Dorothy Wills Explained

Dorothy Wills
Birth Name:Dorothy Mary Wills
Birth Date:27 March 1911
Occupation:Architect
Years Active:1933–1969
Known For:Second woman registered architect in New Zealand

Dorothy Mary Wills (27 March 1911 – 11 July 2007), also known as Dorothy Mary Coulthard, was a New Zealand architect, and the second woman to become a registered architect in New Zealand.

Early life

Wills was born on 27 March 1911,[1] the only child of George Herbert Alexander Wills and Mary Estelle Wills of Tauranga.[2] [3] Her father was actively involved in amateur theatre.[4]

Wills was educated at Tauranga District High School, where she won a Junior National Scholarship in 1923.[5] She went on to study for two years at Epsom Girls' Grammar School, and passed the matriculation examination in 1926.[6] She also won a Senior National Scholarship.

During her early years in Tauranga, Wills was active in amateur dance and theatre performances.[7] [8] [9]

Career

Wills began her studies in architecture at the University of Auckland in 1929. By 1933 she had completed her examinations for Associate Membership of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. In 1934, she was the second woman in New Zealand to graduate with a B.Arch, and in 1936 she became the second woman in New Zealand to become a Registered Architect (after Lucy Greenish who was registered 20 years earlier in 1914).[10] [11] [12]

Wills began her career as an architect in Tauranga, and was employed by architect H. L. D. West between 1933 and 1936.[13] During that time, West was the borough architect for the Tauranga Borough.[14] In 1935, Wills gave an address about architecture during an educational course for girls, run by the Women's Institute. In 1936, Wills left Tauranga for London.

During World War II, Wills utilised her architecture training in work for the British Intelligence Service, where she evaluated the use of stately homes in the English countryside to accommodate scientists and other personnel who were key to the war effort, in locations away from London. After the war ended, she remained in Britain, working on housing projects.

Wills returned to New Zealand in 1949, and was employed by the Housing Division of the Ministry of Works in Wellington. Her work included a range of hospital projects. She was promoted to senior architect in 1957, and continued her employment with the Ministry of Works until around 1969.

Personal life

In the period 1929 to 1935, Wills continued to participate in amateur dance and theatre performances,[15] [16] [17] and also had an active social life.[18] [19] [20]

In 1935, Wills was a office-holder in the Tauranga branch of the League of Nations Union.[21]

In 1936, Wills left Tauranga for London.[22] In 1937, she was presented at Buckingham Palace along with several other New Zealand women.[23] [24]

In 1957, Wills married James Coulthard, but she continued her employment with the Ministry of Works. The couple moved to Marlborough during the 1970s; her husband died in 1977.[25]

Wills lived in Blenheim from 1973 until her death on 11 July 2007, aged 96.[26] [27] Her memorial is located at Ōmaka Cemetery, Blenheim, New Zealand. In her will, she left a bequest for public art projects in Marlborough.[28] The Dorothy Coulthard Arts Trust made a grant for a kinetic wind sculpture by New Zealand sculptor Grant Williams that was installed outside the ASB Theatre in Blenheim in 2014.[29] [30]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Death search: registration number 2007/18015 . Births, deaths & marriages online . Department of Internal Affairs . 20 May 2023.
  2. Web site: Cemeteries Search - George Wills . 4 May 2023 . Tauranga City Council.
  3. News: Distinctive Success. 9 January 1933. Bay of Plenty Times. Papers Past.
  4. News: 10 May 1935 . Women's Division: Girls Educational Course . . 4 May 2023 . Papers Past.
  5. News: Tauranga District High School – Public examination results. 17 February 1923. Bay of Plenty Times. Papers Past.
  6. News: Local and General. Bay of Plenty Times. Papers Past.
  7. News: 23 August 1922 . Misses Hall's Dance Recital . . Papers Past.
  8. News: 19 July 1924 . Plunket Fair . . Papers Past.
  9. News: 19 November 1924 . Garden fete and concert . . Papers Past.
  10. News: Personal. Bay of Plenty Times. 13 October 1934. Papers Past.
  11. 104.
  12. News: How early female architects, often overlooked, helped shape Kiwi buildings. Stuff. 16 October 2022. Dennett. Kelly.
  13. News: 27 October 1933 . Personal . . Papers Past.
  14. News: 12 December 1935 . Tauranga Council . . 5 May 2023 . Papers Past.
  15. News: Lilies of the field. Bay of Plenty Times. 3 January 1929. Papers Past.
  16. News: He walked in her sleep. 30 November 1933. Bay of Plenty Times. Papers Past.
  17. News: Town Queen. 29 August 1935. Bay of Plenty Times. Papers Past.
  18. Web site: Tauranga Annual Military Ball. New Zealand Herald. 29 June 1934. Papers Past.
  19. News: Tauranga Notes. Auckland Star. 26 March 1935. Papers Past.
  20. Web site: Tauranga Activities. New Zealand Herald. 12 September 1935. Papers Past.
  21. News: 21 February 1935 . Tauranga News . . Papers Past.
  22. News: Personal. 1 May 1936. Bay of Plenty Times. Papers Past.
  23. News: To Be Presented : New Zealanders at Court. Evening Post. 6 May 1937. Papers Past.
  24. News: 2 June 1937 . The Second Court: New Zealanders Presented . . Papers Past.
  25. Web site: Cemetery Records Search – James Coulthard. Marlborough District Council. 4 May 2023.
  26. News: . Marlborough Express. 29 November 2012. Sculpture trust to oversee public art projects.
  27. Web site: Cemetery Records Search – Dorothy Coulthard . 4 May 2023 . Marlborough District Council.
  28. News: 7 September 2011 . Kinetic Sculpture Gifted To Marlborough . . Infonews.
  29. Web site: Simpson . Heather . 11 November 2014 . Massive moving artwork to front new theatre . 2023-05-04 . Stuff. . en.
  30. Web site: Powell . Selina . 18 November 2014 . Warm reaction to new artwork . 2023-05-04 . Stuff . Marlborough Express. en.