SimRacing in the Boro
Rosamond T. Harper "Mum"
born March 22, 1909 died Dec. 26, 2005.
born March 22, 1909 died Dec. 26, 2005.
The following text was taken from a newspaper article posted in New Zealand after "Mum's" death
Mountaineer Rosamond Harper was born into a prominent Canterbury family. She was the great-granddaughter of Bishop Henry John Chitty Harper, first Bishop of Christchurch, granddaughter of Leonard Harper, who crossed the Southern Alps in 1857, and daughter of noted mountaineer Arthur Paul Harper CBE. Harper continued the family tradition of significant mountaineering achievements. She died recently in the United States, aged 96.
Her father, who introduced her to climbing, was a legendary figure in mountaineering, in New Zealand and abroad. Her early life was spent at her family's property, The Hill, in Wellington. It was thought unnecessary for the daughters of the "affluent" to gain qualifications as they were expected to marry and devote their lives to family and home.
For her first alpine experience, at age 17 in 1926, she climbed Mildred Peak from the West Coast side with her father and Norman Blakiston. They crossed to the Tasman Glacier and reached the Hermitage. On the fourth day they set out for the Copland Pass and completed the trip down the Copland River.
When British Secretary of State for the Dominions L. S. Amery visited New Zealand in 1927, he asked A. P. Harper and Peter Graham to accompany him on a climbing trip. Rosamond was invited to join the party. They climbed from the Hermitage to the Ball Hut, then on to the King Memorial Hut (Haast Hut). They then climbed Glacier Dome and returned to the Ball Hut. They next headed for the old Malte Brun Hut, ascended the Minarets, then climbed down to Grahams Saddle, traversed the Franz Joseph Glacier and carried on to Waiho Gorge.
A 1928 trip with her father and others qualified Harper as a full member of the New Zealand Alpine Club. They went from the Hermitage to the Mueller Hut, up the Mueller Glacier, over Fifes Pass at the head of the glacier, down the Spence Glacier and into the Landsborough, up McKerrow Glacier, over the Karangarua Saddle and down the Karangarua River to the coast. This trip proved difficult in soft snow and with glacier shrinkage swelling the river.
Rosamond Harper became the third generation of her family to achieve full membership of a properly formed alpine club. This was thought to be the first time this had been achieved.
In 1934, Harper and friends Betsy Blunden and Lella Davidson became the first all-women party to climb Mount Sefton. They ascended from the West Coast side, packing all their gear. The expedition involved much steep cutting and difficult work among the huge crevasses on the neve of the Douglas Glacier. It roused great interest in alpine circles internationally and drew congratulations from many quarters. Christchurch climber Norman Hardie, in The Canterbury Mountaineer, called it a remarkable climb and an outstanding achievement. It was "an eye opener and an inspiration", Hardie said.
Harper worked as a guide at the Hermitage before she met and married Selwyn Hadfield, in 1936. He, too, came from a prominent family, as grandson of Octavius Hadfield, Bishop of Wellington and third Anglican Primate of New Zealand, and great-grandson of missionary Henry Williams, who drafted the Treaty of Waitangi.
The couple lived on a tobacco farm at Motueka until their marriage ended. With her young children to look after and no qualifications, Harper drew on her pride, determination and love for her children. She turned her hand to many jobs, including tram conductor, secretary and cook.
She drove trucks for the American forces in Wellington during World War 2. She part-owned a restaurant. She made sure her children were always well fed, housed and educated. She gave them interesting and educational holidays among her beloved mountains.
Her inquiring mind and endless thirst for new experiences and ideas led her, in the 1950s, to head several times to England and America. She lived at Bethell's Beach, Auckland, for a time, to be close to her son and his family. Eventually she returned to America to be with her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Family members say she always did her best to care for them in difficult circumstances, even working at three jobs a day to earn a living. She had a life-long love of learning and was always reading and listening to tapes in what spare time she had. She even attended university in Columbus, Georgia, in her 80s, to continue her education.
She was an excellent tennis player and sportswoman. She took grandchildren on camping and hiking trips in the Appalachians in her 70s, teaching them to love the mountains as she did. Even in her 80s, she was known as the "old woman" who could walk further and faster than anyone else. Rosamond Mary Templer Harper; born Christchurch, March 22, 1909; died Columbus, Georgia, United States, December 26, 2005. Survived by son Mike, daughters Sue and Heather, five grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
My comment: My grandmother lived a very exciting life. She inspired many people to explore, question, and expand their lives. The photos below have been sent to me by various members of the family.
