Eve Poole
Eve Poole QSO | |
---|---|
41st Mayor of Invercargill | |
In office 1983–1992† | |
Personal details | |
Born | Eva Auerbach 29 December 1924 Frankfurt, Germany |
Died | 26 December 1992 Dunedin, New Zealand | (aged 67)
Resting place | Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill |
Spouse |
Vernon Clive Poole (m. 1943) |
Children | 4 |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Auxiliary Territorial Service |
Years of service | 1939–1945 |
Rank | Private |
Service number | 195779 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Eve Poole
Early life
Poole was born in Frankfurt, Germany on 29 December 1924 to Polish migrants Hinde and Nachman Auerbach.
Following in the footsteps of many of her older siblings, Poole enlisted in the
Poole received an
Political career
Incensed by the suggestion that the Troopers' Memorial be moved, and with advice from brother-in-law and city councillor Percy Poole and former mayoress Mabel Wachner, Poole successfully ran for the Invercargill City Council in 1971. She was only the second woman to ever run for the council, and was the first to be elected.[11] She topped the poll in 1974 and was made Deputy Mayor. As Deputy Mayor, Poole appeared on the New Zealand version of the talk show Beauty and the Beast, through which she met Auckland City Councillor Catherine Tizard, who would go on to become the first female mayor of Auckland in the same year Poole became the first female mayor of Invercargill.[10]
Poole was approached to run for mayor in 1977, but decided against it at that time. She made her first challenge in
Poole returned to politics in 1983, making a second run for Mayor. She defeated councillors John Russell and Jim Fenton with 56.8 per cent of the vote, becoming the first woman mayor and first Jewish mayor of Invercargill.[12] The 1984 Southland flood occurred early in her first term and she was praised for her response.[4][8] Her daughter Michele would go on to have a career in emergency management.[15]
As Mayor, Poole was highly involved in
While she largely remained neutral on matters of national politics, she was publicly critical of the Rogernomics of the Fourth Labour Government, leading multiple Southland Federated Farmers marches, one of which resulted in Under-Secretary of Finance Trevor de Cleene being pelted with eggs and tomatoes thrown by protestors.[10][17][18]
Poole established Invercargill's first sister city relationship with Kumagaya, Japan.[4][19]
In 1992 she was awarded a Melvin Jones Fellowship by Lions Clubs International.[4]
Poole initially intended to retire at the 1992 election, following the death of her daughter Helen in February, however she announced in July that she would run for a fourth term.[10] It was a close race with deputy mayor Bruce Pagan and councillor Mirek Cvigr, with Poole winning with only 37.86% of the vote.[20]
Death
Only a month after being elected to a fourth term, Poole was admitted to Dunedin Hospital on 25 November 1992 due to severe back pain. She was diagnosed with cancer. Treatment was unsuccessful, and after developing peritonitis when her bowel was perforated during a biopsy, she died on the morning of 26 December 1992 at the age of 67.[10][21] She is buried at Invercargill's Eastern Cemetery, along with her husband who died on 27 April 2002.[22]
References
- ^ ISBN 0252067924.
- ^ "Death search: registration number 1993/31161". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ISBN 1-877135-11-9.
- ^ a b c d "Eve Poole to fore in local gov't for 20 years". The Southland Times. 28 December 1992.
- ^ a b "Information on past Mayors of Invercargill City" (PDF). Invercargill City Council.
- ^ Veltkamp, Patricia (31 December 1992). "Emotional, spiritual — a fitting end for Eve". The Southland Times.
- ^ a b "Southland: A winter journey". New Zealand Geographic.
- ^ a b Veltkamp, Patricia (28 December 1992). "Eve: Creator's first woman, Southland's finest". The Southland Times.
- ^ a b Cassells, Winton (November 1990), Eve Poole
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9951329-0-0.
- ^ "Woman's Voice May Soon Be Heard on Council". The Southland Times. 1971.
- ^ a b "Invercargill elects first woman mayor". Stuff.co.nz. 7 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Wednesday Windback – What's on Invers".
- ^ "No. 49010". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 12 June 1982. p. 41.
- ^ "Civil defence making plans, just in case". 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Southland region". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^ "Southland to march". The Press. Papers Past. 21 March 1986.
- ^ "Southern protest march". The Press. Papers Past. 18 August 1988.
- ^ "Invercargill City Council to host Sister City conference". 13 March 2017.
- ^ "Election '95". The Southland Times. p. 4.
- ^ "City Mayor Eve Poole dies". The Southland Times. Stuff.co.nz. 28 December 1992.
- ^ "Cemetery result". Invercargill City Council.