Newspaper Article – Nearly £8000 sent overseas by SCF

Nearly £8000 sent overseas by SCF

A total of £7989/1/9 was sent overseas in the year 1964/65 by the Northern Hawke’s Bay branch of the Save the Children Fund, it was reported at the annual meeting of the branch held last night in Hastings.

Mrs R. V. Giorgi, wife of the Mayor of Hastings, took the chair and welcomed members to the meeting.

In addition to the money, 40 cases of good clothing, bedding and drugs were packed and sent away.

A successful year in all fields of the fund’s work was shown in the annual report.

The profit made on last year’s sale of Christmas cards is to be used to finance the New Zealand sponsored Greek mobile medical clinics as well as general funds where the need is greatest.

In November last year the SCF launched a new fund-raising scheme. Over 2000 tins were donated by J. Wattie Canneries and New Zealand Foods Ltd. These were labelled penny-a-meal, and have been distributed between Hastings and Napier. The people supporting this scheme put a penny in the tin for every meal they enjoy. Tins collected so far have averaged 13/- a tin.

The annual report from the Wairoa sub-branch showed an active year. The branch has sponsored a family in Korea, held stalls, made collections and sent gift parcels overseas.

During the evening, colour slides taken by Miss Elsie Leipst, Hastings, showing some of the work being done by the SCF in Korea were shown by Mrs D. A. Ballantyne. Miss Leipst is New Zealand first nurse to join SCF team.

Mrs W. A. Whitlock, acting-president during Mrs D. A. Ballantyne’s absence overseas, explained that SCF Christmas cards were first used to finance the work in Greece, but that this project had been so successful that the help from this source now went all over the world. The Northern Hawke’s Bay branch’s profit was almost £1500 on last year’s sales.

She reported that the 1964 range was now in stock, and could be bought at the Herald-Tribune office, Hastings She called for volunteers to help with sorting and packing supplies for other depots.

Plans for the Rice Bowl Appeal, which will be held as usual in the first week in October, were discussed. The hon. sec., Miss Nancy Tanner, read a letter from the Dominion executive, which gave details of how last year’s Rice Bowl money was spent.

It said that the £12,000 which was sent to Korea included several special allocations.

Five hundred pounds were sent to the Yung Hwa Sook beggar boys’ home by the school children of Northern Hawke’s Bay and Korean style homes were built for 100 families who were living in desperate poverty in Seoul. The balance was used in the running expenses of the children’s Tb wing at Masan hospital, the five medical and feeding clinics in and near Pusan, the leprosarium, the children’s preventorium, and in the SCF land development scheme which is run in cooperation with the Korean Government.

The Dominion executive said that the present work of the SCF in Korea costs £130,000 a year, and no new projects will be undertaken till some of the present ones are self supporting.

The sum of £5,000 was sent to the SCF homes in North India where Tibetan children are cared for and the remaining money went to the mobile medical clinics in Jordan, “boarding schools” in Morocco, and the fund’s work in Hong Kong.

A letter of thanks from the Waipukurau Borough Council was received by the branch for their efficient catering at the afternoon tea function during the Governor-General’s official visit. The sum of £36 was raised by this means.

A group of Waipukurau children were thanked for their donation of £8 raised at a bring-and-buy sale in their street.

Members were reminded of the constant need of the fund for good used clothing.

It was announced that Brigadier T. W. Boyce, director-general of the SCF would be visiting Hawke’s Bay next March.