Garmson was active on behalf of the unemployed, and supported the interests of women workers both within and outside the union. She persuaded the New Zealand Workers’ Union to endorse the organisation of women into trade unions, and proposed that a women’s branch of the NZWU be formed.
US First Lady
Irish historian and politician
Conxita Mora Jordana was an Andorran politician of the Coalition for Progress party. She served as the first female Mayor of Andorra la Vella from 1999 to 2003. She later served as the director of the Andorran Business Confederation (CEA).
French politician, religious reformer, literary patron, and author.
Irish doctor and Member of Parliament
Ngāti Toa leader, peacemaker, composer of waiata
In 1944 she was part of a small group selected for overseas service as clerical workers with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt and Italy. Although younger than most of her colleagues, Lamason was appointed officer in charge of the group.
In 1945 she founded and became secretary of the New Plymouth branch of the New Zealand National Party, and in 1951 became chairwoman of the New Plymouth women’s section. She went on to become a dominion councillor (1951–54) and women’s vice president (1953–54), and a member of the dominion executive in 1954 and of the dominion policy advisory committee in 1956.
Although she worked tirelessly to complete the work of the nineteenth century feminists in attempting to remove so-called women’s disabilities, Ellen Melville represented a new breed of feminism. She was an independent professional woman who vigorously sought full participation in public life. She encouraged other women to follow her and to form strong women’s societies, which would take women’s concerns into the arena of public affairs. Melville was one of the key figures in the revival of the feminist movement in the twentieth century.