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| irn | 8060 |
| master_filename | 001026_MIX_visiting_waikanae_cemetery.wav |
| master_md5 | BD35AE41C20E0EE44D2609D550411886 |
| master_duration | 18:58 |
| master_sample_rate | 44.1 kHz |
| master_bit_depth | 16 bit |
| master_channels | 1 |
| media_reference | 001026 |
| media_source | PrideNZ.com |
| copyright_position | In copyright |
| copyright_ownership | Gareth Watkins (PrideNZ.com) |
| copyright_ownership_note | |
| submitted_to_nlnz | 28-10-2025 |
| public_url | https://www.pridenz.com/visiting_waikanae_cemetery.html |
| meta_url | https://www.pridenz.com/data/media/meta/8060.html |
| plain_text_url | https://www.pridenz.com/plaintext/visiting_waikanae_cemetery.txt |
| production_date | 17-10-2025 |
| production_day | 17 |
| production_month | 10 |
| production_year | 2025 |
| recording_type | Podcast |
| series | Walk Tours |
| sub_series | |
| title | Visiting Waikanae Cemetery |
| description | In this podcast Gareth Watkins and Roger Smith from Walk Tours NZ visit Waikanae Cemetery, and the graves of Bette Armstrong and Bea Arthur (Armstrong and Arthur Charitable Trust for Lesbians), and internationally acclaimed painter Francis Hodgkins. Details. 00:01 - At the grave of Bette Armstrong and Bea Arthur. 09:15 - At the grave of Francis Hodgkins. |
| summary_computer_generated | The recording “Visiting Waikanae Cemetery” features Gareth Watkins and Roger Smith from Walk Tours NZ visiting Waikanae Cemetery on a fine spring day in October 2025. Across 18 minutes, they explore the resting places of three notable women: lifelong partners Bette Armstrong and Bea Arthur (Armstrong and Arthur Charitable Trust for Lesbian), and internationally acclaimed painter Frances Hodgkins. The conversation, both reflective and informative, brings together LGBTQIA+ history, art history, and the enduring cultural memory embedded in Aotearoa New Zealand’s landscapes. The recording begins as Gareth and Roger arrive at the well-kept Waikanae Cemetery, 130 Ngarara Road, noting its peacefulness and varied sections. Their first stop is the grave of Bette Armstrong and Bea Arthur, situated just inside the main gate. They recount how, on their first visit, they spent hours searching for it, only to find it near the entrance. The headstone, crafted in the shape of an open book, bears both women’s names—Marguerite Elizabeth McCready (Bette) Armstrong (1909–2000) and Beatrice Arthur (1915–2002)—and the inscription “Together in Our Lord" and "Life Long Partner." The presenters reflect on the deep significance of such a memorial, openly acknowledging a same-sex partnership that lasted 57 years, at a time when living openly as a lesbian couple was rare and risky. Much of the information they share about Armstrong and Arthur comes from interviews by the late Dr Alison Laurie, a pioneering scholar of queer history in Aotearoa. Laurie’s oral history work in the 1990s captured stories that might otherwise have been lost. From her interviews with Bea, we learn that the couple met in the early 1940s, shared a home and a life together, yet did not necessarily identify with the label “lesbian” in those early years. As Gareth and Roger discuss, terms and identities have evolved, and the women may have simply considered themselves loving partners rather than political symbols. The presenters use this reflection to highlight how language and understanding around sexuality have shifted, and how it’s important to respect how people in earlier eras saw themselves. Armstrong and Arthur were private but social, enjoying dancing and company at Wellington’s Victoria Club, an important meeting place for the rainbow community in the 1970s and 1980s. Their story recalls an era before homosexual law reform in 1986, when queer New Zealanders often gathered in homes for dinner parties or joined semi-private clubs like the Dorian Society or the Victoria Club. These venues offered rare safe spaces for connection and self-expression when public visibility was still dangerous. Arthur worked as a registered nurse, while Armstrong’s career is less clearly documented. What is well known is their extraordinary legacy: after Armstrong’s death in 2000, Arthur established the Armstrong and Arthur Charitable Trust for Lesbians. The trust continues to support lesbian community projects, including the long-running radio show “Quilted Bananas” on Wellington Access Radio, a successor to the original lesbian community radio programme. Gareth and Roger emphasise the trust’s importance as one of the few enduring financial supports for lesbian initiatives in New Zealand. When Bea Arthur died in 2002, she was laid to rest alongside her lifelong partner in Waikanae, where the couple had owned a holiday home. The presenters reflect on the rarity and beauty of seeing a headstone explicitly commemorating a same-sex