HOSPITAL GLASS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 November 1941, Page 6

HOSPITAL GLASS

USEFUL AND HELPFUL WORK HEADMASTER'S REPORT, GRATITUDE EXPRESSED FOR ASSISTANCE. An account of the excellent work that is being done in the Hospital Class at the Masterton Public Hospital is given by the Headmaster of the Lansdown School (Mr J. W. T. Jones) in the following report to his committee: Since the commencement of the Hospital Class in May, 1939. two hundred and thirty children have been admitted, seventy-five of these having been admitted this year. This number does not include children with tonsils and minor ailments who are patients for only three or four days, although these children are provided with occupational work. The average weekly roll number for this year is fourteen pupils. One of the main aims of the class is to assist the recovery of the children by providing physical and mental occupations carefully chosen and graded, with due regard to the mental and physical state of the patient. With the more permanently crippled children the aim is to attempt to provide an education for the child which will enable him to hold his own with his more fortunate brothers and sisters, when he comes to earn his own living.

To the hospital children, education is a sugar-coated pill, for they enjoy the school work and scorn odd holidays. Besides ordinary school work a great deal of occupational work is given and this helps to provide distraction. . . . The equipment is continually being added to, and over a period of two and a half years a good library, constructive toys, games, bead threading, jigsaw puzzles, bead designing, weaving looms, miniature farms, blocks, fretsaw outfit, etc., have been purchased. This equipment, apart from slight depreciation, will be fairly permanent. Besides these, there are the usual handwork materials so much used in hospital school work.

In August some of the pupils’ work was sent to Wanganui to the New Zealand Crippled Children’s Handwork Exhibition, and several prizes were won by the pupils. Very favourable comment was passed on the high standard of efficiency reached by these unfortunate children. The work sent to Wanganui was again displayed in Messrs Hugo and Shearers' window during October. On November 19 the Horticultural Society are providing a stall to enable the children to display their work, while some of the pupils will take part in the competitions for decorated sand saucers and gardens. When possible, permanent children are taken for outings, and this break in institution life gives the children a touch with the outside world and improves their general outlook on life.

Wanda Te Awa, who spent two years at the school, is now a pupil at Te Ante College where he is making splendid progress. The success of the school has been largely due to the co-operation of Misses Barnett and Grant, together with that of,the whole nursing staff. Without their co-operation the smooth running of the school would be greatly affected. To all the members of the nursing staff, I extend my sincere thanks for their help, and the interest taken in the work. The Crippled Children’s Society, through its representative, Mrs Kilgour, is always ready to help, and to these good people I extend my thanks for the help ever available. The school is fortunate in receiving an annual grant from the Trust Lands Trust, for without this grant our equipment and supplies would have been sadly depleted. The money made available is spent in a variety of ways, and much of the more permanent equipment in the way of constructive toys, library books, etc., has been made possible through this grant. The grant has eliminated some of the difficulties that most of the hospital schools have to face. For these reasons I am exceedingly thankful that the Trustees have made this possible. The splendid work being done by the teacher of the class, Miss Nancy M. Allan, is worthy of high praise. By her quiet manner and sympathetic nature Miss Allan has endeared herself to the many little suffers with whom she has come in contact, and to her I extend my very sincere thanks for the very high standard of work produced, and also for the smooth running of the school.