RED CROSS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 81, 17 September 1947, Page 5

RED CROSS

EASTERN BAY A Centre' meeting took place in the Red Cross rooms on Tuesday, September 9. It was decided that a further appeal be made for the Red -Cross Food for Britain Fund arid details were discussed. Levies for the present year were also agreed upon. A certificate signed by Their Majesties had been presented to the ■Centre and the sub-centres that worked through the war years, and it was decided to present these at a later meeting as two delegates were absent. A vote of thanks to Mr C. F. Thomas for framing the certificates free of charge was passed unanimously. It was also decided to urge the executive to make arrangements to send Miss Crooke with the delegation to the Swedish Conference next year. Mrs Winstone reported on the annual meeting which she had attended as "Centre delegate. As the minutes will be circulated to subcentres so only the main points were discussed. Main Items

Her Excellency Lady Freyberg has accepted the position of President of Honour to the Society. The chairman, Mrs Gibbons, said the Society was honoured by Her Excellency’s acceptance. The title would always be retained for vice-royalty, and could only be used by Her Excellency the wife of the GovernorGeneral of New Zealand.

A further acceptance of office with the Red Cross was that of Mr Arthur Porritt, who was appointed Red Cross Commissioner in the United Kingdom in place of Dr. B. Myers who retired recently after 15 years service. The chairman paid tribute to Dr. Myers and also Miss Violet Russell, Assistant Commissioner. Mr Gibbons said: “We are fortunate in obtaining Mr Porrittt ;as our new Commissioner. He was prominent internationally in many fields, and also well known in New Zealand as a Rhodes Scholar, Olympic Athlete, and Surgeon to His Majesty the King.”

The Save the Children ..Clothes Drive, by the Red Cross is proving a great success. Over three hundred thousand garments are in hand to date.

A donation of £SOO was made to the Wairarapa Red Cross Centre as a gift from the Red Cross Disaster Relief Ifund for relief after the floods there. This fund has been built up by donations from subcentres throughout New Zealand annually; some payments amounting to only a few shillings, but making a useful sum in toto. It is earmarked for disaster within the Dominion, and payment has been made from the fund to sufferers in this district, in one case from floods and in th£ other, earthquake damage.