It has been a continuing education to find the number of ‘firsts’ that New Zealand can claim and especially the number of firsts that New Zealand women have claimed. We can be justly proud of the keen individuals who inspire and surprise.
This week we celebrate the fact that 138 years ago a Dunedin woman became the first woman in the British Empire to gain a Masters degree.
Helen Connon’s education began in Dunedin, where she was tutored by future Premier Robert Stout. When her family moved to Hokitika, Connon’s mother convinced the principal of the local boys’ high school to enrol her. Connon was soon teaching at the school. When the family moved to Christchurch, Connon’s mother convinced Professor John Macmillan Brown to enrol her in Canterbury College – the first woman to do so.
Connon became the second woman arts graduate in the British Empire when she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in 1880. The following year she became the first woman in the British Empire to gain a Master’s degree when she achieved first-class honours in English and Latin.
During her studies, Connon was appointed one of five teachers at the newly-established Christchurch Girls’ High School. The year after she gained her MA, she was appointed principal while continuing to teach English, Latin and mathematics. As principal she ensured that the physical side of her students’ education was looked after, with classes in gymnastics, swimming and tennis.
Connon was typical of many of the first women university students – she was Pakeha and her background was neither rich or poor, nor socially prominent. Girls from wealthy, socially prominent backgrounds were expected to marry to the advantage of their families, while those from poorer families couldn’t afford the fees.[…]
NZHistory