Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Agnes MacFarlane Donn was born in 1867 in New Zealand – the daughter of Robert Donn, a farmer, and Jessie Craigie (See 274 Mrs R Donn).
Agnes trained as a teacher and, in 1886, she was appointed as assistant mistress at Waimataitai School.
1890 saw her securing a job as teacher at Adair School and when she signed the suffrage petition she was living in Timaru.
In 1902 Agnes departed for South Africa 'under engagement to the Imperial Government'. After five years she took an extended holiday, travelling to Scotland and England followed by a week in Paris. She returned to South Africa via Naples and Egypt.
Sometime after this Agnes moved to Victoria where she married William John Dennehy in 1909. They had a son in 1911 who died of diphtheria when he was 3 ½ years old.
William died in 1918 – he is buried in the Bendigo Public Cemetery.
Agnes remarried in 1922 to Albert Arthur Zimmer.
She died at Malvern, Victoria on 14 September 1950 and Albert died in 1965 – they are both interred in the Springvale Botanical Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au