Such was merely one of the arguments used by men near the turn of the century to deny women the right to vote, in all countries. But thanks to the vigorous and unstinting determination of women all over the world, those chains were broken. One such woman was Kate Sheppard.
She was to be one of the leading lights in the women's movement that brought to New Zealand the distinction of being the first nation in the world to give women the right to vote.
This tireless campaigner was like many colonials not born in New Zealand. Of Scottish and Irish descent, she was born in Liverpool to Jemima and Andrew Malcolm 10th March 1848. Named Catherine after her maternal grandmother she always preferred the shorter Kate. Her father was trained as a lawyer but worked in a variety of positions, that meant the family moved around a great deal. He apparently loved music and passed this on to his children, but what he must have given them above all was in that very Scottish tradition- an excellent education. It was this intellectual stimulation that would stand Kate in good stead throughout her life. It is not known exactly when her father died, but when he did he left his widow five children to support, and probably only her own family to rely on.
When Kate's elder sister Marie immigrated with her husband to Christchurch, New Zealand, Jemima Malcolm took the plunge and bought her whole family to be with her. New Zealand offered apparently a better opportunity for the whole family, with both of Kate's brothers moving into the lucrative drapery trade. However it was their sister's name that would be remembered. In 1869 Kate stepped ashore in the city that would be the home to her for the rest of her life.
Life in colonial Christchurch was centered around the church, and Kate was soon taking an active part in her local Presbyterian church. And one of the people that Kate met in those early years was Walter Allen Sheppard. A slightly shadowy figure after over a hundred years, Walter appears to have made his money in the goldfields of Australia, but tried his hand a variety of trades in New Zealand. He was more practical than Kate, but they ended up marrying in the winter of 1871. This period after her marriage must have been a quiet period for Kate, spent organizing within the church, fundraising, and getting used to married life. However she was not one to rest for long.
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