Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient: An organ of student opinion at Victoria University, Wellington. Vol. 23, No. 4. Wednesday, May 4, 1960

Baby Sitting-Clearing Snow Assisting Children With School Work

Baby Sitting-Clearing Snow Assisting Children With School Work

Norwegian students like student everywhere—tend to concentrate their interest on books and lectures. Beer, women and song normally take the rest of their time. But not always. Again and again our young intellectual workers have responded willingly when appeals have been made to wake up and help their less lucky student colleagues in other countries.

Consequently, when on October 28, 1959, a special committee, sponsored by the Norwegian National Union of Students (NSS) and the Norwegian Refugee Council, and headed by Arne Haugestad—a 24-year-old law student and dynamic ex-president of NSS—called for a general student offensive for the benefit of refugees, the Oslo student body did not hesitate to leave its study rooms and provide its contribution. To help even more the University agreed to cancel all lectures for the day so that no student his or her share.

Frode Omang tells what students did in Norway to assist world refugees.

Twice Before For Hungarian Refugees

The scheme concocted by the committee had two parts. The first one was a so-called "Give-one-Day" action, an enterprise attempted with great success before—for instance twice for the benefit of Hungarian refugee students in Norway. Students simply declare that on a special day they will do any sort of work for a minimum wage of 20 N.Kr. (£1). The students' offer is widely publicised through press and radio and people who are interested place requests by telephone with the organising committee.

Housewives may need some energetic girl students to wash the flat or mend some clothes, or they may simply want some one to look after their baby while they go shopping. Family fathers welcome an extra hand in the garden, and during Norway's brisk winters there is always snow to be cleared away. Some people want a student to assist their children with school work —and some are glad just to entertain a poor digsdweller for dinner. Offices and factories may be rearranging their premises, and need a small student army for that job. And so on and so on. Norwegian students are not agraid of doing physical work, however "rough" the job may be.

Better Than Ever Before

This time operation "Give-one-Day" went better than ever before. Employers were phoning incessantly. The students went to work (because of heavy rainfall throughout the day it was a very unpleasant job for many), and in the evening a happy organising committee could add up 65,000 N.Kr. (£3,250) as a net result.

In the meantime, things had been happening at the University Square. The greatest Super Market ever seen in Oslo had been established. Shops and firms all over the town had been given notice some days before that any gifts were most welcome for the market. One thousand of them responded to the appeal to contribute to the students' special market. A military regiment lent 15 big lorries, and every one of them returned overloaded with goods of all sorts, food and furniture, socks and sweaters, big things and small, useful and useless. In the early morning hours on the 28th everything was arranged on large tables at the University Square. The student merchants were prepared. And then the consumers could come!

Soon Taken By A Buyers' Psychosis

And they came. Some just to make a good bargain, but most of them because they sincerely wanted to support the refugee cause. And they were soon taken up by a buyers' psychosis. Gentlemen were persuaded by smiling girls to buy, whether they needed the things or not, and mothers provided with clothes as if they had a dozen children at home. It was all very crowded and chaotic, and it was raining and raining (a large selection of umbrellas was sold out immediately). But a band of school musicians played one dashing march after the other, and there was optimism in the air. Some provident people took the opportunity to buy all their Christmas presents. From the staircase of the University Aula an Impressive auction was carried out with zest: cameras, paintings, books, suitcases-everything was sold!

On Friday, May 6, the University is to hold an all-day collection for refugees, as our contribution to the World Refugee Year programme.

Some pointers:

* The target for New Zealand is £125,000 of which £75,000 will be devoted to World Refugee Year projects. £50,000to contiuning grants to Asia and Africa.

* Although the war ended 15 years ago, there are still 112,000 refugees remaining in European camps. Or these, 90,000 are existing in unofficial camps and in sub-standard private accommodation—attics, cellars, huts and even chicken houses.

* There are 12,000,000 refugees in the Far East.

* Some results of the refugee problem are:

few opportunities for education:

vocational training is non-existent:

instable family life.

low morale and poor health:

no future to look forward to.

*Norway has given at the rate of 5/- per person (New Zealand gives at the rate of 10d. a person. Let's help to increase our contribution).

Disposing Of The Big Ox

At 7 o'clock the piece, apage 3 faddle, went along. And then another organising committee could start counting. The market had brought in 60,000 N.Kr. Total result of the Refugee Day: 125,000 N.Kr. (£6,250).

A few days later the students got a rather unusual gift from one of Oslo's dally newspapers: a big ox! It was cooked over an open fire in front of the University and passers-by could pay what they liked for a slice and a small glass of beer (another gift). The Lord Mayor was the first customer, and very many followed him. By the evening only the bare bones were left … another 10,000 Kr. (£500) for a good cause! At the same time the students in Bergen collected two tons of coins. In some factories and firms the employees decided to give the weight of their managing director in coins! No wonder the result was first class: altogether 60,000 N.Kr. (£3.000).

This was how International Refugee Year was opened In Norway. If yon can use any of these Ideas in your countrv, you are free to do so!

"The Student."