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Winnifred Gertrude Brown
Description
TitleWinnifred Gertrude Brown
Alternative NameWinnifred Gertrude FreemanWinnie BrownSummaryActive community stalwart and dressmaker of the Taumutu areaDescriptionTaumutu artist, teacher and tohunga raranga (expert weaver) Cath Brown shared these memories of her mother Winnie in the 1993 Women's Suffrage Whakatu Wahine publication "Women of Sedgemere and Taumutu. This is reproduced here with the permission of Liz Brown.
'Winnie Freeman married Arnold Brown and lived her life in the Lakeside district. They lived in an early pioneer cottage in Lakeside on the property that Robbie McLaughlin farmed. She established a fine garden over there over the years but also managed to go down to the Point to help milk cows for her mother.
She often spoke of the times during the 1930s while living at Lakeside and the problems she had with people trying to frighten the couple out of the house. It was Depression time and Arnie had a job, which had a house that came with it. Apparently, someone wanted it and set up a campaign to scare the Browns out. They got a rather vicious little black dog called 'Tats' to help, but I don't remember him ever biting anyone but me! After many scary nights and assistance from family members (Uncle Wiwi had put his head under the blankets when he heard the strange banging), some of it less than useful, Arnie nearly caught the intruder. The 'boss', Mr. McLaughlin had a word with the cop and the strange banging etcetera stopped.
I remember [Winnie] as a very active person, always on the go. She loved reading and had enjoyed her school days, especially playing hockey with sticks made from gorse wood, although this sounded pretty rough to me. She gained Matriculation at school and would have loved to continue her education but this was not possible so she encouraged us to take every opportunity to pursue our schooling and have careers. I remember her ability in maths. It used to embarrass me in a shop where she would have the costs added up in her head before the shopkeeper had even written them down and would correct him if he was wrong. I never remember her making a mistake in addition.
An old treadle Singer sewing machine made clothes for just about everyone in the district as well as for us. People would turn up with a parcel of fabric (often without either the cotton or the pattern) the day before they wanted to wear the dress. Somehow it always got made. A piece of knitting was always on the go too. Sue Pohio talks about how Aunty Winnie would be sewing something but have a chocolate cake in the oven at the same time. The best thing she said was that when it was iced we were allowed to eat it hot! I remember the cake was always made in a meat dish. It was always huge, but disappeared really quickly.
One year she did all the catering for the Bachelors and Spinsters New Year Ball at the Sedgemere Hall. If she hadn't, the ball was going to be cancelled. We made what seemed like dozens of loaves of bread into sandwiches and she baked non-stop for several days. We all mastered the art of applying coconut to lamingtons.
She loved to participate in games and dearly loved to win!...Euchre was the game that drew the whole community together and she didn't miss an evening's play. Out would come the trusty old bike and away would ride Mum to her game of cards. When table tennis started at Sedgemere she was an enthusiastic and competent player, very light on her feet considering her size. Bowls were greeted with the same enthusiasm and she and Mere Hamilton used to bike off together to that. Later Riki [Ellison] with his tractor or Colin Chambers with his car were chauffeurs for them.
Country Women's Institute and Māori Women's Welfare League had a regular attender and keen participant in the variety of competitions held at the monthly meetings. She really enjoyed making the variety of articles required. The only time she stayed away from the district was through attending a Māori Women's Welfare League conference in Timaru.
Grandchildren as they arrived were loved and spoiled. When Liz came the question would be 'What shall we make for you today, Liz?' She really enjoyed the few years she taught sewing to the children at Sedgemere School. They must have enjoyed it too because often someone would ring up and say 'please can I come because I don't know how to do this?.'
While she could do a great many things very well, she couldn't sing or whistle in tune. And because she loved to sing or whistle she would do this constantly. I well remember the off-key sound coming from the kitchen at Taumutu'.First NameWinnifredMiddle NameGertrudeLast NameBrownOccupationCommunity worker and dress-makerDate of Birth1910Date of Death1967Age at Death56Parents or Next of KinHusband - Arnold (Arnie) Henley Rewi Brown (1904 - 1984), married on 17 April, 1929.
Children - Alexander (Alex), Catherine (Cath) and Margaret (Marg) Brown.
