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Thelma Clough MBE, pictured in 2010, was an important volunteer in the Neurological Foundation’s early days. 16 Headlines T he incredible foresight of our founding neurologists can sometimes overshadow the work of our early volunteers. Some of the most important people in the initial days of the Neurological Foundation were the secretaries and committee members who worked behind the scenes to raise our first dollars and cents. Among them was Thelma Clough, whose expertise in secretarial duties ensured the smooth running of the Foundation as it grew in the 1970s and 80s. She was a member of the Division Ladies, who were the ‘hands-on back room workers’, and she held the unpaid position of Honorary Secretary of the Auckland Division of the New Zealand Neurological Foundation for 10 years. With great foresight, Thelma wrote a memoir of her time at the Foundation, titled A Secretary’s Tale: Some Memories, Experiences and Reflections. Written in 2001, the manuscript has been added to the Archives and Recollections Collections at the Auckland Museum. Thelma passed away in 2012 at the age of 98. A SECRETARY’S TALE Over the last 52 years, the Neurological Foundation has supported the evolution of a world-class neuroscience community in New Zealand.