READY RESPONSE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23916, 18 September 1939, Page 6

READY RESPONSE

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE APPEAL STREAM OF WOMEN RECRUITS An excellent response from the women of Dunedin has been made to the recent appeal by the St. John Ambulance Association for 50 women drivers to take over the duties of the men drivers should they be required for overseas service. Already between 30 and] 40 women have volunteered, and applications are still coming in. It is expected that a number of the volunteers will not be entirely suitable for the work ,on account of not being physically fit for the work, or being too old, or of not having the required driving qualifications. Women with a training in first aid together with the other qualifications will be preferred, but suitable applicants without this training will be given instructional, classes by the association. Commencing to-night, the St. John Ambulance Association will conduct a series of training, classes in first aid. home nursing, hygiene and air raid precautions. Already over 200 applications have been received: from Dunedin women wanting to take the instructional classes. Assistant Commissioner W. D. Pirrett told a Daily Times reporter on Saturday that in Wellington between 2000 and 3000 women were being trained by the St. John Ambulance and there were fully 2000 taking instructional classes in Auckland. It is the intention of the local school to train 2000 Dunedin women in these aspects of war work in the next 12 weeks. The training is regarded as highly beneficial and it is hoped that as many women as possible will join the classes.