Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Geddes, Annabella Mary
1864–1955
Nō Ngā Puhi; he kaimahi toko i te ora, he kāiarahi hapori
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Sandra Coney, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Annabella Mary Webster (Wēpiha) – ko tōna īngoa kārangaranga ko Mary (Meri) – i te 19 o Mei 1864 i Mangungu i Te Hokianga. He māhanga ia. Ko tō rāua matua ko Wiremu Wēpiha (William Webster), he kaiwhakamāori, he kaimira rākau āna mahi. Ko tō rāua whaea, ko Annabella Gillies, he tamāhine nā tētahi wahine o Ngāti Toro o Ngāpuhi. E noho ana a Annabella Gillies i te mīhana i Mangungu, he kāinga e whakahaerea ana e Hēni (Jane) rāua ko Hōne Te Rōpiha (John Hobbs), ka tūtaki rāua ko Wiremu Wēpiha. I tukua a Meri rāua ko tana tungāne, ko Arikikanara (Alexander) te īngoa, ki tētahi kura mīhana; nō muri ka tukua a Meri ki tētahi kura wehe mō ngā wāhine i Ākarana (Auckland), whakaoti ai i tana whakaakoranga. Nā te mea ko te reo tuatahi o tō rāua whaea ko te reo Māori, ka whakatipua mai rāua i roto i ngā reo e rua.
Nō te 28 o Āperira l886, i moe a Meri i a John McKail Geddes i Te Kūrae-a-Tura (Devenport). He kaiwhakauru rangatira, he kaihoko taonga tōna hoa tāne, 21 tau tōna pakeketanga ake i a Meri. Kotahi o ā rāua tama i mate, e waru ōna tau; ka mahue iho ā rāua tamariki tokowhitu. He whare rangatira tonu nei tō rātou, i te tiriti o Wynyard e tū ana, he mea tapa ko Hazelbank. Riterite tonu te mahi whakawhitiwhiti a te whānau ki tāwāhi ki ngā wāhi whakatā me ngā papahuka retireti. Ahakoa te rangatiratanga o tōna momo noho, kāre rawa i tau te noho a Meri. Aro nui kē atu ia ki te āhua o te oranga o te hunga wāhine me ngā kōtiro hoki; ahakoa kāore a ia i whakahē i te tikanga ko te mahi nui a te wahine he whanawhanau tamariki, ēngari, ka whakaaro ia, me whakakaha kē ake te reo tūmatanui o te wahine, kia rangona ai ō rātou māharahara. He hoa rāua ko Frederick Truby King, ā, he mema taketake hoki a Meri nō te peka o Ākarana (Auckland) o te Rōpū mō te Toko i te Ora o ngā Wāhine me ngā Tamariki (Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children) (e kārangarangatia ana i te rā nei ko te Rōpū Plunket), arā, nō te tau 1908 i waihangatia ai. I noho hoki ia i runga i te komiti o Ākarana o te Rōpū Maru i ngā Wāhine me ngā Tamariki o Aotearoa (New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children) mō ngā tau 13.
I mau tonu a Meri Geddes ki ōna taura here ki Te Hokianga me te kōrero i ōna reo e rua, ā mate noa. Nō ngā tau tīmatanga o tēnei rau tau, i whakahaerea e ia he kura hāramuramu mō te Māori i tana whare, hei ako i ngā mahi tara ā-whare. I tohungia e Reiri Taute (Stout), taua mahi āna hei tauira. Ko ana ākonga ko ngā tamāhine tonu a ōna whanaunga o Te Hokianga, ā, nāna i whakanohonoho hei kaimahi ki roto ki ngā kāinga o ōna hoa. E anganui ana tēnei kaupapa āna, nā te mea he tokoiti nō ngā kaimahi kāinga, ēngari, ko tētahi whāinga anō he āwhina i te iwi Māori me te iwi Pākehā kia mōhio rātou ki a rātou.
Kāre i pērā rawa atu te pakeke o Meri i te matenga o John McKail Geddes i te tau 1910. I mahue pouaru mai a Meri; noho ake ana ia i te noho a te rangatira tino whai rawa. Nā runga i tana tū i roto i te iwi, i ōna hononga ki ngā tāngata kaipakihi, me āna tikanga rangatira i āhei ia ki te tū hei kaiārahi mō ngā wāhine o Ākarana. I taua wā, he mea rerekē te kite i tētahi wahine he tupuna Māori ōna, e noho kē mai ana i roto i ngā rōpū Pākehā. Ēngari, māmā noa iho ki a Meri Geddes te hīkoi haere i roto i ngā ao e rua. Nō te wā o te Pakanga Tuatahi, i noho ia hei mema mō te poari o te Rōpū Tāmau Whenua, Whakamāmā Whawhai o te Porowini o Ākarana (Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association). Ka pā mai te urutā rewharewha i te tau 1918, ka whakatūria e ia he wharekai hapori, tae atu ki ngā ratonga hei tiaki, hei whakamāmā i te āhua o ngā tūroro, ki te taha ki ngā nēhi me ngā tākuta.
