Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Sarah Eliza/Lizzie Mary Blacke was born about 1858 in Ireland – the daughter of David Estler Blacke, a clerk, and Annie Taylor Randall.
In 1875 Lizzie emigrated to Otago on the Earl of Zetland with her family amd they settled in Dunedin.
She was a talented singer and musician.
In 1884 Lizzie opened the “Balclutha Boarding and Day School for Young Ladies”. This ran for a few years – when Lizzie signed the suffrage petition she was living with her mother and siblings in Heriot Row, Dunedin working as a governess.
In June 1896 a “grand complimentary concert” was held for Lizzie who was “leaving for Europe to continue her musical studies”.
She returned to New Zealand in March the following year. She “was making excellent progress in the vocal art” but she “completely broke down in health under the rigour of even a comparatively mild English winter”.
After her return she gave singing lessons from her home in Rattray St.
She was back in London in 1904 when her mother died there.
She returned to England, once again, in 1906 with her sister Annie, an artist.
They lived in Cornwall where Annie painted and Lizzie wrote a novel and studied “singing and voice production under the able tuition on Madame Thalia Baretta”. In August 1906 they once again returned home due to Lizzie’s ill health.
She returned to Balclutha where she gave singing lessons in “the old Italian method”. In 1910 before her return to Dunedin a concert was given by her pupils.
She continued teaching, travelling to Balclutha and Milton weekly before, again, living in Balclutha.
In 1920 she suddenly lost the sight in one eye and was advised to take “complete rest in the country”.
She moved back to Dunedin where she gave music lessons until 1925.
Lizzie died on July 18th 1930 in Dunedin and is buried with her 2 brothers and grandfather in the Southern Cemetery.
Sources
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