Pioneering Women
Mrs Alison Drummond, a renowned author on local history, spoke to the Cambridge Branch of the National Council of Women in November 1961. "The settlers' wives and families" she said, “often started their Waikato life in a tent. They were lucky if they had a rather more substantial whare of slab, raupo or ponga. Some of the earlier raupo whares were things of beauty; finished very prettily inside with tukutuku. "The first of these homesteads were divided by a curtain into bedroom and kitchen. Windows were often glazed with coarse calico and cooking was generally done on an open fire outside. Washing was taken to the nearest creek or spring and spread to dry on bushes. The usual form of lighting was the home-made tallow candle. All the sewing of Victorian tucks and frills and the long, long seams was done at night by the light of these spluttering and rather smelly candles." All this - and the pitter patter of numerous little feet - was our pioneering women's lot. Here are some of their stories:Cambridge Pioneering Women
Pioneering for women (in the colonial sense) has only recently been addressed – possibly from the insurgence of family history research. Our Cambridge women were doing their bit to colonise their new home and as…
MOREPioneer Farmers Wives
Farmers Wives – Conditions of Twenty Years Ago (Published in the Waikato Independent in 1919) ‘Take the isolated existence of the average farmer and his family, who have been compelled to work long hours almost…
MOREReturned Service Women
At a meeting in Cambridge to form a branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association in 1917, there were 4 women on the promotion committee. Women already working for various patriotic groups could be Honorary Members…
MORECambridge Women on 1893 Electoral Roll
New Zealand was the first self-governing country in history to give women the vote. This was achieved only after a determined campaign which brought together women from all walks of life around the country in…
MOREWorld War One Nurses
(From the book ‘Cambridge WW1 – Something to Remember’ by Eris Parker ©) Five Nurses left from the Cambridge district to serve overseas during World War One. They were accepted provided they were available for…
MOREWomen’s Suffrage in Cambridge
Pioneering for women (in the colonial sense) has only recently been addressed – possibly from the insurgence of family history research. Our Cambridge women were doing their bit to colonise their new home and as…
MOREWomen’s Suffrage
The following is the script researched and written by Eris Parker, and used for the Cambridge Suffrage Documentary Video, which was made in 1993 to help celebrate New Zealand’s Women’s Suffrage Centennial. Click on this…
MOREWorld War Two – Stories
Soldiers’ Stories Cliff Beech (Regt No. 46691) age 37 was a farmer on Buckland Road when his married brother Rex took over his farm. He joined the 7th Reinforcements in September 1941 and went to Trentham…
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