OWLS LIFE MEMBERS
OWLS may bestow life membership upon a person in recognition of meritorious work in any field. In practice, life membership has been accorded to women whose careers have broken barriers, who have inspired and assisted other women to achieve in their own legal careers, and those who have served the legal community and, in particular, OWLS. Since 2006, an owl brooch (designed and beautifully produced by Tony Williams, goldsmith of Dunedin on the instruction of OWL Debbie Ericsson) has been presented to life members. A brooch is also presented to speakers at the New Zealand Law Foundation Ethel Benjamin Commemorative Address.
Margaret Mackay
Margaret worked as a junior typist in her uncle's Oamaru law firm, Grave & Grave, and studied law by correspondence. In 1929, she became the second woman, after Ethel Benjamin, to be admitted to the Bar in Dunedin and was subsequently promoted to the position of managing clerk. In 1946, 17 years after her admission, she became a partner in Lee, Grave & Zimmerman, but opposition from one partner was so strong that her name was not added to the partnership list until his retirement in 1961. Margaret died in 1998, aged 95. Her contribution to women in the law in Otago is preserved as part of the suffrage year oral history project.*
Margaret was awarded life membership in recognition of her pioneering legal career, which assisted to pave the way for those who followed her.
Marion Thomson
Marion (nee Robertson) was born and educated in Dunedin. She left high school in 1927 after 2 years and worked for 11 years for Sievwright, James and Nichol as a typist. At the same time she matriculated to University through evening classes, graduating from Otago University in 1937 as the 4th women to take an LLB degree. Marriage in 1937 (a time when married women were expected to relinquish employment) and family commitments delayed her admission to the bar until 1961 and she practised at Rutherford McKinnon and Neil from that time until 1979. Marion addressed the first meeting of OWLS and has been a member since 1986. Her contribution to women in the law in Otago is preserved as part of the suffrage year oral history project.*
Marion's life membership recognised the struggle undertaken by her to establish women lawyers as members of the profession, her support for women lawyers who followed her, and her assistance and support in the establishment of OWLS. Marion died in 2007 at the age of 95. She left her owl brooch to OWLS, and it is now worn by the Convenor on special occasions.
Silvia Cartwright, PCNZM, DBE
Dame Silvia (nee Poulter) was born and educated in Dunedin, completing her LLB at Otago in 1966. She was admitted as a solicitor in 1967 and a barrister in 1968. Dame Silvia became a partner in Harkness Henry (Hamilton) in 1971, a district court judge in 1981, the first female Chief District Court Judge in 1989 and was elevated to the High Court as its first female member in 1993. She has also been awarded honorary Doctorates by Otago and Waikato Universities. Dame Silvia was sworn as Governor General in April 2001.*
Dame Silvia was awarded life membership to mark her outstanding achievements as a woman lawyer, and her support for her fellow female practitioners.
Annis Somerville
Annis was born in Lawrence and educated largely in Oamaru, taking her LLB degree from the University of Otago. She was admitted in 1978 and practised in Dunedin. She was a founding member of OWLS (1986), President of the ODLS (1996) and Chair of the NZLS Family Law Section (1999) before being appointed to the bench in 2001. Judge Somerville is of Kai Tahu and Scottish descent and was the first Maori Family Court Judge to be appointed in New Zealand.*
Judge Somerville's award recognises her achievements as a woman in law, her role in the establishment of OWLS, and the influence that she has had on women in law in Otago.
Rosemary Riddell
Rosemary was born and educated and first practiced in Auckland. She came to the law after working for a number of years in broadcasting and public relations, and was admitted in 1992. In 1997 she moved to Dunedin to join Gallaway Haggitt Sinclair (now Gallaway Cook Allan), where she made a career in family law. She became a partner in 1999, was a Convenor of OWLS, and was a Council member of the Otago District Law Society. She was appointed to the Family Court bench in 2006. Judge Riddell is actively involved in theatre as both an actor and director.
Life membership was awarded to Judge Riddell to recognise the influence that she has had on women in law in Otago.
Janet November
Janet was born and educated in England (taking a degree in Russian at Nottingham University in 1968). In 1980, she and her family moved to Australia, where she completed her LLB at Melbourne University and worked in a variety of legal jobs. In 1987, the family moved to New Zealand and Janet completed her LLM at Victoria University. She has written two legal texts, and also contributes to the Laws of New Zealand. Since 2001, she has worked as a Senior Legal and Policy Adviser at the Law Commission. After being intrigued by an old photograph of a young woman lawyer in Law Talk in 1996, Janet embarked upon a labour of love that culminated in the 2009 publication of "In the footsteps of Ethel Benjamin".
Janet's award is a mark of OWLS' appreciation for the work that she has done to illuminate the life of Ethel Benjamin.
*
Reproduced by permission of the Otago Branch, NZLS, from "Occupied Lawfully" (2006).
Otago Women Lawyers' Society, PO Box 5632, Dunedin, 9058
