Noeline Edith "Bub" Bridger (15 July 1924 – 8 December 2009) was a New Zealand

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

and

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

writer and actor, who often performed her own work and drew inspiration from her

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, Irish and English ancestry.

Early life

Bridger was born in

Napier, New Zealand Napier ( ; mi, Ahuriri) is a city on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Hawke's Bay region. It is a beachside city with a seaport, known for its sunny climate, esplanade lined with Norfolk Pines and extensi ...

, of

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative d ...

and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent. She grew up in Napier during the depression years. She attended several primary schools in the region followed by

Napier Intermediate Napier South is a suburb of the city of Napier, in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's eastern North Island. Demographics Napier South, comprising the statistical areas of Nelson Park and McLean Park, had a population of 4,731 at the 2018 ...

, and then one year at

Napier Girls' High School Napier Girls' High School is a state secondary school on Clyde Road, Napier, New Zealand. It is one of the oldest schools in New Zealand for girls, and has a current school roll of about 1000. History In July 1883 plans were submitted to the b ...

. She left school after the third form and found work in Napier in local factories. In 1942, Bridger moved with her father to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

and worked in the Social Security Department. She married and had four children, but the marriage failed and she raised the children on her own.

Writing

Bridger was interested in writing from an early age. During her school years, she excelled in reading and writing. After her children had grown up, at the age of 50 she enrolled in a creative writing course being held at Victoria University in 1974, taught by

Michael King Michael King may refer to: * Michael King (historian) (1945–2004), New Zealand popular historian, author and biographer *Michael King (baseball) (born 1995), American baseball player *Michael F. King, original developer of the ProvideX computer la ...

. Describing her experience at this course, she said: "Michael was the one who showed me the way. When he read my first short story he said: ‘You are going to be a writer.’" Bridger's first published story, The Stallion, featured in

the New Zealand Listener The ''New Zealand Listener'' is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, f ...

in 1975. Her writing was largely anthologized and she published several book-length collections of poetry, including ''Up Here on the Hill'' (1989) and ''Wild Daises: The Best of Bub Bridger''. Her writing is known for its energy, comedy and the use of fantasy.

Performance

Bridger was a well-known performer who acted on stage, notably with

Hens' Teeth Women's Comedy Company Hens' Teeth Women's Comedy Company is a woman-only comedy troupe based in Wellington, New Zealand founded in 1988. Background After attending a women's comedy festival in Sydney Kate JasonSmith founded Hens' Teeth in time to debut just before ...

, and she also wrote for

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

and

broadcast radio Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio st ...

Later years

Bridger moved to Westport in 1994 and then to Granity. She died at her home in Granity on 8 December 2009, aged 85.

Honours and awards

In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Bridger was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to literature.

References

Bibliography

External links

Bub Bridger
at Kōmako
Bub Bridger
at Read NZ Te Pou Muramura {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridger, Bub 1924 births 2009 deaths New Zealand women poets New Zealand women short story writers New Zealand Māori writers New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand people of Irish descent 20th-century New Zealand poets 20th-century New Zealand short story writers 20th-century New Zealand women writers Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Ngāti Kahungunu people People educated at Napier Girls' High School People from Napier, New Zealand