Mai i te l9O6 ki te 1925, i noho ia hei mema i runga i te poari o te Rōpū Karaitiana mō ngā Taitamāhine o Ākarana (Auckland Young Women's Christian Association). Nō tana urunga hei perehitini mai i te 1913 ki te 1919, ko te wā tēnei i kaha ai te whānui o ngā whakahaere o te rōpū nei. Nōna ka whakawhiti ki tāwāhi, i mīharo ai ia ki ngā whare ātaahua o te Rōpū Karaitiana i reira; hoki rawa mai ia, kua mārō kē tōna whakaaro ki tētahi whare pērā ki Ākarana. I riro nāna tonu i kōkiri te whakahau nā reira nei i kōputu ai tētahi tahua moni rahi tonu nei e oti ai te whakatū i te whare nei. Taka rawa mai ki Oketopa o te tau 1918, ka riro nāna i whakatuwhera te whare maretuna, whare hou nei i te waharoa i Horotiu (Queen Street), nā te kaimahere rongonui rā, nā William Gummer i hoahoa.
Kātahi ka whai atu a Meri (Mary), te mea pakeke o ngā tamāhine a Meri Geddes pakeke, i tana whaea ki roto i ngā mahi o te Rōpū Karaitiana; nā Meri paku i whakatū te Kaupapa Takuahi (Hearth Fire Movement). Nō te tau 1915, i whakatūria ia hei hēkeretari ki Poihākena (Sydney) mō te wāhanga mahi mā ngā kōtiro o Ahitereiria me Niu Tīreni. Tae rawa ake ki te 1920, kua uru tahi te whaea me te tamāhine ki roto ki te komiti takiwā o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Field Committee); nō mua te komiti nei i te whakatūranga o tētahi rōpū motuhake mō Aotearoa, wehe kē mai i Ahitereiria. Ka uru ko Meri paku tētahi o ngā tokorua i haere i te tuatahi hei waha kōrero mō Aotearoa i te hui a te Rōpū Karaitiana mō ngā Taitamāhine o te Ao.
Ko Meri Geddes pakeke tētahi o ngā waha kōrero, arā atu anō ētahi, o te Rōpū Karaitiana, i kaha ki te whakaora i te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa (National Council of Women of New Zealand) i Ākarana i te tau 1917. I whakaputaina e ia tōna aroha ki te kaupapa kaitohe mana wahine, i tū rawa ia ki te kōrero i roto i ngā hui tūmatanui. Nō te taenga ki te tau 1919, ko ia tētahi o te rōpū i toro atu ki a Tā Hōhepa Waari (Joseph Ward) ki te akiaki i a ia, kia whakahaerea he ture e āhei ai te wahine ki te tū hei mema Pāremata. He pou a Meri nō te Hāhi Perehipitīriana; whakaputaputa haere tonu ana ia i ōna whakaaro ki ngā take whanonga tika, arā, me pēhea te pakeke o te tangata, kātahi anō ka mana te moea e te tāne, e te wahine rānei. I te tau 1918, e whakakākahu ana ētahi o ngā rangatira o ngā toa hoko pūeru i ngā pakoko o roto i ngā wini, e kitea tonutia atu ana e te tangata, ka haria e ia te take nei ki te peka o Ākarana o te Kaunihera Wāhine. Ēngari ko te mea whakamīharo kē ko tana akiaki i te Rōpū Karaitiana kia whakaaetia e rātou te mahi kanikani, he mea whakarikarika hoki tēnei ki tēnei momo rōpū karaitiana nei; ka mutu, i tautoko ia i te whakaakoranga i ngā kōtiro ki ngā āhuatanga e pā ana ki te mahi ai.
Nō waenganui o te tekau tau atu i 1920, ka mutu te mahi a Meri Geddes i roto i ngā rōpū wāhine; huri kē ana ia ki te Hāhi hei arotahi māna i waho atu o tōna kāinga. I te wā o te pūhore o te tekau tau atu i 1930, ka raru te mahi kaipakihi a te whānau; koinei te take i hokona ai a Hazelbank ki te kāreti o te whare wānanga o Tāmaki-makau-rau (Auckland University College) i te tau 1939; nō muri nei, ka hurihia hei kāinga mō te kura toi o Elam (Elam School of Art). Ka heke a Meri Geddes rātou ko tana tamāhine, ko Meri paku, me te hoa, me Wilhelmina Keller, ki Remuera. I mate ia i tōna kāinga i te 5 o Tīhema 1955, e 91 ōna tau. Ka mahue āna tamariki, tokorua ngā mea wāhine, tokorua ngā mea tāne.