ST JOHN'S AMBULANCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 March 1917, Page 1

ST JOHN'S AMBULANCE.

Ri 101) CROSS WORK,

LOCAL REPORT

Thanks to the gift of the privilcg -•> of the Caledonian Spouts gathering 1 y the West. Coast Caledonian Society am at the two day’s races (tea room and sweats’ stall) at the Jubilee meeting Lv the Westhmd Racing Club,. the Joeai Ambulance Division'netted ,1 lie sums <u £2l Is 9d and £2l 5s Sd respectivel.., which, with a small sum on hand nib the time made a total of £4B 16s sd, and this sum was sent to Mesopotamia to help relieve the strain of the hospital staff to provide such stores as it would purchase for the sick soldiers now hei. g fed on dry bread with an occasional

scraping of bovrd and meat paste on it. (Word has been received that stores to the above amount have been purchased in j/melon and are now >«* their way.) In eonfiecton wi\;h the above mentioned privileges, in addit'oy to thanking the Caledonian society and Racing Club, the Ambulance" Divisions desire to thank the following for assistance rendered towards making true financial results such a gratifying success. For assisting in tea rooms: Mrs F. Thompson, the Misses McLeod, R. Rugg, B. Browne, A. Spoor, R. Foote, L. Keller sand M. Maunder; ror assistance in sweets’ stall, the Misses B. and 11. Wogan and N. McMillan; Mr J. Lloyd for assstnnee everywhere; for free use of c-roekcrywarc, Miss Ross and Renton and Co; Municipal Batin’ free use of urn; Messrs. J. Mitndl and Malfroy free use of motor cars; Mr W. Jamieson 39 quarts of milk; cash donations W. Perry and Coy., Messrs J. V. Hall and F. Thompson.. The following amounts are also acknowledged with thanks: —Miss Fairy Collins 15s (proceeds of concert), Hokitika Ladies’ Literary Club £1 11s (proceeds from Rod Cross Flag); £4 collected bv Mr J. Hewer, Hari Hari, (W. .Wall, C. Hondo, J. Diedrich, Bossier and Mansbip £1 each) and Mrs W. Braddon £l.

(Since the above report went to print a further sum of £l2 5s 2d has been handed to the treasurer ot tne Society by the members of the \Y wj Coast Caledonian Society—making (their total £33 6s lid.)

The following is culled from a letter from Sister Dora (bite of Christenaren; and written from a hospital a't Amara, Mesopotamia, and indicates the pressing need that there still is for even the ordinary daily food supplies for tne patients and staffs. Of comforts ana strength-giving dietary, it scorns mat (there are none. Reports of, conditions in Mesopotamia continuo to he most distressing and one feels wore than ever thankful (that This department was sufficiently in funds a few weeks ago to admit of some supplies being sent to the hospital at Basra nndAtnara. The transport appears to be .the great difficulty and the Red Cross Society is anxious to do all it can do to lessen the possibility of such a shortage of nourishing food for the sick and wounded as this letter of Sister Dora’s reveals. Readers will remember that Sister Dora was also well known as one of the Nursing Sisters in the Christchurch Hospital:—“The only thing I shirk is taking round dry bread to enteric patients. Fancy trying to fatten an enteric with nothing to do it on? The men are very good on the whole. They always look for some better food in hospital; now they have had no porridge for three mornings. The shops in Amara in the Bazaar have some stores. I have been buying, jam and tins of potted meat for my men and my other sisters have helped;, and we have managed to give them sometbng to help .the bread down if it is only a taste and they are very grateful for the bread is not- exactly sweet home-made and is bad enough even for those in health. Everything is so dear. I got the men some tiny tins of potted meat and it cost 75.6 d.; ana we got them jam for breakfast one morning and I gave them Bovril spread on bread. . If you can get any Red Cross folk to send us any stores please do so for I guess they will be acceptable Noit thait- the present state of affairs can last but comforts are short. Qur matron came back from her holiday to-day and looks so well. She brought back £2O worth of stores for our men and we had Chutney with our bully today and it was real goqd; but £2O will not go-far with sixty women on the staff I feel I want to let everyone know we haven’t enough stores and there are so many who would be eager and willing to send some little thing and every little helps.” * ;