ADDRESS ON WOMEN'S WORK IN WESTERN SOLOMONS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 53, 18 March 1937, Page 11

ADDRESS ON WOMEN'S WORK IN WESTERN SOLOMONS

Mrs C. G. Cunnold, president of the Women's -Missionary Auxilliary of the Hastings Methodist Church, presided at the meeting for women which was addressed by the Eev. J. F. Goldie, of the Western Solomons on Monday afternoon. Mrs Cunnold. welcomed Mr Goldie, and told how the women of the church honoured him for his long and able service in administering the work of the various mission stations in the Solomons. Mr Goldie brought greeting^ from the chutch members there and assured those present of their sincere appreeiation of the sympathetic interest and generous help aftorded by the women of New Zealand. The .church in the Western Solomons had been passing thrpugh some very difficult times and , a» superiptendent and general manager he had had to watch very carefully the general interests of the native Christians and guard the ■ prestige of the church. Especially was that so when some of the people had been imprisoned for their inabilitv to pay the taxes. "The depression experienees whieh the mission had passed through were more difdcult than . fighting the naked savages in 19.02," Haid Mr Goldie. "Tbe closing down af the hospital and withdrawal of the nurses was.a heart-break-ing experience, for hands were stretehed out on ev.ery side seeking medical help. The sacrifice and Sevotion of the natives, women and men alike, was most magnificent and the church was buoyed up with their example. Religion is part of the warp and woof of" their daiiy life, as it was in the old days when not a house ws built, or a canoe launched, or expedition entered upon without the shedding of human blood. "There. is an idea that the work among the women and girls is being done solely by the' lady missionaries," said Mr Goldie, "but they are only in the head stations, while the wives of the native teachers in 220 out-stations are training and teaching the women. One native woman named Gracie, trained by Mrs Goldie, was instrumental in transformin,g a • Nvhole vi^lage.; She reared a family of eleven children. At present two of the girls are in the hospital being trained by Sister Vera Common and Mrs Headley." Mr Goldie, paid a very high Tribute of praise to Sister Ethel Macmillan and the work she "had done during her 20 years' service there. She was indeed the "Mary Slessor" of the Pacific. To re-establish the medical work Mr Goldie estimated that £10,000 would be needed, so as to ensure the continuity of the work and ena'ble the research work to go forward. The mission was the educational centre in tbe Islands and the hospital work must in future be the centre for medical work. Though there were Government medical facilities the natives would not avail themselves of them, owing to the different treatment they received at tho hands of Christian doctors and nurses in the mission hospital. While these things — schools and hospitals — were uecessary, they were but part of the superstructure of the spiritual edifice which they were building to .bring the people to know the love of Jeteus Christ. Many non-Christians had visited their mission to scoff at the work, but they had remained to pray. The speaker concluded by saying he had come to Hastings feeling that he was in the company of those who were deeply interested in the mission and he had been delighted to be able to make an appeal to them on behalf of the workers in the Western Solomons. The Eev. E. B. Gosnell and Mrs Cun-

nold thanked.Mr Goldie for his address and a dainty afternoon tea was servod by the ladies' committee.