Yesterday, 19 September, was Women’s Suffrage Day in New Zealand.
This country is very proud that New Zealand, in 1893, was the first in the world to recognize women’s right to vote. My grandmother was one of the 25,519 citizens who signed the petition that saw the legislation passed. She is a hero in our family.
Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth ll was laid to rest after an unprecedented 70 year rule.
And yesterday I received the first print copies of my latest book – my 13th – and was reminded what a huge amount of work goes into producing a book. Months or years of writing, then all the additional work that sometimes seems more onerous than the actual writing.
This one, Rushton Roulette, is a light novel aimed mainly at women. It’s about four women, now retired following long working careers, who decide to take up various challenges, to show themselves and their families there’s still good years and life in them yet.
The three occasions – Suffrage Day, Queen Elizabeth, and the appearance of my print book – were coincidental in their timing, with my milestone by far the least important and impressive.
But now, when I think about it, I can't help wondering if my grandmother, as she signed that petition as a young woman, foresaw such a very different age to come.
I’m sure she wouldn’t have imagined women doing the things achieved by the four in my book, and I wonder about her reaction.
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