When Dr Sally Page reflects on her journey, she doesn’t begin with her own achievements or career. She begins with a belief – that education transforms lives, and the value of passing the opportunity on to others. That belief has guided three generations of the Page family at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC).
“It starts, actually, with my grandfather, Samuel Page,” she recalls fondly. “At age 16, he became a lab boy in the college very soon after it started, and the rest of his working life was in the Chemistry Department.”
Many years later Sally continues that legacy of learning; not only through her academic achievements, but also through her generous philanthropy, which is now an enduring part of UC’s story.
A family tradition in science and service
Dr Page’s grandfather went on to earn a degree and become a lecturer, while his two sons; Dr Page’s father, Robin, and uncle, Fred, studied chemistry and botany respectively. Both represented the College in athletics, and Robin also served on the executive of the Students’ Association.
By the time Dr Page came to study at Canterbury University College (as UC was then known), she was continuing not just a family tradition, but a shared passion for learning and leadership. She completed her BSc in 1956, earning the Haydon Prize, the Sir George Grey Scholarship, and a Senior Scholarship in Chemistry. She followed this with an MSc in Chemistry (First Class Honours) in 1959.
Her education didn’t happen only in the laboratory. She seized every opportunity to lead and serve, becoming a three-term Women’s Vice-President of the Students’ Association and earning life membership in 1959.
She says, “Those experiences gave me a broad grounding, academically as well as in governance and leadership. The friends I made and the opportunities I had at Canterbury shaped so much of what came later.”
From Canterbury to London and back again
In 1959, Dr Page was awarded a prestigious 1851 Exhibition Science Scholarship, which took her to University College London (UCL) to undertake her PhD. What began as a shift in subject, from chemistry to biophysics, turned into a lifelong academic career.
She went on to hold research and teaching positions in the Biophysics and Physiology Departments at UCL, remaining there for the rest of her professional life.
However, even from the other side of the world, her connection to UC never faded. When the University of Canterbury Foundation established its UK Trust to connect alumni and enable charitable giving, she became a founding trustee. Staying involved wasn’t a formality — it was a way to give back to the institution that had set her on her path.
Giving back to UC
Dr Page’s philanthropic vision grew from that experience. After returning to Christchurch, she established the Page General Fund, an endowed, unrestricted fund supporting the University’s areas of greatest need.
“I’d seen at places like Oxford and the London School of Economics how important these general endowments are,” she says. “They allow a university to do things that government funding simply doesn’t cover.”
Her fund has already supported UC biomedical students in Tonga to train locals in vital skills and build self-sufficient healthcare solutions, as well as the Three Minute Thesis competition, which helps post graduate students share their research with a wider community. “It’s been wonderful to see the Fund already making a difference,” she says.
Earlier, Dr Page and her mother had established the Page Prize Fund in Mathematics in honour of her late brother Fred, who graduated from UC with First Class Honours in Mathematics. In addition, a bequest from Dr Page will establish two further funds to support PhD students in Chemistry and Mathematics respectively. A plaque marking the family’s generosity was unveiled in 2019 in the Ernest Rutherford Building.
A lifetime of learning and leadership
When asked why she supports UC so wholeheartedly, and her answer is simple. “Canterbury gave me so much. It feels right to make sure others can have those same opportunities.”
Her story isn’t just a family history or a list of academic achievements; It reflects what UC makes possible — education that leads to opportunity, opportunity that leads to purpose, and purpose that inspires giving back.
A lasting legacy
From her grandfather’s early days as a lab boy to her own international scientific career and enduring generosity, Dr Page’s story is one of deep roots and forward thinking. It also reflects something powerful: the best legacies aren’t built in a moment – they're built over a lifetime. More importantly legacy is not what we leave behind — it’s what we help build in others.