Alternative NameWinnifred Gertrude FreemanWinnie BrownSummaryActive community stalwart and dressmaker of the Taumutu areaDescriptionTaumutu artist, teacher and tohunga raranga (expert weaver) Cath Brown shared these memories of her mother Winnie in the 1993 Women's Suffrage Whakatu Wahine publication "Women of Sedgemere and Taumutu. This is reproduced here with the permission of Liz Brown.'Winnie Freeman married Arnold Brown and lived her life in the Lakeside district. They lived in an early pioneer cottage in Lakeside on the property that Robbie McLaughlin farmed. She established a fine garden over there over the years but also managed to go down to the Point to help milk cows for her mother.
She often spoke of the times during the 1930s while living at Lakeside and the problems she had with people trying to frighten the couple out of the house. It was Depression time and Arnie had a job, which had a house that came with it. Apparently, someone wanted it and set up a campaign to scare the Browns out. They got a rather vicious little black dog called 'Tats' to help, but I don't remember him ever biting anyone but me! After many scary nights and assistance from family members (Uncle Wiwi had put his head under the blankets when he heard the strange banging), some of it less than useful, Arnie nearly caught the intruder. The 'boss', Mr. McLaughlin had a word with the cop and the strange banging etcetera stopped.
I remember [Winnie] as a very active person, always on the go. She loved reading and had enjoyed her school days, especially playing hockey with sticks made from gorse wood, although this sounded pretty rough to me. She gained Matriculation at school and would have loved to continue her education but this was not possible so she encouraged us to take every opportunity to pursue our schooling and have careers. I remember her ability in maths. It used to embarrass me in a shop where she would have the costs added up in her head before the shopkeeper had even written them down and would correct him if he was wrong. I never remember her making a mistake in addition.
An old treadle Singer sewing machine made clothes for just about everyone in the district as well as for us. People would turn up with a parcel of fabric (often without either the cotton or the pattern) the day before they wanted to wear the dress. Somehow it always got made. A piece of knitting was always on the go too. Sue Pohio talks about how Aunty Winnie would be sewing something but have a chocolate cake in the oven at the same time. The best thing she said was that when it was iced we were allowed to eat it hot! I remember the cake was always made in a meat dish. It was always huge, but disappeared really quickly.
One year she did all the catering for the Bachelors and Spinsters New Year Ball at the Sedgemere Hall. If she hadn't, the ball was going to be cancelled. We made what seemed like dozens of loaves of bread into sandwiches and she baked non-stop for several days. We all mastered the art of applying coconut to lamingtons.
She loved to participate in games and dearly loved to win!...Euchre was the game that drew the whole community together and she didn't miss an evening's play. Out would come the trusty old bike and away would ride Mum to her game of cards. When table tennis started at Sedgemere she was an enthusiastic and competent player, very light on her feet considering her size. Bowls were greeted with the same enthusiasm and she and Mere Hamilton used to bike off together to that. Later Riki [Ellison] with his tractor or Colin Chambers with his car were chauffeurs for them.
Country Women's Institute and Māori Women's Welfare League had a regular attender and keen participant in the variety of competitions held at the monthly meetings. She really enjoyed making the variety of articles required. The only time she stayed away from the district was through attending a Māori Women's Welfare League conference in Timaru.
Grandchildren as they arrived were loved and spoiled. When Liz came the question would be 'What shall we make for you today, Liz?' She really enjoyed the few years she taught sewing to the children at Sedgemere School. They must have enjoyed it too because often someone would ring up and say 'please can I come because I don't know how to do this?.'
While she could do a great many things very well, she couldn't sing or whistle in tune. And because she loved to sing or whistle she would do this constantly. I well remember the off-key sound coming from the kitchen at Taumutu'.
First NameWinnifredMiddle NameGertrudeLast NameBrownOccupationCommunity worker and dress-makerDate of Birth1910Date of Death1967Age at Death56Parents or Next of KinHusband - Arnold (Arnie) Henley Rewi Brown (1904 - 1984), married on 17 April, 1929.Children - Alexander (Alex), Catherine (Cath) and Margaret (Marg) Brown.
Connections
Winnifred Gertrude Brown. Selwyn Stories, accessed 28/04/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/6521
