TRAVEL CLUB

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24408, 20 September 1940, Page 6

TRAVEL CLUB

A SUCCESSFUL YEAR MAYOR’S PATRIOTIC APPEAL A successful year, with increased membership and. an improved financial position, was reported at the. annual mee.ing in the Crawford Lounge last night of the Dunedin Travel Club. Mr W. R. Brugh presided over a large attendance of members. At. the outset the chairman extended a welcome to the club’s patron, the Mayor (Mr A. H. Allen), and referred to the lively interest he had exhibited in the organisation during the past 12' months. Mrs Richard Hudson presented the Mayoress with a bouquet. Moving the adoption of the annual report and balance sheet. Mr Brugh said it was encouraging to know that, notwithstanding very troublous times, the club was able to show an increased membership. This fact showed that the useful work the club was doing was appreciated, and he expressed the hope that both the work and interest in it would continue. As they all knew, members contributed 3d a head to the funds of the Services Welcome Club, and in addition they took their turn with other societies in the conduct of the very admirable work involved. The finances had also improved during the year, the speaker continued, and the total credit balance was now £B2. The report was adopted. Election of Officers Office-bearers were elected as follows:—Patron, the Mayor (Mr A. H. Allen); president, Mr W. R. Brugh; vice-presidents—Messrs J. Sutherland Ross, ‘H. L. Gibson, and Mesdameo Richard Hudson, J. A. Jenkins, and Battersby; secretary, Miss Kathleen Greenslade; treasurer, Mr R. S. Cantrell; council —Mesdames Richard Hudson, J A. Jenkins. Battersby, Ivo Carr. Clark, and Edmond, and Messrs E Tyson, S. P. Cameron N. R Mclsaac, and H. H. Henderson, and representatives of the Otago Harbour Board. Chamber of Commerce, Otago Expansion League, Automobile Association (Otago) and the Rotarv Club Patriotic Effort The Mayor, at the conclusion of a brief congratulatory speech concerning the activities of the club during the past year, made an appeal for the fullest possible support for all the patriotic activities at present in progress or projected. He said that in the last war the people of Otago raised no less than £309,000 for patriotic purposes, and this time the need would be greater still. There could be no complaint about the generosity of the people of the province to date —more than £IOO 000 had already been collected —and he felt sure that all their objectives would ultimately be achieved. But it was necessary that everyone should cooperate and persuade their friends also to make every possible effort. He knew there was a great difference of opinion in the matter of what appeals should be made, the Mayor added He assured his hearers that, although the Queen Carnival was the major effort of the moment, Otago would not be backward when the time came in making suitable gestures to the gallant people at Home by providing funds for the relief of distress in the bombed areas and for the purchase of fighter aircraft. The speaker emphasised the importance of the rehabilitation of returned men. and said that people should rid themselves of the erroneous idea that rehabilitation had to wait until the war was over. It , had already begun, and he cited the case of a soldier’s children who bad been left destitute by their mother’s death while the father was overseas. The Patriotic Council had been able to assist the family immediately its plight was brought to its notice, and it was intended that all such cases should be dealt with in the promptest manner possible. Vote of Thanks Votes of thanks to retiring officebearers were carried by acclamation, the chairman making special reference to the work of Mrs J. A. Cook, who had not sought re-election this year. At the conclusion of the business meeting, there was a programme of en- j tertainment, including musical items | and a series of interesting travel films, j