CURRENT NOTES

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27397, 9 July 1954, Page 2

CURRENT NOTES

Mrs Dora Smeaton (president of the Dominion of Travel Club Congress ancl of the Dunedin Travel Club) and her sister-in-law, Mrs Jack Hudson, of Auckland, are paying a short visit to Christchurch. Mr John Hodder, president of the Wanganui Trotting Club, and Mrs Hodder, who are spending a week in Christchurch, will leave for home tomorrow. Miss Yvonne Enoch, an English pianist, who will be attached to the New Zealand Broadcasting Service in Wellington, arrived in Auckland on Tuesday in the Monowai. She will make a lecture tour of the country discussing music with adult education groups and children. Miss Enoch will go to Australia toward the end of the year. Officers elected at the eleventh annual conference of the New Zealand Student Nurses’ Association at Dunedin this week were: president, Miss Joan C. Brown (Dtfnedin); vice-presi-dent, Miss J. Transom (Rotorua); executive committee, Misses C. Irving (Wellington), G. Almont (Nelson), M. Sanderson (Green Lane), I. Torrens (Gisborne), and A. Wilks (Christchurch) .—(P. A.) The July meeting of the Mt. Pleasant Garden Club was held in the Community Centre Hall. Mrs Jameson presided and welcomed Mr J. Watling, who spoke on shrubs for hill gardens. Mrs Sawers thanked the speaker. Monthly competitions which were judged by Mrs R. Sladen, assisted by Mr Watling resulted:—most outstanding exhibit, Mrs Holst; specimen A, Mrs Holst 1, Mrs R. P. Jameson 2, Mrs Norcliffe 3; specimen B, Mrs Norcllffe 1, Miss Allington 2, Mrs Ailington 3; decorative A (hand posy), Mrs Norcliffe 1, Mrs Brake 2, Mrs McFarlane 3; decorative B, Mrs Cameron 1; Mrs Robertson 2, Mrs Harbut 3; vegetables, Mrs Chandler 1> and 2, Mrs Norcliffe 3; fruit, Mrs Wood 1, Mrs Hamilton 2, Mrs Hunt 3. The hostesses were Miss Allington and Mesdames Burton, Crawford, and Tiso. The first birthday of the Riccarton Rotary Club was celebrated recently with a ladies’ evening. The guest speaker was Miss K. J. Scotter, principal of the Girls’ Training Centre and president of the Christchurch Soroptomist Club, who gave an address on , her work. Solos were sung by Mr D. , Manhire, accompanied by Mr Clifton Cook. During the evening the president (Mr J. Leggat) handed over , office to his successor, Mr A. S. Rus- ' den.

A demonstration of tatting was given . by Mrs Williams. Mrs Whinney, Mrs ; Anson, and Miss Jacobson at a meeting of the needlecraft circle of the Home Economics Association. Mrs R. W. Borland presided. A competition for bear brooches was won by Mrs Rogers, with Mrs Briggs second. The’hostesses were Mrs Proudlock, Mrs Dix, and Mrs Lund. The North Island finals of the Dominion Federation of Country Women’s Institutes drama festivals were held in the Frankton Town Hall. The five finalists were picked from 26 drama festivals held by institutes throughout , the North Island. The play selected t< , represent the North Island in the Do minion finals was “Carnival of Steel” . (T. B. Morris), presented by the Elsthorpe institute representing the central Hawke’s Bay area. The judge Miss Beatrice Mackenzie, of Auckland described the winning play as “this perfectly lovely presentation.” Mrs M. E. Orchard presided at the monthly meeting of the provincial executive of- the Women’s Division of Federated Farmers. Reference was made to the death of Mrs H. A. Nutt, , a former provincial president. Miss i Hammond, a visitor from Nelson, was - welcomed to the meeting. Mrs R. A. r Ambridge appealed for more houser keepers. Mrs Gower reported on the ’ remits of the National Council of Women’s conference to be held in Dunedin in August

Mrs P. C. Cornish presided at a •wellattended meeting of the St. Albans branch of the League of Mothers. Visitors from two neighbouring branches were welcomed. Miss R. Norman, a visiting teacher gave an account of her work, including some of the many problems encountered. Mrs R. L. Southerland read an article on radio listening.

The death occurred in Sydney last month of Mqy Brooke (Mrs Hewlett), a pianist who had been prominent in theatrical lief in Australia and New Zealand for many years. May Brooke was pianist-conductor with Stanley McKay’s Gaieties for 16 years, serving also with Barton’s Follies and Cole's Varieties, and was a capable musician and a popular personality. She had been in hospital for some weeks, and was recuperating from an illness when she suddenly collapsed and died. She is survived by one son, who is on the staff of the E.S. and A. Bank, Sydney. At the first meeting of the year of the Dunedin branch of the Rangi-ruru Old Girls Association, the speaker for the evening was Mrs J. R. Fairbairn, who gave an entertaining talk on her visit to England and the Continent. The secretary, Mrs D. A. Dick, reported on the annual reunion in

Christchurch. All office-bearers were re-elected. Miss Doris Wallace-Watson presided.

The monthly meeting of the Addington Townswomen’s Guild was held in the Selwyn street hall. Mrs Petrie presided, and welcomed 18 new members. Mrs Wales was the guest speaker, and gave an interesting talk on the Red Cross Society’s Good Neighbour service.

Mrs Leila Blomfield, who arrived in Auckland on Tuesday in the Monowai, is probably one of New Zealand’s most enthusiastic, although unofficial, publicity agents. She left Auckland for the United States more than 30 years ago, and since then has lectured on the Dominion to thousands of Americans. Mrs Blomfield, who has written several booklets on political economy, said many Americans regarded New Zealand as the laboratory of the world. She will return to her headquarters in Chicago in September.

The cooking by New Zealand women was praised by Dr. W. J. Jenkins, chairman of the Nobel Division of Imperial Chemicals, England, and Mrs Jenkins, when they visited Wellington recently in the course of a tour of Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Even though New Zealand housewives worked with better raw material than English and Scottish women, their efforts were considered praiseworthy by the visitors. They also commened the cheerful way New Zealand women had in applying their gift to cooking. Men members of the Belfast Garden Club provided the programme at the monthly meeting. Mr Dickson showed films of local market gardens, and also of his farm and gardens at “Halton,” ClarkviUe. By popular request, three kinds of “Wellingtons” ana also coffee or chocolate cream “Logs” will be the weekend specials today at the Ethne Tosswill Cake Shop, 123 Cashel street. . 4dvtJ