Edith Penelope Tennent (25 July 1882 – 7 June 1946) was a New Zealand nurse and hospital matron.
Early life and education
Tennent was born in
Timaru, New Zealand, to William James Tennent and his wife Katherine Jane Kestervan. Her father was the secretary of the Timaru Harbour Board.
Tennent was educated at Miss Hall's Private School in Timaru until 1902, when her parents moved to
Marton in the North Island to start a business. In 1914 Tennent entered
Wellington Hospital Wellington Hospital might refer to:
* Wellington Hospital, New Zealand, a hospital in Wellington, New Zealand
* Wellington Hospital, London
The Wellington Hospital in St John's Wood, London is the largest private hospital in the United Kingdom, an ...
to begin her nursing training, graduating in 1918.
She received the highest marks in New Zealand on her state registration examination.
Career
On graduating, Tennent became a nursing sister at Wellington Hospital, and was appointed Assistant Matron in 1920.
In 1922 she was given six months leave from her position to study midwifery; she passed the examinations with an equal-first in the country.
In 1925 she was appointed Matron of
Dunedin Hospital. During her tenure, she encouraged nursing staff to undertake postgraduate studies in specialised fields, and to enrol in university courses.
Tennent was a member of the Otago Branch of Registered Nurses and Midwives, and was involved in revising the national syllabus for nursing training. She was also a member of the Dominion Executive of the Registered Nurses' Association from 1937 to 1942, and involved with the
New Zealand Red Cross
New Zealand Red Cross or Ripeka Whero Aotearoa is a humanitarian organisation, which has more than 15,000 members and volunteers. In New Zealand, Red Cross delivers core community services, such as Meals on Wheels, Community Transport, Refugee ...
and the Patients' and Prisoners' Aid Society.
In the
1937 Coronation Honours
The 1937 Coronation Honours were awarded in honour of the coronation of George VI.
Royal Honours
Order of the Thistle
* The Queen
Royal Victorian Chain
* The Queen
* Queen Mary
* Clive, Baron Wigram
Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
* The Queen ...
, she was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, for services to nursing.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Tennent was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the New Zealand Red Cross Voluntary Aids and travelled throughout the country organising and training volunteers, advising on preparations for the establishment of emergency hospitals, and recruiting trained nurses to the organisation.
In 1942 she resigned due to ill health and died in
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area.
It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...
on 7 June 1946.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennent, Edith
1882 births
1946 deaths
20th-century New Zealand people
New Zealand nurses
People from Timaru
New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire