Meeting Decides To Carry On Ng Club

In Sydney

Officers Retire After Generous Service to Territorions

ALTHOUGH the New Guinea Women’s Club of Sydney will carry on, it will now do so without the services of many of its former office bearers.

At the fifth annual general meeting of the Club, at the Feminist Club, King Street, Sydney on July 12, members pre sented bouquets of flowers to Mrs. H. H.

Page (president), Mrs. I. McDonald (sec retary) and Mrs. H. Adams (treasurer) who are retiring after guiding the destiny of the Club for several years. Mrs. Page has been president since the Club’s in ception in 1941.

These women, with the vice-presidents of the Club, and the committee members who served with them, although often suf fering personal worry and heartbreak have worked tirelessly through the long war years for the welfare of other New Guinea women.

It can be said that one of the brightest spots in the evacuee years has been the way New Guinea women stood together in adversity. This can be attributed in large measure to the leadership of the Women’s Club in Sydney and sister bodies in other .Australian States.

At the conclusion of the meeting on July 12, many striking tributes were paid to Mrs. Page by appreciative members of the Club.

EXTRACTS from the retiring presi dent’s report for the year ending June 30, 1946, tell something of the work that had been performed by the Club: New that so many womenfolk are returning to the Territory, the Club will naturally havfl a smaller membership, it is advisable that the committee members be altered to about eight, including the office-bearers.

In April, this year, a special general meeting was called to advise members of decisions made in connection with the Rehabilitation Fund—namely, that £5 was being sent to the widows of New Guinea men. This has been done, ana in many cases a second cheque has been seiu, but as yet we are unable to use the money

donated to us by the New Guinea Comforts Fund other than as directed. We have also been unable to secure a list of NGVR men from the powers-that-be, who have advised us of their inability to do so for at least another three months.

Also at the April meeting members were ad vised of the names of the office-bearers and committee who would not be available for re election in July, and a vote was taken as to whether the Club should continue or not. The result was unanimous for its continuance.

Several times during the year we found it necessary to have legal advice from our solicitor.

Mr. Fincham, with reference to our funds, and after much negotiating our Club now functions with the approval of the Chief Secretary’s De partment, to whom we are responsible for all its activities. I should here like to place on record our appreciation of the help extended to us by the Australian Comforts Fund while we functioned under its guardianship.

THIS year has been most difficult with regard to entertaining, but Mrs. Foxcroft is to be congratulated on the result of a very disjointed year.

Hospital visiting continued, though not so fre quently as in previous years, and canteen orders of 10/- were given to each patient at Christmas.

We remember specially Mr. Farnham, who has oeen an inmate of 113th AGH for a such a long, period, because of extensive burning. His cour age has been outstanding, and we offer him oui sincere wishes for his complete recovery.

Again we have been glad to offer financial assistance to some of our needy members.

Clothing, too, has been distributed to appre ciative families.

This year we sent parcels of clothing, etc., to the liberated Chinese women and children of New Guinea. Mr. Meares advised us that in his opinion the Chinese were in a better position than the Malayans, and perhaps we might care to help the latter. This was dis cussed in committee, but it was decided if any outside help be given, it be directed towards our own kith and kin, the British, who are so desperately in need of food and warm clothing.

A week or so ago we had an interesting visit from the secretary of the War Widows’ Craft Guild who spoke to our women and invited them ’ to join the movement founded by Mrs.

Vasey, the idea being to enable the widow to supplement her pension with the knowledge gained. This is well worthy of serious thought.

WE remembered our honoured dead by placing wreaths on the Cenotaph on January 23, April 25, and July 1. - .

We were all so happy at the close of hos tilities. External Territories opened a Welfare Bureau for service to prisoners of war as they came to Australia. We all hoped to; be re united with our loved ones, but apart from the nurses and the few liberated men from Rabaul, the room was not needed. T he majority of the men had perished together in 1942, and we had held fast to hope all those years.

The first notification of our loss came from a paragraph in the paper!

I felt very privileged to be allowed to greet the nurses when they arrived in Australia.

The Welfare Department had thought of every thing for their comfort, even to the issuing of ration books and money in their pockets.

Later on when the men from Rabaul arrived, the Club entertained them at luncheon in the Welfare rooms. It was good to see happiness come to even a few after the tragic years I should like to pay tribute to the work of our secretary, Mrs. I. McDonald, and our treasurer, Mrs. A. Adams, and Mrs. Foxcroft, the Entertainment leader. All these ladies have given long and splendid service throughout the arduous years and I feel we cannot adequately thank them.

I should also like to express our appreciation of the wqrk done by the following: Our honorary auditor, Miss I. Grant, who has been our auditor since the inception of the club; also Miss Hunter, secretary of the Feminist Club, who has been most helpful and co-operative. (To each of these women we have presented initialled leather writing cases).

To our solicitor, Mr. Fincham, whose advice has been given as part of his war service; Mr.

Foxcroft for all his help and thoughtfulness to the club and members throughout the life of the club; Mr. Leake for his courtesy in placing a room at our disposal for committee meetings; the “Pacific Islands Monthly” for its unquali fied interest and support right throughout the years, and lastly Mr. Salisbury, a city business man, for his handsome donations to the child ren’s party and for his wonderful generosity in placing his Palm Beach home at the dis posal of the bereaved women of New Guinea and making himself responsible for their travelling arrangements. We were all very deeply touched at such generosity from a stranger.

In conclusion I offer to all my sincere ap preciation of all the kindness, help and loyalty extended to me since the inception of the club.

Financial

rE last year has been one of heavy ex penditure. Receipts for the general fund for the year were £623 (includ ing £203 carried over from last year). Ex penditure was £559, leaving a balance of £64.

For the POW and Civilian Internees account, receipts for the year were £1375 including £420 brought forward from 1945); assistance to returned POW and internees or their dependents amounted to £940, leaving £435.

Election of New Office-Bearers

IT seemed at this stage of the meeting that the Club would go out of exist ence from sheer inability to obtain new office bearers to replace those who had signified their intention of not again standing for office. Members, while anxious for the Club to continue, were not keen to take office—either because they will be returning to the Territory shortly or because they felt unequal to

the task of attaining the high standard of service set by retiring office bearers.

Finally Mrs. N. Foxcroft, who has al ready given outstanding service to the Club in previous years as a vice-president and as leader of the entertainment com mittee, was persuaded to accept the office of president. It was generally felt that she is a worthy successor to Mrs. Page.

Other office bearers elected were: Mrs.

J. Duncan, vice-president; Mrs. S. Elvy, secretary; Mrs. N. Couzins, treasurer; Miss M. Kelly, auditor. Committee: Mesdames E. G. Haynes, E. Banks, M. Forsyth, E.

Ormonde.

Lady McNicoll, who has been patroness of the Club since its commencement, was unable to accept this year. Mrs. H. H.

Page was unanimously elected to fill this vacancy.