WIFE OF SALVATION ARMY COMMISSIONER

Chronicle (Levin), 31 December 1946, Page 3

WIFE OF SALVATION ARMY COMMISSIONER

"lt is so wonderful coming from London to find such a welcome and a liome already prepared for us, " said Mrs. It. M. Astbury when she landed in New Zcaland on Saturday afternoon from the Dominion Monarch, in which she travelled from Englaud with lier husband, who is taking command of the Salvation Army in_New Zealand in succession to Uommissioner J. Evan Smith. Bo far as the weather was concerned the welcome the new arrivals received was not all it might have been, but a large gathering of members of the Balvation Army compensated for that by the wannth of their greeting, lt was easy to appreoiate Mrs. Astbury 's i'eeliugs regarding the home that awaited her at Island Bay when, in answer to a question as to how she and her husband had fared during the bombing of Londou,. she quietiy said that they had been twice bombed out of their home and that on one occasion it was only the Morrison shelter under the table in the dining rookr that had saved their lives. : But it is not only hardships and short rations that Commissioner and Mrs. Astbuyy.iavfi; left'fo cqme.'.to .New Zehlknd. ' The^ kttyei l^lsoKleft. tlieirr faniiiy— tivifi s'bna with whom' t'hey we'rd only receutly ' united, onfe having; been on ! service in India and the otlier' iil Burma, and k • dkughte)*, tvho is. a teaclier of Frencli: in k country grammar school. This • sacrilicA they hav^ faced iu the troe spirit of tlieir service. "When we got used to the idea we were quite thrilled about coming out liere, ' ' she said. Mrs. Astbury 's comment on the food situation was equally in character. "We are grateful for the rationing, " she said. "It means that everyone gets a fair share of the food that is available. Certainly the necessity for the continued rationing is a little hard after all we've had to put up with but it cannot be helped. " The Salvation Army in New Zealand sends pareels of groceries to Salvatiou Army institutes in England and also to private individuals. It has had from the Salvation Army headquarters in England two lists of addresses of people iu need and has seut for another. Mrs. Astbury said she had heard many expressions of appreciation from' those who had received these pareels.