Cybele Ethel Kirk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 October, 1870 |
| Died | 19 May, 1957 |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
Cybele Ethel Kirk (1 October 1870 – 19 May 1957) was a New Zealand temperance and welfare worker, suffragist, and teacher.
New Zealanders, colloquially known as Kiwis, are people associated with New Zealand, sharing a common history, culture, and language. People of various ethnicities and national origins are citizens of New Zealand, governed by its nationality law.
Kirk was born in Auckland in New Zealand on 1 October 1870. [1] Her parents were Sarah Jane and Thomas Kirk. Her father was an enthusiastic botanist who was a museum curator who later lectured on the natural sciences at Wellington College. She was one of nine children and five, including Lily and Harry, who survived to adulthood. She used the name, Cybele, as a child but used, Ethel, in later life. When she was three her family moved to Wellington as her father continued his career in Botany. She, her sisters and her mother assisted her father by gathering plants. [2]
Auckland is a city in the North Island of New Zealand. Auckland is the largest urban area in the country, with an urban population of around 1,628,900. It is located in the Auckland Region—the area governed by Auckland Council—which includes outlying rural areas and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, resulting in a total population of 1,695,900. A diverse and multicultural city, Auckland is home to the largest Polynesian population in the world. The Māori-language name for Auckland is Tāmaki or Tāmaki-makau-rau, meaning "Tāmaki with a hundred lovers", in reference to the desirability of its fertile land at the hub of waterways in all directions.
Thomas Kirk was an English-born botanist, teacher, public servant, writer and churchman who moved to New Zealand with his wife and four children in late 1862. The New Zealand government commissioned him in 1884 to compile a report on the indigenous forests of the country and appointed him as chief conservator of forests the following year. He published 130 papers in botany and plants including The Durability of New Zealand Timbers, The Forest Flora of New Zealand and Students' Flora of New Zealand.
Lily May Atkinson was a New Zealand temperance campaigner, suffragist and feminist.
Her mother protected her as she was thought to be delicate. However in 1898 her father died and Cybele had to direct her Sunday school teacher skills to obtaining paid work teaching in a primary school. She was interested in the work and in 1905 she founded the Richmond Free Kindergarten Union. [1]
In 1917 she was working at Otaki Maori College. The following year she worked through the flu epidemic staying at the college until 1921. Her sister, Lily, died that year and she went on to be the secretary of the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children in 1924. She help this post until 1937 looking after abandoned and unwed mothers and those affected by alcoholism. Meanwhile she became Juuctice of the Peace in 1926 as well as taking increasingly responsible roles in the National Council of Women of New Zealand. [1]
The National Council of Women of New Zealand is an organisation that works to achieve gender equality in New Zealand. The Council was established in 1896.
Kirk was given the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935 for her service to her community. [1]
The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V.
Dame Whina Cooper was a respected kuia, who worked for many years for the rights of her people, and particularly to improve the lot of Māori women. Her wide influence and nationally recognised activity led her to be acknowledged with awards in both the British (Imperial) and New Zealand Royal Honours Systems, and by her own people, who bestowed the title Te Whaea o te Motu upon her.
Ethel Turner was an English-born Australian novelist and children's literature writer.
Rita Angus was a New Zealand painter. Along with Colin McCahon and Toss Woollaston, she is credited as one of the leading figures in twentieth century New Zealand art. She worked primarily in oil and water colour, and is well known for her portraits and landscapes.
SuzanneAubert, better known to many by her cleric name Sister Mary Joseph or Mother Aubert, was a Catholic sister who started a home for orphans and the under-privileged in Jerusalem, New Zealand on the Whanganui River in 1885. Aubert first came to New Zealand in 1860 and formed the Congregation of the Holy Family to educate Māori children. She founded a religious order, the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion in 1892. Aubert later started two hospitals in Wellington; the first, St Joseph's Home for the Incurables in 1900, and Our Lady's Home of Compassion in 1907.
Ethel Carow Roosevelt Derby was the youngest daughter and fourth child of the President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt. Known as The Queen of Oyster Bay and The First Lady of Oyster Bay by its Long Island residents, Ethel was instrumental in preserving both the legacy of her father as well as the family home, "Sagamore Hill" for future generations, especially after the death of her mother, Edith, in 1948.
Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ, also known as Mother Janet Stuart, was a Roman Catholic nun and educator. She founded a number of schools.
Ethel Rebecca Benjamin was New Zealand's first female lawyer. On 17 September 1897, she became the first woman in the British Empire to appear as counsel in court, representing a client for the recovery of a debt. She was the second woman in the Empire to be admitted as a barrister and solicitor, two months after Clara Brett Martin of Canada.
Dorothy Kate Richmond, known as Dolla Richmond, was a New Zealand painter noted for her watercolour paintings of natural plants and animals and panoramic landscapes.
Elizabeth Grace Neill was a nurse from New Zealand who lobbied for passage of laws requiring training and national registration of nurses and midwives; in 1901, New Zealand was the first country in the world to introduce such laws. The nursing experience she received during her early life inspired her to reform many aspects of the nursing practice, and her experience as a factory inspector led her to instigate other social reforms.
Evelyn Margaret Page was a New Zealand artist. Her career covered seven decades, and her main areas of interest were landscapes, portraits, still lifes and nudes.
Marjory Hinemoa Mills was a New Zealand embroiderer who was an artist and business owner.
Harry Borrer Kirk was a New Zealand school inspector, biologist and university professor.
Fanny Louise Irvine-Smith was a New Zealand teacher, lecturer and writer.
Christina Kirk Henderson was a New Zealand teacher, feminist, prohibitionist, social reformer and editor.
Frances Ann Stewart was an Australian-born New Zealand social activist for women and children's rights. She was the first female member of a New Zealand hospital board.
Hermina "Mina" Arndt was a New Zealand painter.
Margaret Andrews Alcorn was an interior decorator and business owner in Wellington, New Zealand.
Margaret Magill was a teacher and school principal from New Zealand. She was the first woman to serve as the head of the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) and served on the Eastbourne Borough Council, as well as serving as Deputy Mayor for multiple terms. She lived openly with her lesbian partner and was part of a lesbian circle which included her sister and the sister's partner as well.
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