hussifs were packed under Mrs Shapley’s leadership, while Mrs C. Timbs and her knitters contributed 3084 knitted articles to the Joint Council and the Patriotic Board. Sincere thanks are due to the members of the" Women’s Institute who have, throughout the whole war period, regularly taken wool and cut-out garments to be made up; packed and donated Patriotic parcels; and contributed to the Lady Galway Guild. High School girls, Junior Red Cross members, and individual knitters and needlewomen have consistently helped. The Red Cross Society and the Lady Galway Guild have together sent nearly 13,000 garments overseas for the relief of distress. The great majority of these have been packed by Mrs Moran, who has also made and repaired garments. There can be few women in the Dominion who can surpass, or even attain, Mrs Moran’s record. In addition to the financial donations made for relief of distress locally, the Centre has made annual contributions to Headquarters, the Subsidiary, and Disaster Relief Funds. The sum of £IOO has been sent to the International Red Cross. (This is in addition to the amount, included in the Headquarters quota, paid annually to the International Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies). £I3OO has been paid to the British Red Cross Society, £44 to the Polish Red Cross, £32 to the Turkish Red Crescent,

£263 to the Polish Relief Appeal, and £Bl2 spent in soldiers’ farewell parcels and gifts. Further donations have been made for bales of wool for Greece, the “Corso” team for Greece, destitute children in Europe, and four cases of tinned food have been sent to Britain.

The Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment is a keen and active body. Its Commandant is Mrs E. Armstrong, its Lady Superintendent Mrs F. Prideaux, and its Centre Advis-i ory Director Miss Runciman, Matron of the Whakatane Hospital who stated recently: “I would like to thank those members of the Red Cross V.A.D. who have helped us when we have been short staffed, often giving up their weekends to come to the hospital. We appreciate cheir unselfish generosity.” The V.A.D. has contributed regularly to the Xmas Cheer appeal for the hospital, and has raised a considerable sum for the Building Fund. The Junior Red Cross Circles of the Centre are hard working and enthusiastic, though there is room for* more Circles and members. They

have raised over £2OO, included in their donations are Greek Junior Red Cross, Centre Building Fund, Health Camps, J.R.C. Fund, bassinette and quilts to the Annexe, and the formation and upkeep of a children’s' Library at the Hospital. Now the Centre has established jts own headquarters and V.A. Training Room, and applicants are waiting for Home Nursing Classes to commence. Office space has been urgently needed for some time, and now cutting out, sewing and packing of garments for overseas (a job likely to go on for a while yet), will be greatly facilitated, besides having a focal point for Red Cross interests in the district. The Centre warmly appreciates all the support that has been given, both in money, goods and time to the Red Cross. Now we change over from war to peacetime work, and confidently look forward to the same support as before to keep alive the great voluntary movement, whose emblem—the Red Cross—has been described as “the symbol of humanity.”