Mary Sutherland - Celebration Book Launch 2021
The images above were provided by Vivien Edwards who is a writer and researcher based in the North Island, New Zealand. The left hand photograph taken in 2009 is of one of the early memorial plaques to Mary Sutherland first organised by Chriss Taylor who worked in the Redwood Forest for about twenty years. He moved from forestry work into looking after the recreational side of the forest and was managing the Information Centre when the plaque was erected. The second image is of Vivien Edwards at the celebration launch, in 2021, of her book about Mary Sutherland the world’s first female forestry graduate. The two images represent the time span between Vivien first seeing the memorial plaque and Mary’s name in 2009 and the publishing of her book in 2020 on Mary’s life and work story. This eleven year period represents a long and dedicated background research effort with many, many hours of reading in the New Zealand archives, searching for sources around the world and also locating members of the Mary’s family and the detailed interpretation of their family records.
The event celebrated both the book and Mary’s life and achievements. Mary and her family had strong connections with Torphins in Aberdeenshire(See Foresty Memories No 4612 and 5063)
Vivien has added the note below:
‘On 3rd June 2021, over 100 people attended the celebration, of ‘A Path Through the Trees.’
It was fitting that the venue, the Crown Research Institute Scion’s new building 'Te Whare Nui o Tuteata' is just a short walk from the Redwood Grove, and Mary Sutherland’s plaque. This magnificent building’s name was gifted, to acknowledge the ancestry of local Maori. It showcases the latest in engineered timber products and manufacturing techniques, while meeting preferences for climate and sustainability.
Those attending, included several descendants of Mary Sutherland’s sister Kate Gray; the Mayor of Rotorua, the Honourable Steve Chadwick; Heather McKenzie, who earned the first forestry degree in New Zealand in 1974; past recipients of the Mary Sutherland Award; students from Toi Ohomai, former students of Bangor University and a wide range of historians, members of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) and other forestry people, women’s group members; and the general public. (My son Mike Cahill was also there).
Speakers were Andrew McEwen, chair of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry Foundation. (Andrew recognised the importance of what my research had uncovered, and successfully applied, through the Foundation, on my behalf for funding from the Stout Trust, for Mary’s story to be published. He also encouraged me to finish what I had started, when I was about to give up.
Besides telling everyone how important Mary Sutherland was, Andrew read a letter from Professor Iwan Davies, President and Vice Chancellor at Bangor University. Bangor people are extremely proud of Mary Sutherland. Professor Davies acknowledged that Mary’s pioneering achievements, both as a student at Bangor and in her subsequent career in New Zealand, were of global significance.
Julie Collins, Deputy Director General of Policy and Trade at the Ministry of Primary Industries also spoke of the gender imbalance. She acknowledged Mary for the amazing amount she did achieve: and said we could all learn from Mary’s wisdom today.
NZIF President James Treadwell wore the NZIF logo with Mary’s design on his lapel with pride. He spoke of the barriers Mary tried to overcome and the fact she was not allowed to achieve her full potential. Currently only twenty-four percent of forestry staff are females. Diversity led to better decisions, and he urged those in a position to make change, to encourage future Marys into the field; listen to what they said, and challenge them to reach their full potential.
Lynn Peck, publisher and editor of Writes Hill Press talked of her belief in the book, and emphasised its importance. I spoke of my journey during the research. The records were in various locations: tracking down the family’s collection, when the collector Mary’s niece Frances Glendenning , known as Frankie, had died two years before and her brother came from England to settle her affairs; problems with interpreting written material: and determining christian names when in Mary’s time surnames were the norm and women used their husband’s surnames.
Andrew McEwen then informed everyone that the NZIF Foundation had decided to announce the 2021 recipient of the Mary Sutherland Scholarship at the event, rather than waiting until the annual NZIF conference as was usually the case. In addition the Foundation decided to award two scholarships in 2021 instead of the usual one. Recipients Lily Marshall and Pamela Purdie are in their first year of a Diploma in Forest Management at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in Rotorua. Lily has a Bachelor of Medical Science from Victoria University and is looking forward to the part forestry will play in a sustainable New Zealand. Pamela worked as a silviculture technician before commencing her diploma studies.
All the speakers recommended that people buy the book, and McLeods Booksellers staff Jemma Morrison and Rafael Moreira, were pleased at the number of books sold, which was more than was usual.’
In the attached PDF below are photographs;
1st Image –
Vivien Edwards and Chriss Taylor. Chriss was responsible for the erection of the early plaques and worked at the Redwood Forest for 25 years (Image courtesy of Vivien Edwards).
2nd Image -
Behind Vivien the author are the ladies are from the Rotorua Zonta Club. They are Bronwen Scott, Robyn Spurdle, Heather Richardson, Karen Clark, Jocelyn Richardson and Natalie Beamish. Three have forestry-related jobs, or their husbands do (Courtesy of Hon Steve Chadwick).
3rd Image (double)–
With the book piles are Jemma Morrison and Rafael Moreira
from McLeods Bookshop in Rotorua (Image courtesy of Hon Steve Chadwick).
Holding the microphone is Andrew McEwen, Chairman of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry Foundation. Beside him is Heather McKenzie, the first woman to graduate in forestry in NZ (1974) (Image courtesy of Hon Steve Chadwick).
4th Image -
Lynn Peck, publisher at Writes Hill Press in Wellington, who produced ‘A Path Through the Trees’ (Image courtesy of Hon Steve Chadwick).
5th Image –
From Left: Hon Steve Chadwick, Mayor, Rotorua and Lakes Council. Stuart Corson, Karen Hunt, Sue Scholes (Image courtesy of Hazel Swanson).
6th Image –
Left: James Treadwell. President NZ Institute of Forestry, and Trustee NZIF Foundation.
Centre: Dave Lumley, Operations Manager, Central Plateau. Department of Conservation. (1974 recipient of the Mary Sutherland Award).
Right: Henry Weston acting deputy director general to Te Uru Rakau at the Ministry for Primary Industries(Image courtesy of Hazel Swanson).
7th Image –
Wider view of the assembled attendees and the part of the building (Image courtesy of Hazel Swanson).
8th Image -
Former and 2021 recipients of the Mary Sutherland Scholarship at the celebration of the publication of the biography of Mary Sutherland. Left to right Georgia Paulson (2018), Simon Honour (2010), Tina Drummond (1997), Chas Hutton (1980), Dave Lumley (1975), Lily Marshall (2021) Pamela Purdie (2021)
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Groups: Groups of people