'Orphan's Christmas Cheer Fund' And King Edward Memorial Hospital. Christmas (1933).
Part Three continued on from the previous two posts on the Orphans' Christmas Cheer Fund in 1910...
"...In the early 1900s many of the children in Western Australia, Perth and Subiaco, entered competitions and shared aspects of their lives through letters and essays in the 'Children's Pages' run by Uncle Tom and Auntie Nell at the Daily News newspaper.
The children became members of the Sunshine League, a charitable organisation initiated by Uncle Tom the original editor of the children's pages at the newspaper. The object of the Sunshine League was "to train children to in sets of kindness and love, believing that such sets bring blessings to themselves and others. The motto is "there is nothing greater or more beautiful in all the world than kind deeds and the humblest child can do them." Children wrote to Uncle Tom and Auntie Nell asking to become members. They were known as nieces and nephews.
There was no membership fee but those members who wanted to could make a donation or actively raise money for two causes the 'Orphans Christmas Cheer Fund' and the Children's Hospital Cot Fund. Those events were annual features in children's pages. Many children donated money on a regular basis and their names were published in the newspaper. Those adventures of members have been written about in previous blog posts..."
This article is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.
ORPHANS' XMAS CHEER FUND
MORE THAN 1000 Babies! Brighten Their First Christmas
Many more than 1000 babies have been born at the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women this year. Many more than 1000 mothers know that their babies have the invisible K.E.M.H. 'well-born' seal on their birth certificates.
The babies ranged in weight from less than two pounds to ten, and the mothers ranged from those so financially distressed that the hospital authorities returned to them the baby bonus money to women of means who would pay a lot for the guaranteed health that the K.E.M.H. seal assures.
The annual number of new citizens who come from the King Edward increases year by year, and this year it has been found necessary to appoint another honorary surgeon. Few places have felt the need for funds during the times of financial stringency as has the King Edward Hospital. Many babies left the hospital to return to distressed homes, and kindly wise Matron Walsh, to whom her job is not only an important post, but a life's work, saw that all those babies would be properly clad during the important first months of their lives.
Hundreds of full sets of baby clothes have been given to departing babies, and in many cases the untouched baby bonus has been returned to the mothers.
In the ante-natal ward, where expectant mothers have been advised, instructed; and even genially bullied into preparing a healthy future for their babies, 4000 visits from patients have been paid this year. There are ten wards in the hospital — al-ways busy — and always about 50 or 60 babies to be cared for.
In recent years, to accede to the request of many women financially 'comfortably off,' who wished to avail themselves of the excellent treatment the hospital gives, an intermediate ward was established.
A recent visitor to the hospital was much struck by the voluntary testimony given by a mother established in one of the private rooms of this ward. 'I wouldn't like my baby to be born anywhere else,' she said.
Tiny morsels swaddled in wool and oil in the 'incubator,' being assisted by unceasing attention and anxious care to repair an unfortunate start in life; others a little bigger in bassinets outdoors basking in a judicious amount of sun, or sleeping or howling with all the zest of brand-new lungs in the cot at the foot of their mothers' beds in the ward, and a sprinkling of sturdy orphans in canvas playgrounds in the sun, unaware of any serious deprivation. Such are pictures of the daily life of the hospital.
So high is official opinion of the work that the Minister for Health recently asked in the House for a grant of £2500 for putting up extra wards, so that a full community hospital could be established to relieve congestion at the Perth Public Hospital.
How high does your opinion of it run? Do you feel that, with many other members of the community, it is your privilege as well as your duty to contribute some donation to a fund which will benefit many other institutions as well at Christmas time? There is no limit to the size of your contribution.
It will be greatly appreciated. Send it to the ORPHANS' CHRISTMAS CHEER FUND Box 156 G.P.O., Perth...
