ACTIVE YEAR'S WORK

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 244, 16 October 1942, Page 4

ACTIVE YEAR'S WORK

NELSON BRANCH OF W.W.S.A. 24 ORGANISATIONS CO-ORDI-NATED. At the annual meeting of the Nelson Women's War Services Auxiliary this week, Mrs H. Atmore presided in the absence, through illness, of the president, Miss L. M. Hunter Brown. The W.W.S.A., Mrp Atmore said, was a co-ordinating body of women war workers, and she wished to thank everybody who did some form of work in the war effort, whether as members of the W.W.S.A. or of some allied patriotic organisations working in conjunction with it. The election of officers resulted as follows (reports the Evening Mail) - President, Miss Hunter-Brown; vice ■ president, Mrs Atmore; secretary, Miss Taylor; committee, Lady Scott, Mesdames Neale, Lock, Page, Hudson, Bowden, Dodds, Robertson and Wailace, and Misses J. Stewart, B Walter, L. Turton and E. Gray. The thii d annual report showed that there wSYe now 24 women's organisations working for the W.W.S.A. in Nelson, and during the past year they had been calied upon to give much of their time and services to the many patriotic efforts and war work in general. This they had all most willingly done, and the results had been more than gratifying. The following new work had been added to the activities of the W.W.S.A. during- the year:— Making of camouflage nets; house to house collection for patriotic funds, delivery of patriotic posters, staffmg of waste paper depot, making arrangements for the weekly patriotic shop enlisting women for the Armed Sei vices, and embroidering- insignia for the Home Guard. The work of making camouflage nets for the Army was taken up with great enthusiasm and a total of 314 nets was sent to Wellington. The house-to-house collection for patriotic funds had been carried out by 200 women workers who had colleeted £5500. The total funds colleeted to date by means of the weekly patriotic shop days were £2085. In pursuance of the declared policy of the Government to work through the W.W.S.A., that office be - eame the centre for the enlistment of women for service with the Armed Forces, and at the request of the officer in charge of Army Headquarters, Nelson, a recruiting meeting was organised by the executive. Large numbers of women and girls had visited the office to make in~ quiries, but among those who did enlist many were already in essential industries. In the fijst draft 49 Nelson girls went to the training camp for a six-weeks' course, and a second draft was to go shortly. Some 250 stars ' for the Home Guard had been embroidered by members, and these had been sold at 9d each, proving a welcome source of revenue. HELPING PRIMARY PRODUCTION. Last season there were many calls for volunteer labour in the fields, orchards and gardens, and W.W.S.A. members responded well, many being employed for the whole period at some form of seasonal work. Others, with home ties, had exercised much ingenuffy in readjusting their domes tic duties and spent a considerable time in aiding the production of the district. The W.W.S.A. worked in close conjunction with the placement officer, and both he and the growers had expressed their gratitude to these workers. Members of the W.W.S.A. were playing their parts in E.P.S. and canteen work. The organisation still enjoyed the privilege of a monthiy broadcast from the local radio statioii, when Mrs Atmore or Miss Gray gave an address on the work of the W.W.S.A. or appealed for any thing needed to promote its efforts. From the patriotic wool depot it was reported that 180 pullovers, 2164 balaclavas, 2646 scarves, 913 pairs. of socks, 1373 pairs of mittens, and 57 caps had been knitted. Of these six pullovers, 804 balaclavas, 991 scarves, and 876 pairs of mittens had been sent to soldiers in camps in Blenheim and districts. The work of making hussifs for the Armed Forces was proceeding and 60 hussifs had been sent to Wellington each month during the past year. The number of khaki handkerchiefs required for each quarterly quota had already greatly increased, and a total of 5826 were made. In the soldiers' parcels sent away in January and May 4674 were included. During the year 4539 soldiers' parcels had been sent from Nelson. These parcels were packed every three months, and members of the different organisations and College girls willingly assisted in the work. The 24 organisations working in conjunction with the W.W.S.A. submitted reports of their patriotic activities during the year. — v