Healthy and Wise

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 792, 24 September 1954, Page 20

Healthy and Wise

"HE nation that is mindful of its children is a nation that knows where it is going. In the 26 years since New Zealand’s Health Camps were started as a memorial to the late King George V, 37,000 children between the ages of five and twelve have been cared for by the Health Camp movement. Each year some 2000 children of unsatisfactory physique-some undernourished, some constant sufferers from bronchitis, asthma, persistent colds, some contacts with tuberculosis-are taken into Health Camps up and down the country. And out of every hundred children who come home from their sevenweek stay in the Camps ninéty-four are recorded as being greatly improved, five are satisfactory and only one has failed to show improvement. What, then, brings about this remarkable success? Allan Sleeman of 3ZB sets out in his feature programme, Appointment with Health, to show the sort of physically wholesome, mentally untroubled environment which prevails at ‘the Camps. He paid several visits to one Camp, and in all that time he did not hear one child crying. Life is a busy, happy business at'a Health Camp. The programme takes us through a typical day, from getting up at 7.0 a.m., tooth-brush drill, bed-making, school-

with time out for milk and a cod-liver oil capsule-after lunch a rest period, then play in the open air. Tea is at five, then into bed for story-time before "lights out" at 7.0 for the tinies, and 7.30 for the older children, except on picture nights when the rule is relaxed a little. At school, instead of Social Studies, the children have health lessons and keep brightly-coloured scrap-books which serve as a reminder of what they have learnt. Of course, some of the children suffer from home-sickness. They write home once a week, but when the time comes, they are sorry to leave. One boy says he likes the games, "being with the other kids and sitting up in bed at night and seeing the lights of the city." The children take home a formal report on their progress of which, naturally, they are very proud. The Health Camp is an outstanding example of co-operation. Children are often recommended by their school doctors or nurses for a stay in camp, the Health Department sees to the running of the Camps themselves, and the Post and Telegraph Department, through the sale of Health Stamps, looks after the financial backing, assisted by the New Zealand public’ which buys Health Stamps so willingly. The Health Stamp campaign will be opened officially on Sunday, October 3, with a talk by Sir Edmund Hillary, to be heard from all National stations at 8.45 pm. The NZBS_ documentary, Appointment with Health, will bé broadcast by 2ZA at 2.0 p.m., and all ZB stations at 3.0 p.m. on October 3.