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- [S161] GENDEX -- WWW Genealogical Index.
CALMAN Family of Elie & Dundee, Scotland by JoyceHill [email removed for privacy] GEDCOM updated 23 Oct 2001. Flora Park Cave "Flossie" Calman. Birth: 3 Mar 1883 in New Zealand, Wanganui. Father: George Calman. Mother: Mary Boyce.
- [S148] Dictonary of New Zealand Biography, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Wellington, New Zealand. 2000.), none.
Flora Park Cave Calman was born in Wanganui on 3 March 1883, the daughter of Mary Boyce and her husband, George Calman, a storekeeper.
- [S148] Dictonary of New Zealand Biography, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Wellington, New Zealand. 2000.), none.
Springer, Randal. 'Spurdle, Flora Park Cave 1883 - 1973'. Flora Spurdle took up journalism in the 1920s and was employed by the Wanganui Chronicle from 1923 to 1929. She was also the local correspondent for the Dominion (1930-36), the Weekly News and Weekly Herald (1930-34) and the New Zealand Free Lance (1930-52), and often wrote articles under the pen name Ann Harden. During the depression Maurice Spurdle's hardware business failed and he left his wife and family, moving to Wellington and then Australia; he later returned to Wellington, where he died in 1943. Flora supported herself and her family through her journalism and also earned some income by letting part of her substantial home on St Johns Hill to tenants. The family later moved to a more modest home in Wanganui's city centre.
Spurdle developed a keen interest in Wanganui's history and in Maori culture and lore, and became well known locally for her radio talks on historical subjects. She also gave children lessons in Maori poi and stick games. She was the first national housekeeping secretary of the Women's Division of the New Zealand Farmers' Union in 1927, and in 1939 was a co-author of its collection of stories of pioneer women, Brave days. She later wrote two historical books, New stories of old Whanganui (1958) and More stories of old Whanganui (1963), and edited a historical survey, My district (1966).
In 1935 Flora Spurdle began part-time employment in the Wanganui Public Museum, and in 1938 she was appointed museum attendant. Her duties included office and accounting work, receiving exhibits, light cleaning, and security, but she also did much to publicise the museum and acquired some of its Maori artefacts. It was both an interesting and challenging period for Flora, as she clashed with the museum's board of trustees on a number of occasions. Members of the board accused her of carelessness in her work and of exceeding the conditions of her appointment, even of flouting their authority. She was eventually forced to retire from the museum in 1951.
- [S161] GENDEX -- WWW Genealogical Index.
CALMAN Family of Elie & Dundee, Scotland by JoyceHill [email removed for privacy] GEDCOM updated 23 Oct 2001. Flora Park Cave "Flossie" Calman. Death: Oct 1973.
- [S148] Dictonary of New Zealand Biography, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Wellington, New Zealand. 2000.), none.
Flora Spurdle died at her Wanganui home on 7 October 1973, survived by her children.
- [S26] New Zealand Society of Genealogists, NZ Cemetery Records, (New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc 1985).
Wanganui Cremations - Flora Park cave Spurdle, c/o 4 Rodney St, widow, 90 yrs, d 7 Oct 1973.
- [S1982] Archives New Zealand Online - Probate File, (Archives New Zealand, https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz).
- [S17] David Bryant, NZSG Index, (New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc., 2005).
Probate record
- [S172] NZ Marriages 1836-1956, (New Zealand Society of Genealogists, 2006).
- [S642] NZ BDM - Historical Records - DATES, (Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, New Zealand).
- [S1472] Philippa Wood, Ancestry.com - Public Member Tree - Philippa Wood Family Tree, (Ancestry.com).
- [S161] GENDEX -- WWW Genealogical Index.
CALMAN Family of Elie & Dundee, Scotland by JoyceHill [email removed for privacy] GEDCOM updated 23 Oct 2001. Flora Park Cave "Flossie" Calman. (Frederick) Maurice Spurdle (Husband). Marriage: 3 APR 1907 in St Pauls Presbyterian Church, Wanganui, New Zealand.
- [S148] Dictonary of New Zealand Biography, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Wellington, New Zealand. 2000.), none.
On 3 April 1907, at St Paul's Church, Wanganui, she married Frederick Maurice Spurdle, a partner in a firm of hardware merchants; they were to have three daughters and a son.
- [S136] Jill Gilbertson and Dawn Bowley, Wanganui newspapers BDM extracts, (New Zealand Society of Genealogists, Auckland, N.Z. 2003.).
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