Originally transcribed as J Gether
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Susanne Vilhelmine Gether was born in 1857 in Kobenhavn, Denmark – the daughter of Jens Johan Gether and Petrea Barbara Jespersen.
In 1890 Susanne emigrated to New Zealand on the “Aorangi” accompanied by her friend Kate Busck. (See 167 K Busck)
They settled in Dunedin where Susanne taught wood carving and Kate taught music.
In 1891 Susanne and Kate performed at a concert at the Choral Hall – Susanne sang and Kate played the piano, violin and guitar.
Susanne had a studio in Moray Place where she taught art and carving and displayed examples of her work. “The figure of a fox and that of a chamois obtained first prizes at the Danish Exhibition, held in Copenhagen two years ago”.
When Susanne signed the suffrage she was living with Kate in Stuart Street.
In 1896 Susanne and Kate left Dunedin ”en route for Auckland and the South Sea Islands. After spending some months there, they intend to take to pastoral pursuits and settle on the Taieri Plains”. On their return they settled at Otakia, south of Dunedin and, in 1897, they took a neighbour to court for damages “caused by trespass of defendant’s sheep” on their land.
Susanne taught carving classes in Milton in 1898 before she moved to Sydney where she founded the Arts and Crafts Society.
She “went abroad” about 1912 with a Miss May Barron, a piano teacher, returning to Dunedin in 1915.
It was then that Susanne played a part in the founding of the Otago Women’s Club.
She resumed her teaching for a short time then she began working “under the auspices of the Defence Department” “training sick and wounded soldiers in occupational and curative work” including weaving.
About 1920 Susanne returned to Denmark where she was visited by May Barron in 1938.
When war broke out May was unable to leave Denmark and she looked after Susanne until her death in April 1943.
Her obituary said she “will be remembered as a woman of very fine character. She was broadminded and unworldly, and carried through with enthusiasm and good judgement any project which she undertook.”
Sources:
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Trove https://trove.nla.gov.au
Stuart St