Artist Greg Hall, rear, with NCWNZ members anti-clock wise from him, Lynda Sammons, Joan Sullivan, Jo Power, Jenny Saywood, Margaret Campion, Sheryn Robertson, Judy Stein and Helma Vermeulen.
Photo / Leigh Mitchell-Anyon
Artist Greg Hall, rear, with NCWNZ members anti-clock wise from him, Lynda Sammons, Joan Sullivan, Jo Power, Jenny Saywood, Margaret Campion, Sheryn Robertson, Judy Stein and Helma Vermeulen.
Photo / Leigh Mitchell-Anyon
The latest stained glass window installed in the Whanganui District Council chamber pays tribute to three local women who forged new pathways in the late 19th century.
Margaret Bullock, Jessie Williamson and Ellen Ballance each made significant contributions to the empowerment of women and influenced the powerful men of the time toward legislating the Electoral Act of 1893, giving all women in New Zealand the right to vote.
The Whanganui branch of the National Council of Women (NCWNZ) sponsored the window to honour the three women. The women were all early members of the NCWNZ formed after the enfranchisement to represent women's views and campaign for change to ensure social, political, and educational reform would be achieved.
The window is the 24th in the series called The Whanganui Story – Ngā Kōrero Hītori o te Hapori which began in 2007.
NCWNZ Whanganui branch president Jenny Saywood said the sponsorship was possible thanks to a bequest from Whanganui educator and NCWNZ member Wynne Costley. The bequest had also enabled research scholarships for young women and other projects.
"We had the idea in 2018 - the year New Zealand was celebrating 125 years since women got the vote and this year in March it was finally installed in the district council chamber," Saywood said.
Margaret Bullock (left), Jessie Williamson, and Ellen Ballance feature on the suffrage window in the Whanganui District Council chamber.
Photo / Leigh Mitchell-Anyon
Like the other windows in the chamber, the work was designed, painted, and crafted by painter Julie Greig and glass artist Greg Hall. While the 23 pre-existing windows feature bright colours, the suffrage window is mostly sepia-toned.
"We agreed that as the photos of the women were taken during the era of sepia photographs, those would be the right tones," Greig, who now lives in Central Otago, said.
"Because I've collaborated with Greg for a long time, we can work well together at a distance."
Hall said Greig had joined one of his night classes before former Whanganui mayor Michael Laws suggested the project over 15 years ago.
"Because Julie had that experience working with glass and is also a very good painter, I knew she would be an ideal artist to collaborate with.
"I really enjoyed working with the sponsors for the suffrage window design. They had great ideas and they were really supportive of ours."
The three subjects on the window are framed by oval patterns reminiscent of cameo brooches and the design includes the NCWNZ logo and a white camellia symbolising women's suffrage in Aotearoa.
Margaret Bullock, despite being a widow with five young sons, was a journalist at the Wanganui Chronicle, owned and edited by her brother Gilbert Carson in the late 1800s. She also wrote for other publications and was a parliamentary reporter which gave her insight to help lead the suffrage movement.
Ellen Ballance was the second wife of John Ballance, founder of the Liberal Party, who went on to become New Zealand's 14th Premier. Together with Margaret Bullock, she established the Wanganui Women's Franchise League and was its first president.
Jessie Williamson served as a treasurer and president of the Wanganui Women's Political League and was a foundation member of NCWNZ, attending the 1896 inaugural meeting in Christchurch as a delegate.
There are plans to hold a celebration of the new window in the chamber on September 19 to coincide with New Zealand Suffrage Day 2022.
