CECIL DUFF MEMORIAL BLOCK OPENED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 195, 3 September 1937, Page 7

CECIL DUFF MEMORIAL BLOCK OPENED

HASTINGS HOSPITAL Outpatients' Department and Theatre UP-TO-DATE SERVICE Tho new outpatientg bh.ck, to be known aa tbe Cecil Duff Memorial Block a and, the new theatre hjock at the Hastings .Soldiers' Memorial Hospital were tlirown open to public inspection yesterday afternoon. The occasion marked the completion of another great stage in hospital service in. this district. Well over 500 people, representing all sections of tho communityf availed themselves of the opportunity to view the handsonie new additions, which have cost in the vicinity of £9500 and which, when fuily furnished and equipped, will provide ari np-to-date service second to none in the Dominion. The services of a number of the nursing staff were available for tha conduot of the visitors over the two pew blocks, and tho fuilest information on the uses to which each of the many roomg . woiffd be put was provided the interested visitors. As yet the two new blocks are not furnished or actually ready for use, but it is expected that they will be brought into service witliin the very near future. Later in the afternoon the opporfcunity was taken by tbe chairman of the Hawke's Bay Hospital Board, Mr C. LflKgep, to welcome the visitors, and thpfe present were aho adtjressed Jjy representativea of locgl bodies tnroughout the diptript, After e^tendfng a genoial welcojne to'all visitors, Mr' Lassen expressed his pleasure at seeing so many members of the Hastings R,S,A._ present, for he was mindful of the fac't that the hospital was a memorial, and a fitting opo at that, to their coraratjos who fell on, the battlefields during the Great ,War. H§ recalled thfth the board had decided to Call the new outpatineta block the Cecil Duff Memorial Block after the late Mr Cecil Duff. All would fuily appreciate, and were well awaro of, the very great interest that Mr Duff had taken in hospital- affnirs iu Hastings £isd ia the district gencrally. "Mr Duff threw hintself sp whpjoheartedly jntQ seeuring for Hastings this outpatients block and also tho now theatre block that 1 fell aure you will all agree that it was only fitting that the block should be palled after him," said Mr Lassen. One of the first duties that bcfel hixu upon assuming chairmanship of tho board, Mr Lassen* added, was tlie completjpn pf plana for these new buildings. He £ad been greatly helped by the Ministey of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, and the Minister of Health, the Hon. P. Frs$er, in agcomplishing this ohjeptive. The Deparfment of Health alsp waa very helpful. Indeod, but for the assistance given from these quarters it was very doubtful whether it would have been possjhle to complete the work in the tirau in whigh it had been completed. RfllftVfld of Qhligation — tVhen this hospital first bon mp a general hospital, a moral undertaking was given that £1000 would bo paid from tha Kplly Bequegt Trust Fund towardt the maintenance of the hospital," said Mr Lassen. "Up till recently this obligation was recognispd faithfully, but the Minister of Health agreed to relievo us of this ohligation and allow for the erpction of this. hospital block. Tho board was allowed to have an ovcrdraft of £5000 in tho account. and wheo that money ia repaid it can go away for pxtra maintenance at this hQspitab'* Mr Lassen paid a tribute to the very fine architectural work of Messrs Davies and Philiips as revealed in the design ing of the two new blocks j and to the ettorts of the contractor, Mr H. Abbott, and his mpn, who had given the board a first-class job, one that they had taken a perspnal interpst and pride in providing, Thanka was due also to the board's pngineer, Mr Sands, for his faithful and efficient service; to Mr H. Siuith, the toreman and olerk of works, for his conseientlQUs attention to the board's jnterests; and to the gardener lor tho manner in which he had trnnsformecl the surroundings of the institution and made t3iq grounds so beautiful in appearance. Mr Lassen made special mention of ihe trying and niost unsatisfaotory conditions under which the mcdical staff and the nursing staff had worked in tho past, and he eongratulated them, as well as thanked them, for the wonderfnl spirit they had ehown and for ihe remarkably flno service they had given despvfce the unsatis-. faptory natnre of the coyditious and servicei available, "It is a pleasure now to provide for them as they should be provided for," he said, "and at ihe samp timo the fact has not been fgrgotfen that thp first