Mountaineer Rosamond Harper was born into a prominent Canterbury family. She was the great-granddaughter of Bishop Henry John Chitty Harper, first Bishop of Christchurch, granddaughter of Leonard Harper, who crossed the Southern Alps in 1857, and daughter of noted mountaineer Arthur Paul Harper CBE. Harper continued the family tradition of significant mountaineering achievements. She died recently in the United States, aged 96.
Her father, who introduced her to climbing, was a legendary figure in mountaineering, in New Zealand and abroad. Her early life was spent at her family's property, The Hill, in Wellington. It was thought unnecessary for the daughters of the "affluent" to gain qualifications as they were expected to marry and devote their lives to family and home.
For her first alpine experience, at age 17 in 1926, she climbed Mildred Peak from the West Coast side with her father and Norman Blakiston. They crossed to the Tasman Glacier and reached the Hermitage. On the fourth day they set out for the Copland Pass and completed the trip down the Copland River.
When British Secretary of State for the Dominions L. S. Amery visited New Zealand in 1927, he asked A. P. Harper and Peter Graham to accompany him on a climbing trip. Rosamond was invited to join the party. They climbed from the Hermitage to the Ball Hut, then on to the King Memorial Hut (Haast Hut). They then climbed Glacier Dome and returned to the Ball Hut. They next headed for the old Malte Brun Hut, ascended the Minarets, then climbed down to Grahams Saddle, traversed the Franz Joseph Glacier and carried on to Waiho Gorge.
A 1928 trip with her father and others qualified Harper as a full member of the New Zealand Alpine Club. They went from the Hermitage to the Mueller Hut, up the Mueller Glacier, over Fifes Pass at the head of the glacier, down the Spence Glacier and into the Landsborough, up McKerrow Glacier, over the Karangarua Saddle and down the Karangarua River to the coast. This trip proved difficult in soft snow and with glacier shrinkage swelling the river.
Rosamond Harper became the third generation of her family to achieve full membership of a properly formed alpine club. This was thought to be the first time this had been achieved.
In 1934, Harper and friends Betsy Blunden and Lella Davidson became the first all-women party to climb Mount Sefton. They ascended from the West Coast side, packing all their gear. The expedition involved much steep cutting and difficult work among the huge crevasses on the neve of the Douglas Glacier. It roused great interest in alpine circles internationally and drew congratulations from many quarters. Christchurch climber Norman Hardie, in The Canterbury Mountaineer, called it a remarkable climb and an outstanding achievement. It was "an eye opener and an inspiration", Hardie said.
Harper worked as a guide at the Hermitage before she met and married Selwyn Hadfield, in 1936. He, too, came from a prominent family, as grandson of Octavius Hadfield, Bishop of Wellington and third Anglican Primate of New Zealand, and great-grandson of missionary Henry Williams, who drafted the Treaty of Waitangi.
The couple lived on a tobacco farm at Motueka until their marriage ended. With her young children to look after and no qualifications, Harper drew on her pride, determination and love for her children. She turned her hand to many jobs, including tram conductor, secretary and cook.
She drove trucks for the American forces in Wellington during World War 2. She part-owned a restaurant. She made sure her children were always well fed, housed and educated. She gave them interesting and educational holidays among her beloved mountains.
Her inquiring mind and endless thirst for new experiences and ideas led her, in the 1950s, to head several times to England and America. She lived at Bethell's Beach, Auckland, for a time, to be close to her son and his family. Eventually she returned to America to be with her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Family members say she always did her best to care for them in difficult circumstances, even working at three jobs a day to earn a living. She had a life-long love of learning and was always reading and listening to tapes in what spare time she had. She even attended university in Columbus, Georgia, in her 80s, to continue her education.
She was an excellent tennis player and sportswoman. She took grandchildren on camping and hiking trips in the Appalachians in her 70s, teaching them to love the mountains as she did. Even in her 80s, she was known as the "old woman" who could walk further and faster than anyone else. Rosamond Mary Templer Harper; born Christchurch, March 22, 1909; died Columbus, Georgia, United States, December 26, 2005. Survived by son Mike, daughters Sue and Heather, five grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
My comment: My grandmother lived a very exciting life. She inspired many people to explore, question, and expand their lives. The photos below have been sent to me by various members of the family.
Mum is the girl with the hat holding the saw... at about age 10
Mum skiing with son Mike & daughter Sue - Probably taken in about 1956
Mum on one of her climbs in the New Zealand mountains.
Hiking with the grandchildren in America
This is my grandmother taking my brother & me hiking in the Smokey Mountains when I was about 10!
Three Generations
Three generations... Mum with daughter Sue and granddaughter Susan.
