Biographical information provided by Stefanie Lash for the He Tohu exhibition:
Mary Sadler Powell was born probably in 1854 or 1855 in England. She immigrated to New Zealand to live with her brother in Invercargill in 1885 after the death of her parents.
Shortly after her arrival, Mary began a long association with the New Zealand WCTU. She became president of the Invercargill branch in 1890 and under her leadership it grew to be the second largest branch in the country. She was heavily involved in the education of girls, the rational clothing movement, the temperance cause and the suffrage campaign. She travelled round the country – by steamer, rail, coach, bicycle, and on foot – visiting existing branches, starting new ones, and encouraging members to subscribe to the White Ribbon, the WCTU's magazine.
She later wrote about the suffrage cause saying, 'We have been told we "got the Franchise too easily". Little do those who make that statement know the miles we walked with that petition, and how women of all ages were interested'.
More information about Mary S. Powell is available on her biography published in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, available on Te Ara.