partnership, a testament to love and equality carved literally in stone. Their conversation also connects the couple’s quiet activism to a wider moment in queer history. During the 1980s campaign for homosexual law reform, Armstrong and Arthur showed public support by driving past the Salvation Army Citadel in Wellington and tooting their car horn in solidarity with protestors advocating reform—an act of courage from two older women in an era of strong social opposition. Gareth and Roger note how their legacy ties directly into next year’s 40th anniversary of the 1986 law reform, a milestone in New Zealand’s human rights story. After paying tribute at their grave, the pair walk deeper into the cemetery toward the second site: the resting place of painter Frances Hodgkins. On a small rise overlooking the just-visible coast, they find her grave, which she shares with family members including her mother Rachel Owen Hodgkins. Frances Hodgkins (1869–1947) was one of New Zealand’s most celebrated artists, known for her pioneering modernist style and international career. Born in Dunedin, she travelled widely through Europe and Britain, becoming a respected figure in British art circles. Gareth and Roger describe the beauty of the hilltop setting, the sound of native birds, and a glimpse of the Tasman Sea—a serene resting place for such a world-travelled artist. Their discussion explores Hodgkins’ personal and creative life, including her close relationship with fellow painter Dorothy Kate Richmond. The two met in Europe in 1901 and travelled, lived, and painted together, sharing a profound emotional and artistic connection. Letters between them reveal deep affection, with Hodgkins describing Richmond as “the dearest woman with the most beautiful face and expression.” Their partnership is part of New Zealand’s queer cultural heritage, illustrating how artistic and romantic lives intertwined for women at the turn of the twentieth century. Returning to New Zealand in 1903, Hodgkins and Richmond established a studio at the corner of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street in Wellington, renting what had been Alexander Turnbull’s stables. The studio became a lively creative hub, hosting pupils such as Edith Kathleen Bendall—later the lover of writer Katherine Mansfield. The presenters mention that Mansfield wrote to Bendall nightly in violet ink, a colourful detail that ties together several key figures in early New Zealand modernism and queer history. Despite her artistic acclaim, Hodgkins struggled financially later in life. Gareth recounts how she was once found living in poverty in her London studio, with no light or running water, her bed covered with newspapers for warmth—a heartbreaking contrast to her success. She died in Dorset in 1947, and her ashes were returned to New Zealand by her nephew to be buried here in Waikanae alongside family. The podcast concludes with a reflection on how Waikanae today honours Hodgkins’ legacy through Toi Mahara, the Kāpiti Coast’s regional art gallery, located just a block from the railway station. The gallery houses a major collection of her works and celebrates her enduring influence. Gareth and Roger remark that the area has embraced its connection to Hodgkins with pride, ensuring her creativity continues to inspire new generations. |
| interviewer | |
| voices | Gareth Watkins; Roger Smith |
| tags | lesbian; 1900s; 2000s; 2020s; artist; arts; grave; homosexual law reform; overseas travel; painting; social; social attitudes; walk tour; Bea Arthur (grave); Bette Armstrong (grave); Frances Hodgkins (grave); Salvation Army Citadel; Toi Mahara; Victoria Club; Waikanae Cemetery; Aotearoa New Zealand; Dorset (England); United Kingdom; Wellington; Armstrong and Arthur Charitable Trust for Lesbians; Dorian Society; QUILTED BANANAS (Wellington Access Radio); Lesbian Community Radio Programme; Alexander Turnbull; Alison Laurie; Dorothy Kate Richmond; Frances Hodgkins |
| tags_computer_generated | radio; sex; history; Homosexual Law Reform; family; Dunedin; 1940s; 1980s; law; support; library; 1930s; travel; legacy; oral history; interviewing; community; Coming Up; women; funding; Salvation Army; trust; love; reading; homosexual; public spaces; spaces; newspapers; rainbow; building; parties; fun; memorial; protest; courage; top; career; celebration; Turnbull House; other; army; expression; letter; Waikanae; resource; gallery; connections; James Courage; work; face; partnership; water; nurse; Alexander Turnbull Library; petition; Europe; stables; dancing; People; access; bird; lover; dinner parties; time; wind; sea; violet; period; purple; memory |
| location_name | Waikanae Cemetery |
| location | 130 Ngarara Road |
| broader_location | Waikanae |
| location_lat | -40.867979881889816 |
| location_long | 175.05115270614627 |
| precise_locality | true |