CLUBS FOR LONELY LAND GIRLS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 229, 12 November 1943, Page 17

CLUBS FOR LONELY LAND GIRLS

HE Listener recently published some of the actual reports by farm girls, who are members of the Women’s Land Service, on the conditions under which they work. And in our general summary of the reports that we had seen, we noted that a few, very few, but still some, com-plain-not bitterly but definitely — of loneliness. Last week we learned that the Women’s War Service Auxiliary, which concerns itself with the welfare of farm girls who have joined up under the scheme, has lately been making some practical attempts to break down the isolation of farm-girls. Recruits to the WAAF, WRNS, and WAAC have always known that they will be with others, and will have the constant companionship of their contemporaries in uniform. Women who enter the land service, on the other hand, do so knowing that they might be out of touch for days on end with everynar but the family on whose farm they work. ; -Now that the land service has been in existence more than a year, and its membership has grown to 900, the WWSA has seen the possibilities of arranging occasional gatherings of landgirls. The task is not an easy one, but progress is being made. ; The Listener interviewed Miss M. Malempre, Dominion Secretary of the WWSA, the other day, and asked her what was being done.

In Hamilton, she said, there was a club now formed, which recently had its inaugural dinner. There were 52 girls present on that occasion, and it was hoped that quite a number would be able to congregate on weekly sale days. In Tauranga there was another club; but the nature of the farming made all the difference to the opportunities for land-girls to get together, since if there was no sale day there was no transport, and the girls could only get into their nearest rural centre if the employers were driving in in any case. The Tauranga club expects to have only monthly meetings, since there is not the frequent commerce in that part of the world that gives the Waikato girls their transport. But even monthly meetings are something to look forward to. Hawke’s Bay has a club-at Hastings -and clubs are planned for other places where the number of girls in the district will justify them. In the meantime land-girls have access to the clubs and recreational facilities provided originally for the other services. Failing social gatherings, the WWSA is encouraging the activities of pen friends. "They can write to each other and feel that they are talking to someone with common interests," said Mrs. Malempre. "And we hope to get out a magazine or book to which girls can contribute things of interest to each other."