Biographical information provided for the He Tohu exhibition:
Eliza Anne Leadley was born in Yorkshire in 1853. At the age of 10, she sailed to New Zealand with her family. After just fifteen days at sea scarlet fever broke out, killing 28 passengers. Eliza’s youngest sister Clara, aged two, was the first to die. Another passenger wrote of the burial at sea: ‘The cry of the mother at the moment the body fell was dreadful.’
In 1874 Eliza married a farmer, John Keir, in Christchurch. They had eight children between 1875 and 1893. During this time they bought their own farm at Charlton, near Gore.
Eliza’s 1935 obituary stated: ‘Mrs Keir was a fine type of woman, a hard worker and a genial neighbour, ever ready to do a good turn and give a helping hand. She was an ardent member of the Methodist church and a valuable member of the Ladies Guild. She was always to the fore when a cause needed assistance.’