The word for today is…

doyenne (noun) – A woman who is the eldest or senior member of a group.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : “Leading or senior woman in a group or society,” 1905, from fem. of French doyen. As a type of pear, from 1731.

Peter is a fourth-generation New Zealander, with his mother's and father's folks having arrived in New Zealand in the 1870s. He lives in Lower Hutt with his wife, some cats and assorted computers. His...