It will not be long before a second sister will be needed for the district nursing service.

This was stated by Mr. W. R. Kennewell, chairman of the hospital board, at a ceremony held on Monday morning to mark the launching of the service.

The ceremony, staged in front of the hospital, was attended by Mr. Kennewell, Mrs. Nance Campbell, Mr. Doug. Holding, Drs. Brien, Hegarty and Hodgson, and Matron Bailey. Mr. Kennewell said that this was the second project started by the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Committee; the first was the meals on wheels project.

“The service could not have been started if service clubs had not come forward so generously to raise $1200 needed to purchase the car,” he said.

“Special mention should be made of the Laurieton district nurse appeal committee, which raised over half of this amount,” Mr. Kennewell said.

After the ceremony, Sister Brooker made her first few calls on patients in the Port Macquarie area. Once the service is fully under way, it will include both Port Macquarie and Camden Haven areas. Sister Brooker, who has had previous district nursing experience, came here from the Blue Mountains District Anzac Memorial Hospital in Katoomba.

Four inches of rain a great Xmas gift

The four inches of rain over the past five days at the beginning of Summer has been a wonderful Xmas gift. A dry November, 183 points, had left the countryside badly in need of rain. A pleasing feature has been the steadiness of the falls, the type of soaking rain so welcome in the Spring and early Summer.

Registrations for December at the Pilot Station: 2nd, 6 points; 3rd, 193; 4th, 8; 5th, 168; 6th, 39 points, making a total of 414 points. Up to the end of November, a total of 5809 points had been recorded for the eleven months of 1967, and this with the four inches so far in December puts the yearly total above average.

Exhibition at Atelier

Art has made great strides in Port Macquarie in recent years and with the opening of the Atelier Gallery in Horton Street by, Mrs. Una Robertson another delightful interest was added to the town and is being enjoyed by both tourists and local people.

Now, the Atelier is introducing to Port Macquarie a highly talented artist who is making quite a name for himself and an exhibition of his work is showing at the gallery.

The artist is Mr. Les Graham, centre of recent comment in Sydney, where his paintings were rated by an art critic as “a good investment”. Mr. Graham recently had some of his work valued at the Sydney Gallery and that assessment has left no doubt about his future and the value of his work.

Back home from Vietnam

Peter Hennessy, a National Serviceman who volunteered to go to Vietnam, will arrive home after 12 months there. Peter is the son of Mrs. B. Hennessey, of Hindman Street, and the late Mr. Jack Hennessey.

Although his two years’ National Service does not finish until next April, he has 50 days accumulated leave owing and could be discharged.