Australian Food Parcels Presented at Conisbrough       

December 1947

South Yorkshire Times, December 6, 1947

Handy For Christmas
Australian Food Parcels Presented at Conisbrough     

One of the 110 Australian food gift baskets, sent from Victoria to Conisbrough and Denaby is handed over at Station Road School, Conisbrough on Friday night by Coun. G Oldfield, Conisbrough Legion branch chairman

 Denaby and Conisbrough British legion branches held a combined social at Station Road School, Conisbrough, on Friday, to give opportunity for a public distribution of 110 food parcels sent to this country by the Victoria branch of the Returned Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia.

Official Recognition

Colin. G. Cheshire. J.P. (Urban Council Chairman). County Coun. B. Roberts. J.P., and other councillors gave official recognition to the occasion in a way that was much appreciated by Legion members.

Invitations had been sent out by post to nominated ex-Servicemen or their relatives whose circumstances had been aggravated by the worldwide stringencies to attend this distribution of food parcels which were a token of appreciation from Victoria of the way the Mother Country bore the brunt of battle in 1939-45.

Coun. G. Oldfield, M.M., made warm references to the stalwart fighting qualities of their Australian comrades-in-arms of three wars, and said that in their present difficulties the depth of feeling shown by their Victorian cousins in sending those welcome gifts, warmed their hearts and strengthened them to face the problems before them.

A “lantern talk” illustrated by a film supplied by the Imperial Institute on “Australia Today” followed.

Under the control of Mr R. Wake, D.C.M., M.M., the parcels were handed out by Coun. Oldfield for Conisbrough, and Mr T. C. Swinbourne for Denaby, with the aid of four helpers, Mrs R. D. Blackburn, Mrs M. Gethin, Mrs E. Haigh and Mrs E. Humphries, who were in charge QS the records, and assisted by Mr C. G. Ogilwy and Mr R. B. Cutts, who broke bulk and produced the parcels.