Biography contributed by Liz Hibbs, great-granddaughter of John Castle
John came to New Zealand as a child, with his mother and siblings, joining their father (John Hughes Castle) who was working around the country and was for a time based in Foxton.
John was apprenticed to a herbalist in Island Bay, Mr Ayres, and fell in love with his daughter Annie. After marrying, John and Annie lived at 27 Colombo Street in Newtown, and in 1898 John founded Castle Chemists, on Riddiford Street. John was later on the Wellington Hospital Board and was one of the founders of the Wellington Zoo. When he signed the suffrage petition he was a young man in his 20s, engaged to be married and working hard to establish his business on the main street of Newtown.
His descendants today are proud to think that he supported women’s right to vote so publicly, signing the petition at his pharmacy. This must have been a considerable risk, as there was much opposition to women’s suffrage amongst men in business circles, men who would have been both his competitors and his cronies.
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
Community contributions