Miss Elsie Andrews

White Ribbon, Volume 20, Issue 9, 1 October 1948, Page 5

Miss Elsie Andrews

To all who knew her personally, and ’hose who knew of her work in the many fields of service in which she had taken a prominent part, the news of Miss Elsie Andrews’ passing, announced briefly in our last issue, came as a great shock and grief. As one of our Dominion workers, our organisation had opportunities of meeting her and forming some small idea of the fineness of her character as well as of her brilliant intellect. As our Educational Officer for some years, she carried out excellent work in high schools, colleges and institutions of various kinds, addressing many hundreds of young people, and bringing be/ore them the ideals of purity and temperance as the basis of good citizenship. Miss Andrew's was the youngest child of a family of 10, Huirangi being her birthplace, a few miles from New Plymouth. 'She was the grand-daughter of pioneers, w'ho landed in New Plymouth in the “Timandra” in 1842. Tn the little hook of poems, entitled “The Plymouth Ships,” which Miss Andrews composed, and which were published last year, these good people are commemorated as “Simon and Jane.” At an early age, “Elsie” showed the promise of future ability. She won a Junior National Scholarship, topping ‘the list for all New Zealand, and went then to the* New Plymouth High School, where she spent what she called the happiest vears of her life. She went into the teaching profession, and was well known always as a prominent personality in the N.Z. Teachers’ Institute. She became a L fe Member of the Educational Institute and also of the Women Teachers’ A sociation. She held the highest offices in both of these organisations, at d her name was familiar to all members of the profession. Perhaps her work in connection with the Pan-Pacific Association brought

her into contact with more people outside the teaching ranks, and her unceasing efforts in the direction of promoting friendship and understanding among the peoples of the Pacific were among her maj >r activities. She always felt that war was a thing to he outlawed, and that women would have to make themselves heard in the councils of their countries in order to end war. Her acti\e membership of the National Council o Women, of the U.N.A. and as a member of the New Plyr ''Uth High Schools Hoard of Governors, in addition to many smaller spheres of usefulness, made her life one of continuous work and service. Her extremely well-balanced mind, clarity of understanding, cultured tastes, and splendid character, with her benign and happy demeanour, made her one to be loved, esteemed, and respected by everyone who knew her. The W.C.T.U. has lost a most able counsellor, and public life generally will be much the poorer for her passing. Her sisters and intimate friends suffer very keenly under the suddenness of their loss. Scarcely a month of illness, during which Miss Andrews continued happy and hopeful of recovery, preceded her departure. It is a matter for thankfulness that no long suffering added to the grief of those who were with her. Last year she wrote these words: • i “Now' at life’s eventide clear sounds the Call O’er dale and hill, broad plain and seaward foam; Upon each wanderer's ear its echoes fall, And one by one. our family turns home. “So may I come, when toil and fret are past, Back to the earth which knew r my childhood’s tread; My dust to this dear dust return at last, Mv spirit re-unite with these mv dead.” And in the cemetery at Huirangi her dust now lies, so soon after these words, full of deep attachment to the scene of her early life and of the strong love of the family, which never lessened, were written. Much more could he said of her, but any words would be inadequate to express all that her passing means to so many people. We give thanks for her life and example, her fearless attitude, in whatever company she found herself, towards the sins and follies of present-day life; and the benign, gracious spirit of understanding which shone through all the brilliance of her intellectual achievements. God grant that other women may rise to give as she has given, of all her gifts.