JOURNEY'S END REACHED

Chronicle (Levin), 3 September 1949, Page 5

JOURNEY'S END REACHED

Press Association )

Displaced Women Get Jobs In Auckland

(Per

AUCKLAND, Se[)t. 2. - Journey's end after years of wandoring1, privation and distress was reached today in Auckland by a small group -)i European women who -at last have foiind security ilx regular, homely and paid employment. They are -110 longer displaced persoas without a country. In the attraetive surrounduigs of colleges and in the wards and kitchens of hospitals they will have an opportu'nity to regroup the shattered pattern of their long fovgotten, orderly and settled life. The first of the large group of Auckland-bound European settlers from the Dundalk Bay eontingent to complete their instructional period at Pahiatua Camp, 17 women arrived by train this morning. Most of them Were in their early 20 's and all were in clothing they had worn since the sad davs in the displaced persons camps o'f Europe. Their escoi't, a vivacious White Russian girl, handed over the party to Department of Labouq 'and: Employment' officers who took fHe -Women by bus and by cars to their des-; . tinations. ' , Most of the women have been assigg: ■ I ed to duty at Cornwa-11 Hospital aud.; | they were weleonied there by Afjss' | Hyde, matron of the geriatric seetloiiy iwiiere eight will be employed. Sister Caiie, of the Nurses' Home, took the: women for the geriatric section under ; her kindly charge, Her. hope and th^t of the staff was that they would quiekIv find''securityr. and a home at the hos- . pital. She told a reporter after the break- . fast issue of unif orms was begun that ■ , the hospital aids will have six unif orms, an1 impressive wardrobe to women who for yrears have had pathetically small personal belongings. The hospital aid« will go on duty for the first time on Monday. They will live togetlier and -for a time they will work singly in adjacent wards. The others on the staff will give them all the assistance possible, I and it is hoped that before long each will develop in'dividual interests. Language is proving a temporary barrier in most cases, The party cori- ; sists of Etsonian, Latvian, Poli^h, IJk- • ranian, Russian and Gzech women, The . mo.-t fluent En-glish speaker has a halting abilitv. This limitation- and ' the dulling' effeets of the automatic . movqment by groups over the years was refleeted in the passive attitude shown j by some of the women to the routitre formalities. 7 j An Est.onian (Mrs E. Veimann), aiid her ll-year-old daughter were left • by an immigration officer with the liou.sekeeper at St. Cuthbert's College. Mrs Veimann 's slight knowledge of Engli'ifi 'was not sufiieient even for the evety"dav amenities, and a pron^pt and har ras^ed teleph'one c all for assistance warmade to the language mistress at 'the college. Mrs Yeimaun was msialled in her comfortable room with a cup of te» and although she repeated severhl tiiries her readiness to start work she will not begin in the college laundry until, Mo.jiday. ' , - llappiness abounded at Taranak, Ho.ise, the training college hpstol at Avondale, where young Mrs Sophia Hrynak, a Pole, with her four-year-o|d dargliter Teresa, joined the kiteliep' staff. They were promptly "adopted' by the motherly cook and a bag of lollies was found for Teresa. Mrs Hrynak, who before the war was a kiiidergarten teacher, has been given a pleasftnt flat in the block. From the general . aji of satisfaetion it was difiicul't to ,d§termine whether New Zealandef or Pole was the happier at the selection. Eight more will arrive toinorrow. Among these will be one family of twe and one of tliree who will go to private horues. Two others of this group wili go to the staff of Trinity College- arjrj the otherone ot the Mater Alisericordiae Hospital.