Newspaper Article – The Inner Soldier!

The Inner Soldier!

WOODVILLE’S TASTY WELCOME

A “NEW Zealand Free Lance” representative travelling north by train was interested to find hot steam coming from a table covered with savoury-smelling dishes in the waiting-room at Woodville one dank, cold day recently. On asking a helper who was dashing about with hot plates to tell what was what, it was revealed that the Woodville Red Cross has been doing a very useful job. This is the only station between Wellington and Gisborne at which the train stops long enough to give sick and wounded returned soldiers a hot dinner. Since these men have been returning from overseas hot dinners, cigarettes and matches have been given to 140 of them at the railway station, or at Mr. Turnbull’s tea-rooms if the men are travelling by bus.

On call at a moment’s notice have been the following ladies: Mrs. N. M. Burnett (president), Mesdames R. L. James (secretary), W. Galbraith, H. P. Horne, K. Somervell, Nicholson, J. Thomason, H. C. Nicholls, J. J. Horne and Miss Milner.

Members of the railway refreshment-room staff, under Miss Grout, have cooperated by allowing use of the range to keep the dinner hot and giving facilities for washing up. One of the difficulties has been in providing crockery and cutlery for up to 25 men. The Railways Department supplies a room and tables, and now seats are obtainable from a hall nearby.

It certainly looked very cheering to see a piping hot meal being given, and this was the fare: hot roast lamb or beef, pumpkin, potatoes, apple-pie and custard. On the summer menu are ham, lettuce and tomato-salad, potatoes, jelly.