Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Sarah Catherine Powel was born in 1862 in Victoria, Australia – the daughter of William John Powell, a road inspector, and Catherine Maher.
Shortly after her birth the family sailed for New Zealand and they settled in Invercargill.
In 1869 the family moved to Queenstown where Sarah signed the suffrage petition.
Along with her younger sister Lucy, Sarah established the Grand View Guest House which they ran for about 15 years. 'Prior to that they successfully conducted a smaller accommodation house on the Terrace. In the capacity of hostess of the 'Grand View' Miss Powell earned the good will and golden opinions of the travelling public by her warm hospitality and kindly nature. In the community in general she showed herself to be a woman of broad sympathies, and the many acts of charity unostentatiously done by her among the sick and distressed will long be gratefully remembered'.
During the First World War Sarah was a member of the Patriotic Society and the Red Cross Association.
She died at her home on 12 March 1931 and is buried in the Queenstown Cemetery.
Sources
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Queenstown Lakes District Council http://cemeteries.qldc.govt.nz/
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au
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