Lady Ryder became interested in social work when, as a young girl, greatly influenced by her mother, an active social worker, she helped the district nurse in the slums of Northern Britain. Being conscious of the 37,000,000 who had died during World War I, of how little was being done for the survivors and the looming war with Hitler, she joined at 16 the “Fanny Corps”, the oldest women’s fighting corps which had fought in the front lines in Belgium and France.

On completion of training she was sent to “Bingham’s Unit”, interviewed by security and signed the official secrets act. Consequently she is unable to disclose many of the things she witnessed in World War II. She served in Norway during the period when heavy water facilities were blown up, in Czechoslovakia, but mostly in Poland which was the major and most highly organised group.

In 1945 she returned via Africa and Italy to Poland which was in a state of utter and indescribable devastation. But, in what she described as the miracle of our time, the Polish people, for whom she has the greatest admiration, though weak and ill, rebuilt with their bare hands the towns and cities from the mountains of rubble. She worked as an auxiliary nurse among the typhoid fever, tuberculosis, cholera and typhus which were rife.

Determined to form a charity foundation, she returned in 1952 to England and registered the Ryder Foundation. Of the over 80 homes founded, two are for children with rheumatoid arthritis, 27 are in Poland and the rest spread in many countries including third world countries.

Lady  Ryder expressed her thanks to Australians for their assistance with Raphael, which caters for lepers, tuberculosis sufferers and deserted and mentally handicapped children in northern India. There are 10,000,000 lepers in India and Raphael has two mobile medical teams which go into the surrounding country and examine and dispense medication to all.

In representing the under privileged, Lady Ryder is humbled and amazed at the dignity and lack of self pity which makes these individuals so special.

She stressed the fact that her foundation is fully voluntary and that all that is given goes to help these people.