Emma Hellier

Signed family name

Hellier

Signed given name

Emma

Given address

Waikaka

Sheet number

123

Town/Suburb

Waikaka

City/Region

Southland

Notes

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Emma Blake was born in 1860 in Tiverton, Devon – the daughter of William Blake, an agricultural labourer, and Elizabeth Pleace.

In 1878 Emma married Edward Hellier, a widower with a two year old son.

The following year the family boarded the Piako bound for New Zealand. When the ship was one month into the voyage fire broke out in the cargo, the fire was kept under control and the passengers were transferred to a passing ship.

The Piako managed to reach the port of Pernambuco in Brazil where it was scuttled to extinguish the fire. The passengers lost most of their belongings and were quarantined on an island due to a local smallpox epidemic. They were able to continue their journey on the re-floated and repaired ship about 6 weeks later, reaching New Zealand in March 1879.

They settled in Southland where they had six children, one who died in infancy, and Edward worked as a surfaceman for the Southland County Council.

When Emma signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Waikaka, north of Gore.

Edward died in 1910 and Emma at her daughter’s home on 28 June 1920 – they are buried together in the Gore Cemetery.