Dorothy Woodham Fletcher (formerly King, née Graham; 25 July 1927 – 10 August 2017) was a New Zealand historian.

Biography

Fletcher was born in 1927 to

Alec Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a shortened form of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include: People * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat * Alec Acton ...

and Isabella Graham, part-owners of Franz Josef Glacier Hotel at

Franz Josef Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death in 1916. In the early part of his reig ...

. Her parents had met in England during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

; her mother was English and her father from South Westland. Fletcher grew up in Franz Josef, and went to boarding school in Christchurch at

Rangi Ruru Girls' School Rangi Ruru Girls' School is a New Zealand private school, private girls' day and boarding school, boarding secondary school located in Merivale, Christchurch, Merivale, an inner suburb of Christchurch. The school is affiliated with the Presbyte ...

. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

broke out, she returned to Franz Josef and helped her family run the hotel until they decided to sell the business in 1947. From 1947 to 1949, Fletcher studied horticulture at Massey Agricultural College, then returned to Franz Josef and worked at the post office, Department of Conservation office and the hotel. In the late 1970s she was appointed Westland National Park historian and developed a collection of historical items and records covering the development of the area and its people. The collection was later donated to the Hokitika Museum. Fletcher also compiled her father's mountaineering photographs into the Alec Graham Photographic Collection and donated this to the

Macmillan Brown Library The Macmillan Brown Library (also known by its Māori name ''Te Puna Rakahau o Macmillan Brown'') is a research library based in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. It is a library collection of national significance administered by the Univers ...

at the University of Canterbury.

Recognition

In 2017, a

tuatara The tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') is a species of reptile endemic to New Zealand. Despite its close resemblance to lizards, it is actually the only extant member of a distinct lineage, the previously highly diverse order Rhynchocephal ...

on public display at Franz Josef was named Dorothy in honour of Fletcher.

Personal life

Fletcher was married twice. In 1959 she married Peter King, an Englishman who emigrated to New Zealand and became a park ranger at Westland National Park. The couple had two children together, however King was killed in a car accident in 1962, days after the birth of their second child. In 1973, Fletcher married Peter Fletcher, chief ranger at Westland National Park. He died in 1977 on the Copland Pass.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Dorothy New Zealand women historians 1927 births 2017 deaths People educated at Rangi Ruru Girls' School Massey University alumni People from the West Coast Region 20th-century New Zealand historians