As her final act for the association, Ms Francis has created a ‘‘Maintenance Alphabet’’ booklet, which details the A to Z of maintaining the historic Moray Pl hall as a community asset.
The booklet was to be launched at a function last night.
Ms Francis, who isstepping down from the volunteer role and moving from Dunedin, said it had been wonderful to get to know the extraordinary story of the hall’s foundation in 1942 through the work of 43 women’s organisations.
‘‘It has been fantastic to learn about the history of the place, and also to get to know the women involved today,’’ she said.
Ms Francis has opened the hall to the public every Wednesday afternoon for the past six months and, through those sessions, has learned a great deal about its past.
‘‘All of the transcripts of those conversations are now in the archives, which are kept meticulously by the association,’’ she said.
Creating the Maintenance Alphabet booklet had involved interviews, oral history, and archives.
Having illustrations by Eliza McMillan had been the ‘‘icing on the cake’’, she said.
The printing of the booklet was funded by Graduate Women Otago, and all proceeds from sales would go towards ongoing hall maintenance.
As an event to mark Suffrage 125 celebrations, Dunedin theatre practitioners Karen Elliot and Clare Adams have researched the archives of the Otago Pioneer Women’s Memorial Association to create the short play Indignation, Determination, Celebration.
The play, to be presented next week, presents a special, formal meeting, circa 1941, chaired by stalwart association leaders Dr Emily Siedeberg-McKinnon and Dr Suzanna Sinclair.
Current members of the association committee, including Ainslee Carnaghah, Gwenda Holmes, Carol Garry, Lesley Prescott, Miriam Sharpe, and Sue Graham, will play the roles of ladies at the meeting.
Indignation, Determination, Celebration will be staged at the Otago Pioneer Women’s Memorial Hall, 362 Moray Pl, on Monday and Tuesday at 7pm, and Wednesday at 1pm.