and and up-to-date a dprful boon. to those uni'ortunate enongb to have capse to avail themselves of sych an institutiou as this." After mentioning that the Houth African, AVar Veterans' Association had donated a hed for inclusion in one of the new blocks, and expressing liis thanks to them, Mr Lassen concluded by saying: "It will be realised whai a very fine hospital we shall have hcre. Thp Hospital Commission referred to it as a 'model hospital,' and [ feel sure that with the improved conditions and facilities now; being provided it will run smoothly and the patients will be getting the very best of treatment and attention." Mayor Recalls the Pioneerv On behalf of the people of Hastings and the surrounding district the Mayor, Mr G. A. Maddison_ expressed thanks to the board for the opportunity provided of observing tho conditions prevailiag in the hospital in genera}, and particularly the new blocks, He eongratulated the board on ejfficiently coinpleting the worlc and on facing up to tho needs of Hastings and the .district. Mr Maddison paid tribute to the inestimable work of the pioneers of about 1926 and 1927 who had put all their efforts and energies into mpking the hospital a worthy memorial and a fitting institution for sucli a progressive district as this undoubtedly was, ""VVhile I consider that an 88-bed hospital such as this is fuily requirerj for such a rapid progressive district as this," he said, -"I feel that it would be unwiso eeonomically and from the viewpoint of hospital efficiency, to have more than oue base hospital in this part of the district, The centralisation of specialists and clinical work would be to gdve the best service to thoge who are in need of such service.' ' Mr Mqddjson said that he doqbted whether tliere was any other district in New, Zealand that had provided as much towards its hospital as had Hastings and the surrounding district. At least 90 to 95 per eent. of the money required bad been provided voluntarily' by the people. In tbe early duys every hed in the hospital liad been provided by the people and the radio peyvjce had been ipstalled and later extended as the resyjt of the appeal initiated, by Dncle Ed and Annt Gwen (Mr and Mrs E. H, Culver), iq whom a debt of gratitqdo was due. A tribute to the late Mr Duff was also paid by Mr Maddison, who said that Mr Duff had been very persis^ tent iu his efforts to obtain what he considered the people of this digtrict wero entitled to in tbe way of hosi)ital needs. It was fitting that his yeowan service Jin this district should bo reoogoised in the manner it had been, and it was desirable that tho new block should be a memorial to him. In conclusion, Mr Maddison eongratulated the chairman and the members of the board for the very fine service they were giving and for the extra aceommodation that was being provided, ""With the amenities, service and cleauliness that I ha\o noted here this afternoon, ' ' he said with a smile. "I feel that it would be almost a pleasure fqr any man to say farewell to this earth from this building." Up-tQ-datq Equipment. M? E, L. Cullen, M.P., said he feit sure that the board had done right in extending the hospital accommodation ia Hastings to eope with the incroasing population of this part of tho district. It waa vory pleasing to know that the new blocks were to be equipped to an extent that would make them the most up-to-date in New Zealand. He agreed that tho doctors and nurses were fuily deserving of praise for the manner in which they had carried out their duties undor such unsatisfactory conditions as had prevailed. Ho twas pleased to associate himself with tlio other spoakers in paying tribute to the wonderful service given by the late Mr Duff. "This district, and New Zealand gonerally, are tho poorer because of his passing," said Mr Cullen. "He was just a man of tho world and thought everyone else was a brother, and I consider it fitting that the board should name this new block after him." "It affords mo very great ploasure mdeed to be with you Hastings people for tho inspection of this wonderful uew block that has been establishod at your hospital," said Mr C. O. Morso, Mayor of Napier. "When I came hero I was pleased to note that I was greeted with smiling faees, and I feit qulte at home. That is, of course, as it should be. I know that at timeg thcre have been differences of opinion, but I hope that those differences will mean qdded efficiency," After making reference to the part l>!ayed by the late Mr Duff and to the thought and service Mr Duff had given to hospital needs in Hastings, Mr Mcwsa paid a tribute to the work dono bv those who carried on befoye the present. board took over. He mention ed that bomo 16 or 17 years ago tho spadq work was dqnq by such meu ns Mr Geo. Ebbctt, Mr AVilliam Hart, Mr Gilbevt

McKay and other members of tho Hast- I uigs committee, "I think that we should not allow them to pass out of our memories, becauso it was the good work they did that eventuaily brought about tlio establishment of this very fine hospital," he said. "I am delighted also to meot again our very old friend, Mrs Tuohy. I do not think you people fuily realise what a tower of strength she has been to the board. I am sure that the district will never forget the great und wonderful efforts that she has ap« phed to assisting this hospital." Other Speakers. Gongrutulations on the fine aqd haudNomo additions to the hospital wero uj;tonded by Mr C. C. Smith, deputyphairinan Qf the Hawke's Bay County Oouncil, and he also eongratulated the board upon the efficient manner in wfiici it had brought about the suecesst'ul conclusion of the much-needed a«commodation, He, too, confessed to admiration for the manner in which tho doctors and staff had parried on under the old conditions, and eudorsed tlie re.marks of previous speakers regarding tha late Mr Duff. "It is lndeed fitting that this very fine block should be uamed after him, and it will mean that his name will be perpqtuatod for all timo," he eaid, As a county ratepayer, said Mr Smith, he wks particularly pleased with the attractiveness of the surroundings of the hospital, and it was a pleasure and a surprisq to see so many buildiugs and so beautiful grounds, "There has been mention made of differeqce of opinion," he added, "There no dqubt have been differences of opinion in the paet, but I really dp believe that all members are imbued with the one i^ ea— that of doing the, best fpr thq sick and necdy. Tho provision of these new blocks is in lceeping with that spirit and objective." ltepresenting the Havelock Nortli Town Board, Mr J. J. Njmon said that there was not the slightcst doubt tfiat the hospital was giving a wqnderful service to ■ the community. It wsvg indeed pleasing to view the new blocks and realise tliat this service to' the community would f-urthej improved. Eefcrring tQ thq late Mr Duff, tho speaker said that he w&s a man who I gave his service te the commumty qnspariugly. Ho agreed that it was fitting and right that the new block should bo named after himCongratulations were also extended to Hastings and the board by Mr J. Williamson, chairman of the Taradale Town Board* who isaid that he had bccn giVen to understaud that at present both the Hastings and Napier hospitals were working tp full capacity, so that the additions' to the Hastings hospital would bo welcaraed. Duriiig the afternoon a refreshing afternoon-tea was provided by tlie nursing staff, to whom tlianks was expressed.