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Ada Wells Camellia Room commemoration speech

12/5/2017

 

Ada’s election was remarkable in many ways. It was 1917 and New Zealanders were at war. Ada was uncompromising and outspoken in her condemnation of the war. But it is perhaps not the things that Ada was opposed to that saw her elected to Council, but the things she so vigorously campaigned for - votes for women, equal educational opportunities for girls and women, prison reform and improvements to the charitable aid system.Dr Megan Woods, representing women Members of Parliament, thank you for getting leave from Parliament to be with us today. Former Councillors Carole Evans, Dr Anna Crighton, Sue Wells, Sally Thompson and Claudia Reid. Present councillors, community board 
members and guests.

Thank you for gathering here today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a significant 

milestone not only for our Council but for the women of Christchurch – the election of Ada Wells as the first woman to serve as a Councillor on the Christchurch City Council.
I would like to extend a special welcome to Bruce and Diana Carey who have joined us here today. Bruce is Ada’s grandson and we are delighted and honoured to have him here with us. I would also like to acknowledge their Son and his wife Richard and Toni Carey and their daughter who is Ada's great great granddaughter.

She was well known in Christchurch through her active leadership and participation in a number of national and community based organisations and she was tireless in her fight for women’s equality and economic independence.

Ada’s election was described in The Star on 5 May 1917 as “about the most solemn and important happening of the past week so far.” The same article also reported that “the news caused great perturbation amongst the rest of the councillors…and they were to be found gathered in little knots gloomily debating whether a lady member should be called a “councillor” or whether she would be referred to as “councilloress” or “councillorine.” Many of the “old brigade” feared that they would no longer be able to smoke in the chamber and regretted that they had offered themselves for re-election!

Since Ada’s historic election victory women have continued to serve as city councillors – some of us have even been elected to the mayoralty! Today we are also re-instating the Camellia Room in honour of all of the women who have been elected to Council. The Camellia Room at the previous Civic Offices in Tuam Street was the initiative of Dr Anna Crighton and we are delighted to see it revived. The portraits of the earliest seven female councillors have been installed in time for today’s commemoration and we will gradually to add others until we have a comprehensive gallery of the women of council once again.

Since Ada’s historic election victory women have continued to serve as city councillors – some of us have even been elected to the mayoralty! Today we are also re-instating the Camellia Room in honour of all of the women who have been elected to Council. The Camellia Room at the previous Civic Offices in Tuam Street was the initiative of Dr Anna Crighton and we are delighted to see it revived. The portraits of the earliest seven female councillors have been installed in time for today’s commemoration and we will gradually to add others until we have a comprehensive gallery of the women of council once again.

On the Kate Sheppard memorial, where Ada is depicted with other leaders of the
suffrage movement, the plaque acknowledges the “women of spirit” who campaigned for the vote. Ada was undoubtedly a woman of spirit, of courage, of compassion and commitment and we are proud to celebrate her contribution to public life in Christchurch and to be 
following in her footsteps in serving our communities.

Ada Wells died in Christchurch on 22 March 1933. So she missed the election of the first woman to Parliament by 6 months.  In her obituary it was said of her that:

​A cause might be despised, obscure, rejected, she not only helped it all the same, she helped it all the more, and in the dark and stormy days of unfounded truth she was always to the front.
A wonderful way to dedicate this Camelia room in her memory.

​

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