VICTORIA LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 125, 13 February 1918, Page 2

VICTORIA LEAGUE

I PRESENTATION TO LATE SEC- i RETARY. Yesterday afternoon Mrs. W. F. Masscy entertained tho members of the Victoria League Council at afternoon tea at "Ariki-toa," and during the course of the afternoon an interesting little ceremony took place, when Mrs. Chatfield, who has resigned from the secretaryship of the league owing to pressure of other calls iipoii her time, was made the recipient of a presentation from the members of the council as a token of their appreciation of her tervices. Miss G'oatcs (president), in making the presentation, said that she had seen much of tho work of. Mrs. C'Jintlicld during the time she had been associated with her. and she considered that the league owed her a great deal, for the unsparing way, in which she had devoted time and energy to its service. They were all extremely sorry to lose Mrs. Chatfield from that position, and hoped the time would come when she would feel that she could once more becomo its secretary. Miss Coates then presented Mrs. Chatficld with a gold pendant set with pearl and peridots and an engraved ebony brush. In thanking Miss Coates and the members of'the council for their gifts and good wishes, Mrs. Chatfield said that the work had, brought her rnanj pleasures and many interests. One of the greatest, pleasures was that branch of the work which, with the assistance of Miss Coates, had been directed lo the. provision of liospital and medical comforts for the men on board the troopships and elsewhere. ' The Victoria. League had by now sent away fully 200 cases of these comforts, and they had had the pleasure of knowing that their work had been of much value and had been greatly appreciated. Every time that these cases of hospital and medical .comforts had been supplied for the. use of tho troops they had had letters from the officers in charge acknowledging the gifts and saying how useful they had been Mr. R. Darrocli also eulogised the work of Mrs. Chatfield ss secretary of t.lm league, and said how greatly it was indebted to her services, services that were so freely given in spite of the fact that there wore many other calls upon her time. Ho considered that the work of tho league- was a most valuable one, and was made still more valuable by th(v fact that it gave opportunities for girls to widen their interests. In these days the best of womanhood was needed, and anything that helped to cultivate the best expression of womanhood was deserving of all support. Mrs. Salmond also spoke of the very valuable work Mrs; Chatfield had accomplished for the league, and said that when she was in England she had had opportunities of judging for herself how truly imperialistic in tho true sense of tho word was tho work of tb" Victoria League. To her daughter, who went Homo some time ago. it had been of very great value indeed, chaperoning, guiding, advising, and assisting in many ways. Appreciation, was alsc expressed by the Mayoress (Mrs. •!. P. Luke), and Mrs Chatfield again thanked everyone for their kind remarks. Miss Massov and Miss Ruth Shirtclilfe assisted Mrs. Massey with the afternoon tea.