New Guinea Women's

Club Much Useful Work is Done Unostentatiously

AS a result of the afternoon gathering organised by the New Guinea Women’s Club on August 29, over £27 has been added to club funds.

Something like 180 ex-New Guinea residents and their friends packed them selves into the Feminist Club rooms in King Street, Sydney, met old friends, exchanged tales of the evacuation (and after), and reminisced, as Territorians invariably do when they foregather.

Women’s Club members sold posies— the work of Mrs. E. Ormond, to whom great credit is due —and home-made sweets, attractively packed, and a musical programme was arranged for the visitors’ entertainment. The artists—Mrs. Edmund Hawnt, a violinist of outstanding ability, Miss Rae Smith, who sang, and Mrs.

Jones, who recited—had an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

Mr. Sid Marshall acted as operator and commentator for some films of the goldfields in the early days of aerial transport. The films were loaned by Mr.

Colyer, of the well-known New Guinea firm of Colyer Watson, and they traced, mainly, the story of the Bulwa dredge, from the time it left the “Macdhui” at Lae, in crates and bits and pieces, until it was in full working order at Bulwa.

They showed also some intensely inter esting sidelights on air-freighting in general. Shots of the country traversed on the flying routes—those between the goldfields and the coast, and between Port Moresby and Wau —must have given those who do not know the country an inkling of the conditions Allied soldiers and airmen are now up against, and the nroblems facing both defenders and invaders. Those to whom New Guinea means home—whoever may be in tem porary possession—must have felt more than one heart-pang, as well-remembered landmarks and faces unfolded before them.

“Coons and Coconuts” (and, in the case of New Guinea, gold), are said to make up 99 per cent, of the Islands-dweller’s conversation. Unfortunately, it is a lan guage that the Svdney-sider does not understand, and the Women’s Club is doing more good than is generally rea lised in providing opportunities for Ter ritory residents to gather informally together and to keep their own particu lar interests alive. The Club also does an enormous amount of good work in other directions—work that is entirely unpublicised—and is deserving of sup port from every ex-Territorian.

Activities in Melbourne

MELBOURNE has a New Guinea Women’s Association, which held its first meeting last November.

Members meet once a month, and on August 15, at Scott’s Hotel, there were 88 women present—also several old friends from the male population of the Terri tory. These latter included Graham Mirfield, Bill Fleming, Leo Bryant. Ernie Britten. Len Dean and Gordon Farmer.

The Association has sent away a num ber of parcels to NGVR personnel, and has made a donation to the Sydney fund.

It has also become a branch of. and is knitting for, the Australian Comforts Fund: and at present it is intended to raise more money to enable the Associa tion to send a donation to the Red Cross Prisoner of War Fund.

There is a War Savings Group among

the members and by this means a num ber of War Savings Certificates have been purchased.

The next meeting is to be held at Scott’s Hotel on September 19, and for Saturday, October 3, Mrs. E. L. Best has kindly loaned her home for an Austra lian Tea, to augment the funds.

Mrs. R. W. Cooper is the president of the Association; Mrs. F. G. Lewis, vice president; Mrs. Geoffrey Bliss, hon. sec retary; Mrs. S. R. Best, hon. treasurer: and committee members are Mrs. E.

Britten, Mrs. J. McK. Gollan, Mrs. Roy Smith and Miss Mamie Felstead.

Any person interested may contact the secretary at No. 10 Grant Street, East Malvern, Melbourne,