Heather Margaret Halcrow Nicholson (née Halcrow, 19 June 1931 – 9 July 2019) was a New Zealand geologist and writer. Her book, ''The Loving Stitch: a History of Knitting and Spinning in New Zealand'', was judged best non-fiction book at the 1999 Montana Book Awards.

Biography

Nicholson was born Heather Margaret Halcrow in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

on 19 June 1931, the daughter of Amy and Tom Halcrow, and was raised at

Galatea Galatea is an ancient Greek name meaning "she who is milk-white". Galatea, Galathea or Gallathea may refer to: In mythology * Galatea (Greek myth), three different mythological figures In the arts * ''Aci, Galatea e Polifemo'', cantata by H ...

. After studying physical geography at high school, she enrolled at

Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

in 1949, where she decided to study geology. She was the first woman whose thesis, titled ''Geology of

Waiheke Island Waiheke Island (; Māori: ) is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland. It is the most po ...

'' and supervised by Arthur Lillie, was primarily based on fieldwork and the first woman in New Zealand to conduct a major geological mapping project. She graduated MSc with second-class honours in 1954. The following year, she married Ian Nicholson, and the couple went on to have twin daughters. Heather Nicholson worked as a secondary-school science teacher, and rose to become head of science at

Westlake Girls High School Westlake Girls High School is a state girls secondary school, located to the west of Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. The school was established in 1958 as a coeducational school, changing to girls only in 1962 when Westlake Boy ...

Takapuna Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is situated at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. While very small in terms of population, it ...

. However, she retired in the 1970s due to ill health, and became active as a practitioner and adult-education teacher of craftwork. In 1988, her instructional book ''Knitters Know-How'' was published. In 1993, she was awarded a grant by the Suffrage Centennial Trust to write a history of knitting, resulting in the publication of ''The Loving Stitch: a History of Knitting and Spinning in New Zealand'' in 1998. The book won Montana Medal for non-fiction at the Montana Book Awards the next year. By now in her late 60s, Nicholson returned to the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

to undertake doctoral studies on the history of geological understanding in New Zealand. She completed her PhD thesis, titled ''The New Zealand greywackes: a study of changing geological concepts to 1985'', supervised by Bernhard Spörli, in 2003, and is thought to be one of the oldest people in New Zealand to have earned a postgraduate degree in geology. Nicholson died in Orewa on 9 July 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Heather 1931 births 2019 deaths People from Hamilton, New Zealand University of Auckland alumni 20th-century New Zealand women scientists 20th-century New Zealand geologists Women geologists New Zealand schoolteachers New Zealand women writers New Zealand non-fiction writers