Amy Kane (community leader)
Amy Kane | |
|---|---|
| Born | Amy Grace Kane 9 December 1879 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Died | 9 April 1979 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Community leader, Journalist |
| Partners | Daisy Isaacs |
Amy Grace Kane OBE (9 December 1879 – 9 April 1979) was a New Zealand journalist and community leader.
Biography
Kane was born in Wellington, New Zealand, on 9 December 1879. Her mother, Martha Lydia Warburton (d. 1944) was the daughter of early settlers who arrived to New Zealand in 1840 and 1842.[1] Her father, Robert William Kane (d. 1923) was a director of the Bank of New Zealand and financial advisor to the Public Trust Office.[2][3] She had a brother, Francis William Kane, who died at Passchendaele in 1917 and a sister, May Kane.[1][4]
Between 1885 and 1899, her family lived in Adelaide while her father managed two Australian branches of the Bank of New Zealand.[2] The family returned to New Zealand in 1900 and lived in Wellington.[2]
After living in England for two years in 1906, Kane returned to New Zealand and began writing for the 'Women's Pages' of the Free Lance, a weekly pictorial newspaper based in Wellington.[5] She started working for The New Zealand Times in 1914, which in 1927 merged with The Dominion, where she held the position of editor until 1931.[2]
Amy lived with her 'companion', Daisy Isaacs for many years, until Isaac's death in 1986.[6] The couple lived together on Mahoe Street in Eastbourne, alongside a lesbian friendship circle which included couple Margaret Magill and Mimie Wood as well as Rhoda Messenger and Dora Johnson.[7][8] Kane and Isaacs were both involved in New Zealand Theatre and played in a orchestra with author Katherine Mansfield.[9]
Kane was a lifelong supporter of the Red Cross and helped start the Wellington branch near the start of the First World War.[2] Then, during the Great Depression, Kane became involved in relief work for unemployed women.[10]
Kane was involved in many clubs, societies, and boards, such the Pioneer Club, in which she was founding member and served as president from 1922 to 1957.[2][11]She was also involved in the British Drama League, the English-Speaking Union, British Commonwealth League, the Lyceum Club, the Women's Unemployment Committee and the Wellington Hospital Board.[12][7][13] Kane was also president of the New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes from 1938 to 1943 and was on the national committee of the Women's War Service Auxiliary.[2]
In the 1951 New Year Honours, Kane was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for social welfare services, especially in connection with women's organisations.[14] In 1953, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[15]
Kane died on 9 April in Wellington aged 99 years.[2]
Images
References
- ^ a b "Obituary Mrs. Martha Lydia Kane". The Dominion. Vol. 37, no. 238. 5 July 1944. Retrieved 13 October 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Upton, Susan. "Amy Grace Kane". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ "Obituary Mr R.W Kane". Auckland Star. Vol. LIV, no. 294. 10 December 1923. Retrieved 13 October 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Francis William Kane". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ "The Free Lance". PapersPast. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ Press (19 August 1986). "Miss Daisy Isaacs dies, aged 100". Retrieved 13 October 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ a b "Daisy Isaacs and the Spinsters' Club | Lesbian lives | Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ Laurie, Alison J. (1 January 2003). Lady-Husbands and Kamp Ladies: Pre-1970 Lesbian Life in Aotearoa/New Zealand (thesis thesis). Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington.
- ^ "Lesbian heritage walk (Auckland) » PrideNZ.com". www.pridenz.com. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ National Library Wellington. "Workers preparing meals for unemployed women and girls". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ "Buffet Dinner Pioneer Club Tribute to President". Vol. 31. 23 September 1938. Retrieved 13 October 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Miss Amy Kane". Vol. 26. 1 May 1933. Retrieved 13 October 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "When lesbians knit". The Charlotte Museum. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ "No. 39106". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1951. p. 40.
- ^ Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 415. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.