RED CROSS CLUB AND DEPOT AT TRENTHAM

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 156, 27 March 1919, Page 2

RED CROSS CLUB AND DEPOT AT TRENTHAM

SOLDIER INVALIDS AND THEIR NEEDS. A meetin? of the Wellington Red Cross Executive was held in the Mercer Street depot yesterday afternoon, 11 r. T. Young (chairman) presiding, to considor the mutter of instituting n depot ami rest room for tho patients .it tlio Trentham Military Hospital. In placiiiff the matter beforo ,tho committee, Mr. Young said that at the prefiont time iiiere were about trixty patients in the hospital, Vat it-was in-obable- that lliis jiumbsr v.oc'ul od iucvirassd to six or seven hundred when this 7»on wore finally gathered in. It was proposed to eaiabliali a dub whore the patients could find recreation, and rest, uad they also wished to arrange about a motor service for taking tho men out. The, military authorities had been appvoach&i, and had expressed themselves as b«ns; quit* agreeable to tho echeme, so that tho _.niain question to be faced wae tho finding of siiitablo accommodation both for the proposed dub or depot and for tho, V.A.D.'s who would be in chargo of the arrangemente. A similar undertaking which'had been established at Waltou-on-Thames I had met with much success and had filled a great need.' Jliea Mouckton (of Lowry Bay Convaleecent Home) who with Mies Ewen had taken a very active interest iu tho matter, was asked by Mr. Young as to what accommodation-.it might be possible to secure for such a.purpose, and in reply stated that the ward provided • by the Wairarapa (the Rotunda} had seemed to her the most suitable. It would make a very fine club-room relmed, and with a iire'placo and comfortable furniture installed, and General Eobin thought that tho matron nik'ht be oblo to provide tho VA.D. staff with cubicles if approached. Of course tho Wairarapa authorities would have' to be asked for permission before tho ward could be used as proposed. Replying to a question from Air. loung, Miss Monckton said that the idea was to provide a comfortable resting-place, for lbs invalided men who could not get about very much—a. place comfortably furnished where they could read or wnto and. find recreation, including-music, for it was hoped to provide a piano. In addition they hnd planned to provide afternoon tea and also to do special cooking; for tho men, tho matron to avail herself of their supplies. At the -present time there was no sittingroom in tho hospital for wet days, the only provision being tho small veraiulalis.off their wards. j,ho men who were strong mid could get about 'did not require the rest room so m«9 n ! i\a the more specially invalided men..... Mrs. Luko thought that it Bed Cross Club upon.the Hues proposed, viz., a <omfortable plat'O in which, the men could find recreation, and in'which cooking could bo dono with tho matron's approval —such a place, to be in charge of Mies Monckton and Miss Ewan, would be a very good thing.- . , The following resolution wns put to tne meeting and passed: "That a Red Cross Club and depot be established at Trentham for the benefit of the patients in the Trenthiim Military Hospital and that tlio offer of Jliss.MoucktMi and Mies Ewei) to take chm-go of it under tho supervision of the Red Cross Visit.ng Committee ho necopted; that a committee bo appointed to carry out the necessary iirriuigmenbi. , ". . ■' ... The sub-committee which 1 wafi appointed wiie as follows: llrs. Luke, Mm. .Pearce, Miss Nathan, MissEwen.'Jliss Monckton, Mr. Tripp, and Mr. Young. It was pointed out that as tile Jxiwry Buy Convalescent Home closed within ten' days or so the necessary arrangements to establish the depot and club would hiivo lo.be. carried out in as short a. tmifil as' possible. In the meantime they would have to await the reply. to •' SurgconCienorar Ifonderson's letter (o the Aymrarapa authorities asking their permission to use the WaiVanym ward as proposed. A rrnngements were also discussed as to the provision of a. motor in comiection witli the scheme as proposed. ■ , \i was pointed-cut by the chainnnn, the committee was begimmiß in but a small way. but who could tell.how it might expand? "It might become a very serious thing," concluded Mr. loung, amidst laughter.