by NZ CATHOLIC Staff
ROTORUA — Rotorua woman Margaret Hodge has been awarded a CWL
citation for 45 years of specific CWL service.
According to the citation, she has been a member of Rotorua CWL
(formerly St Mary’s) since 1965 and since 1969 — for 45 years — has been mission convener for the Natovi Mission Station in Fiji.
CWL member Margaret Hodge receives a CWL citation at the annual conference at Te Awamutu from Hamilton diocese mission convener Madeline Masters.
It is not only the schools, priests and seminarians at Natovi
that are supported, but the wider community.
Almost every year a container load of clothing,books, sewing materials and other items, as well as money, are sent and
the people of Natovi organise sales and sell the goods, raising money for the some of their projects.
Some of the requests Margaret has found and organised to get to Fiji
have included:
• Stainless steel for
a boys toilets, shipped
from the Port of Tauranga
• Hosing for the gardens
• Sports goods
• Stationery
• Pig sty
• A three-year-old bull
shipped from Wellington.
Margaret now has her branch assisting with the establishment of a kindergarten school at the mission station which, on completion, will bring education full circle at Natovi.
Margaret has been able to keep a great working relationship with
“her” mission station, even to the point where recently she was rung by the parish secretary to see if she was all right,
because nobody had received a Christmas card from her.
In 2002, Margaret was awarded branch life membership for her service
to the league and, more especially, her mission work.
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