OTAKI HEALTH CAMP

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 120, 17 November 1932, Page 9

OTAKI HEALTH CAMP

NOTABLE TISITOES

SUCCESS OF MOVEMENT

GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S

PRAISE

Their Excellencies Lord and Lady Bledisloe visited the Children's Health Camp at Otaki yesterday. There was a large attendance of local residents, including the Mayor (Mr. C. 11.I 1. Atmore), Dr. Atmore, Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., Dr. D. S. Milne, and many visitors from the city, including Dr. H. E. Gibbs (chairman of the Children's Health Camp Association), Dr. Alexander Gillies, Dr. T. P. Corkill, Dr. Agnes Bennett, Dr. Ada Paterson, Dr. S. M. Lambert (medical director in the South Pacific of the Kockefeller Foundation), Dr. Helen Bakewell, Messrs. A. Cowles (Returned Soldiers' Association), Myers (Health Department), W. P. Aldridge (Postal Department), Major Abel (chairman of the Dominion Executive, Bed Cross Society), Grant (chairman of the Wellington Centre, Bed Cross Society), Captain. Galloway (secretary, Bed Cross Society).

Since the camp has been established over 400 delicate children have attended the camp for varying periods, and they have, according to medical reports, greatly benefited in health. The children at present in camp were gathered round the flagstaff yesterday on the arrival of Their Excellencies; the Union Jack was hoisted, and its significance ■was explainedl to the children by Mr. Byron Brown.

A number1 of health stamps printed for this Christmas issue were presented to His Excellency by Mr. Aldridge, and His Excellency made a donation to the health camp fund. -

, Dr. Gibbs, on behalf of the ■Wellington- Children's Health Camp Association, extended a cordial welcome to Their Excellencies. Such a visit; he said, was a further proof of, the great interest they took in the welfare of the people.

Lord Bledisloe said that he and Lady Bledisloe' accepted with pleasure the joint invitation of the Government (conveyed through the Minister of Health) and of the "Wellington Children's Health. Camp Association, to rvisit the camp. He congratulated the promoters of what was a most admirable and patriotic, movement, upon its outstanding success. He. also expressed pleasure at the really marvellous- improvement in. the health of the children who had attended the camp. It was a really ingenious idea which prompted a young Danish postal officer many years ago to institute health stamps at Christmastide as a means of raising money for health purposes, especially of children. The establishment of these camps had proved successful in New Zealand. It was unfortunate that a number of children living in the cities •\rere below a normal state of health. Experience had shown that fresh air, sunshine, nourishing food, and medical and nursing care had"'resulted in wonderful • improvement in. their health. The charts proved that the children had increased in. weight during even a few weeks in camp. His Excellency spoke in. terms of appreciation of the generosity of Mr. Byron. Brown, in donating such a large area of land for the camp. Medical reports showed that thei delicacy of many children was. caused by malnutrition and unsuitability of food rather than through insufficiency. He was sure the children would look back iipon their time in camp with pleasure.. The object was to make them fit and Strong, and capable of becoming useful Citizens.

; His Excellency, said that as the representative of the King, he could say that there was no section of the population in which His Majesty was more earnestly interested than, in the young people,-and His Majesty prayed, as did His'Excellency^ that everything might be done in these times to make - the children, happy and fitted for their task in life as citizens of the greatest Empire the world had ever seen.