answer to my call . I then phoned Doctor who brought the Police . Noticing his state they took him to the Police Station , and at 4 a . m . he cut his throat . How thankful I was that he had been removed . Incidentally , this man came from a noted family in the South Island .
Another Outbreak of Typhoid
Now for Ruatoki and Tawera areas . At Rewarewa typhoid had broken out and as the milk factory was closed for the seasonal period Mr Walter Reid , the chairman , gave me permission to use the dwelling-house adjacent to the factory as our hospital . What a comfort it was to have plenty of hot water and everything that made convenient working for patients and staff . The Maori people brought us vegetables , food etc ., and did all they could to help . It was almost three months before we were able to discharge the last patient . Then followed the cleaning up of the cottage for the factory workers .
After this epidemic I spent as much time as possible visiting the homes , teaching health and getting to know the people , as typhoid , tuberculosis and other diseases were prevalent . Tawera area was often cut off when the Whakatane River was in flood . On one visit there I was terrified of the crossing which was made in a huge dray , the floor of which was packed with boxes , and on these we sat . Coming out the patient was laid on these boxes between Doctor and myself ; however , we crossed safely and admitted our patient to hospital .
In the Waimana area the roads were not too good in those days , but the Maoris there were most helpful , as well as the Tanatana missionaries , doing all possible to help me . At Matahi Mission , where I frequently stayed , especially when going further on to Tawhana-manuka which is an inland route to Maungapohatu , the missionary there being a nurse was a valuable assistant - more particularly when Rua and his followers came to the pa to stay for a while . The river crossing to Matahi Mission station was often tricky too and one needed help on these occasions .
In conclusion , I must pay tribute to all the missionaries whose hospitality I enjoyed so often during those years and for the long years of friendship which one values greatly as one looks back on those trying days . My work in this area and then in the large area of the East Cape Health District has been one happy memory for which I am extremely grateful .
Ada J . North , Whakatane .
Author ’ s Notes : Miss North uses the Anglicised name ‘ Miss King ’ rather than ‘ Miss Kingi ’ but they are one and the same person .
‘ D . Ts ’ refers to Delirium Tremens , a medical condition brought on when an alcoholic is deprived of alcohol . In this district 214 persons died from Influenza during the 1918 epidemic , 188 Māori and 26 Europeans . There were an additional 67 Māori deaths in the Ōpōtiki district 43 .
43
J . London , Handwritten notes , ( Media clippings scrapbook “ Hospital ”, Whakatāne District Museum & Gallery ) p2
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