NG Organisations

Still Strong in Australia

Ng Women’S Club Of Sydney

T'VURING the year ending June 30, 1953, the POW and Civilian Internees Fund was finally wound up, said Mrs. M. Fox croft, president of the New Guinea Women’s Club of Sydney, in her report to the annual general meeting in July.

This fund was started in the late war years, its purpose being to help in the rehabilitation of New Guinea residents who had been POW or civilian internees of the Japanese.

Unfortunately, few of these men lived to benefit by the Fund; it has, however, been put to good purpose over the years since 1945 in assisting the wives and children of men who lost their lives at the hands of the Japanese or while prisoners. At the beginning of the last financial year, there was £3l in the Fund and this has been distributed among widows with children and the Fund is now no more.

Mrs. Foxcroft was able to report on another successful year for the Club, with good attendances at weekly meetings and other functions. Social gatherings during the year, including the children’s and adult’s Christmas Parties, had been out standing successes. At the same time, members had carried on their self-imposed task of visiting New Guinea residents in hospitals and sending flowers to those who were ill. Food parcels had been sent to former Territory residents now living in the UK and a baptismal font, made of NG timbers, had been presented to the newly-completed Methodist Church in Rabaul.

On January 23, the Club had joined with the Ex-New Guinea Servicemen for the annual Fall of Rabaul service at the Sydney Cenotaph; and again on June 28, harf met at the Cenotaph to commemorate the sailing of the ill-fated Montevideo Maru from Rabaul with some hundreds of New Guinea civilian internees on board.

Office Bearers

An election of office-bearers for 1953- 54 resulted in the following ladies being elected; President, Mrs. M. Foxcroft; vice president, Mrs. J. Edwards; treasurer, Mrs. H. Carr; secretary, Mrs. A, Hornby.

The Club ended its financial year with a credit balance of £321/5/4.

Ng W’Omen’S Assn. Of Melbourne

jy/TRS. A. M. GREEN became president of the New Guinea Women’s Assn, of Melbourne at the beginning of 1953, in succession to Mrs. A. Gregory who had carried on the good work for the four previous years.

In her first report to an Annual General Meeting in June, Mrs. Green thanked Miss Valda Youlden (Hon. Secretary) and Mrs. Farnsworth (Treasurer) for their support.

She said that the Association had had a successful year during which members had enjoyed a number of social functions and, in addition, had found time to work for others. A donation of £lO/10/- had been made to the War Widows’ Guild; fruit ancl flowers were sent to the president of the Guild (Mrs. H. A. Vasey) on the eve of her departure for the Coronation; a donation of clothes and a cheque had been made to the “Save the Children Fund.’’

The Association had continued to send food parcels to former NG residents now living in the UK; a donation of £lO/10/has been made to the St. George Church of England in Rabaul, NG, in memory of the NG men who had lost their lives during the war; and a stall run by the Association in the Melbourne Town Hall

had resulted in a donation of £9O being made to Melbourne Opportunity Clubs.

At present six children were benefiting under the NG Memorial Scholarship Fund which was established by the Association some years ago. Due to increased costs.

Trustees of the Fund last year Increased the scholarship grant from £3O to £5O per annum.