Vol. 20 No. 1 February 2000

Greeba Anxiaux Lambert died at about 8am on Friday, 12 November, 1999, aged 85. She had been variously treasurer, bookroom worker and reference librarian during her long association with the Homœopathic Society. Erna Stokes has written about her on page 2, expressing very aptly the kinds of thoughts many of us had when reflecting on our contacts and friendships with Greeba. Several people (some living, some dead), have, like Greeba, put a tremendous amount of time and energy, and in many cases money, too, into fostering homœopathy.Those of us close to the New Zealand Homœopathic Society over the years know who these unsung heroes are, and know that most, if not all of them, wish to remain unsung. So be it. Their contributions will be mentioned when they die and eventually forgotten . . . unfortunately. Almost certainly historians of the future writing about homœopathy in New Zealand will pick out a few names they think significant, particularly homœopathic doctors, and this will convey to readers the impression that these few towered over everything homœopathic in their day and powerfully influenced its course.

This is not really true, and Greeba and all the good souls like her who worked for no pay and scant thanks (such as brief mention in the president’s annual report) will not even rate a footnote; yet without doubt they did so much more. Such is the way of the world.
It is good for us, I think, to remember this from time to time, and reflect on how the Homœopathic Society ever got the money to own its own freehold headquarters and its facilities. Echoing a Latin expression inscribed on Hahnemann’s tomb-they did not live in vain.
Attendance at the society’s monthly meetings is poor, disheartening even. The format of people giving lecture-like talks has had its day; there is great difficulty in even getting people to give talks.

So it was decided to make these meetings more informal by having several speakers talk off-the-cuff on a nominated topic, with plenty of audience participation by way of asking questions or recounting experiences. Some evenings run on these lines have been excellent, particularly when some of our India-trained practitioners contribute, and several points of view are presented.

But this kind of evening only becomes possible if there are people present prepared to contribute-so, come on you practitioners, students and enthusiasts and attend these meetings and participate!

Bruce Barwell