NURSE'S SELF-IMPOSED TASK

Chronicle (Levin), 29 August 1946, Page 8

NURSE'S SELF-IMPOSED TASK

Founder of the famous Auzac Club in New York, which entertained 35,000 Australiaus and New Zealanders during the war, Miss Nola Luxford, New Zealand-born journalist and radio personalitv, is a passenger for Australia in the Marine Falcon, which arrived at Auckland from America last Saturday. She is carrying out her last self-imposed tusk for the club, liaving volunteered to act as nurse for a 21-year-old AustraLia.11 merchaut seaman, Konald Machin, of Pertli, Avho spent 15 months in American hospitals seriously . ill with tuberculosis. Machin was put ashore from a Norwegian vessel at Baltimore about a year ago, and was in hospital for several months. Hearing of his plight, Miss Luxford arranged his transfer to N ew York, where he was admitted to the Staten Island Hospital. Because he was so ill, and had no close friends or relatives in America, Miss Luxford deeided to try to get him sent to his home in Australia, so that he might be with his father aud brother, but the shipping authorities refused to allot him a berth unless a full-time nurse eould be .provided also. Althougli the Australian Government was willing to pa.v the.sick man's fare, 110 provision could be made for the expense of a professional nurse, which would have cost about £(325. Miss Luxford therefore decided, as her last job for the Anzac Club, to pay her own fare and travel with Machin as his fulltime nurse. This she has done, spending 21 days during the voyage in the isolation ward, where she did all the washing and scrubliing herself. "I feel fullv dornesticated jioav, " she said with a smile when interviewed on Baturday. "I have had to do everything for that boy. He has lost' about (301b. in weight during his illness, but he is really looking forward to goiVig home and seeing his people once more." Miss Luxford wears a pair of Royal New Zealand Air Porce wings on the lapel of hcr travelling costnme, and is looking forward, after delivering her., patient to his hfbue in Australia, to returning to New Zealand for a brief holiday and a visit to relatives in the city. Later she intends to return to New York to resume her journalistic and radio eareer.