Image of the Week: 29th Sept. to 5th Oct. 2014
29 September 2014
Bessie (Wene) Te Wenerau Grace (Sister Eudora CSC)
Wene Grace was elected as Vice President of the Canterbury College Students’ Association Executive in 1910 (seated second from the left), and her brother, Lawrence Te Heuheu, standing second from the left).
Wene was the first Māori woman to graduate from tertiary education. While at Canterbury College Wene was active in Students’ Association and sports. Later on she completed two more degrees overseas.
Wene would remain unknown until recent times when her life and work was featured in “Mana Wāhine: Boundaries and Connections in the Career of a Māori Educational Leader: Bessie (Wene) Te Wenerau Grace (Sister Eudora CSC) by Kay Morris Matthews with Jonathan Mane-Whēoki.
The chapter in edited book is titled “Women educators, leaders and activists: educational lives and networks 1900-1960”, is available at Macmillan Brown Library.
Image credit:
MB1448, University of Canterbury Research Photograph Collection, Reference code 4331, Canterbury College Students Association Eexcutive, Photographer Clifford, H.H., 1910, Macmillan Brown Library, University of Canterbury.
