Journalist and Artist

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 302, 22 December 1939, Page 11

Journalist and Artist

Staying in Palmerston North for the noxt few months is one of New Zealand's pioneer women journalists, Miss Ethel S. Jones. Miss Jones began her newspaper training on the Christchurch Press and tho Ashburton Guardian. In these ‘early days of women's journalism, Miss Jones had to report on the sheep market, the wool sales in Ashburton and the fluctuations of wheat market prices. Her. next position was on tho Wellington Evening Post and by this time Miss Jones was writing articles for the New York Sun and the Saturday Evening Post. On account of bad health, Miss Jones left Wellington to live in Auckland. There sho worked on the Sporting and Dramatic Review for three years and was then offered The lady editorship of the Auckland Star. Her first special work there was to open a women's page, the first to bo published in Auckland, although the Wellington and Christchurch papers had already started them. Among the interesting people Miss Jones interviewed for the Auckland Star were Elinor Mordaunt, the novelist, who -called in at Auckland twice when she was gathering material for her two travel books. On her second visit she arrived in a Chinese tramp, the Ling Nam, the only white ’woman on board. Mrs. Maurice Hewlett, wife of the well-known novelist, was also interviewed just after the Great War. Mrs. Hewlett was partner in the aeroplane firm of Blondin and Hewlett and had trained some of the finest air pilots to fly in that war. Another interview was With Morrison, of China, the famous authority on the Far East, who •was then Times’ correspondent in China. He was charming and unaffected. Miss Jones has always been an enthusiastic art student. In early youth she studied at the Canterbury College School of Art and had as fellow students Sydney Thompson and A. Elizabeth Kelly. Both of these painters have recently been decorated for their distinguished work. On retiring from journalism, Miss Jones went to Sydney and studied at the Julian Ashton School of Art under Mr. Ashton. Many of the distinguished artists in Australia, including Mr. George Lambert, A.R.A., were trained by Mr. Ashton. Last summer Miss Jones staj r ed in Christchurch and studied under Mr. A. Nicoll, of the Canterbury University School of Art, and this summer she hopes to stay in Palmerston. North and study with Mr. Linley Richardson, R.8.A., whom sho considers one of the finest draughtsmen in New Zealand.