Helena Fannie Gibson (14 July 1868 – 24 July 1938) was a New Zealand educator and the principal of

Rangi Ruru Girls' School Rangi Ruru Girls' School is a New Zealand private girls' day and boarding secondary school located in Merivale, an inner suburb of Christchurch. The school is affiliated to the Presbyterian Church, and serves approximately girls from Years 7 ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

for its first 50 years.

Early life

Gibson was born in Lyttelton, near Christchurch, in 1868. She was one of ten children of Frederick Gibson and his second wife, Mary. All eight daughters in the family became teachers or school principals -

Mary Gibson Mary Victoria Gibson (28 October 1864 – 1 September 1929) was a New Zealand teacher and school principal. Born in Lyttelton in 1864 soon after her mother came to New Zealand, her father was Frederick Denhame Gibson, a port officer in Lyttelto ...

became the principal of

Christchurch Girls' High School Christchurch Girls' High School in Christchurch, New Zealand, was established in 1877 and is the second oldest girls-only secondary school in the country, after Otago Girls' High School. History Christchurch Girls' High School was established i ...

Beatrice Beatrice may refer to: * Beatrice (given name) Places In the United States * Beatrice, Alabama, a town * Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality * Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated ...

became the principal of

Nelson College for Girls , motto_translation = Loyalty, honesty and wisdom , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = 1883; years ago , address = Trafalgar St , city = Nels ...

, and Ethel, Alice, Ruth and Winifred taught at Rangi Ruru School. There were also two brothers, Frederick and Thomas.

Education

Gibson attended Mrs Crosby's private school in Christchurch, followed by

. She attended lectures at

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, England ...

, and painting classes at the

Canterbury College School of Art The Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the 1950s, and was the first department to move to the suburban Ilam ...

, but did not graduate with a degree.

Career

Gibson's father bought a school run by friends of his, the Greshams, in 1889. Gibson visited the families of the pupils and persuaded almost all of them to remain at the school under the new management of Gibson, her mother and her sister Alice. They renamed the school Miss Gibson's Private School for Girls, and began with 18 pupils. The school was developed as a place for teaching strong Christian values. Cooking and hand sewing were compulsory subjects, and the girls were expected to adhere to high standards of personal grooming and conduct. The school prospered under Gibson's leadership, growing to around 100 pupils by 1917, and to over 200 by the time of her death in 1938. Gibson continued to paint throughout her life, and frequently gave gifts of paintings to family and friends. She also taught drawing and painting at the school, and was involved with the

Canterbury Society of Arts Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA, formerly the Canterbury Society of Arts) is a curated art gallery in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The gallery is administered by the Canterbury Society of Arts (CSA) Charitable Trust. Quarte ...

; she exhibited her art there, and in 1900, she was on the society's council. She also had paintings exhibited at the

New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (also referred to as the Wellington Art Society) was founded in Wellington in July 1882 as The Fine Arts Association of New Zealand. Founding artists included painters William Beetham (first president of the Ass ...

, the Auckland Society of Arts and the Otago Society of Arts. Apart from a one-year visit to England in 1906, Gibson ran Rangi Ruru School until her death in 1938. She never officially retired, remaining actively involved in the school.

Legacy

A stained glass window in St. Mary's Church, Christchurch, commemorates Gibson's life and work. Rangi Ruru School holds 15 paintings by Gibson in its art collection: landscapes in oils and watercolours.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Helen 1938 deaths 1868 births 19th-century New Zealand people People from Christchurch People educated at Christchurch Girls' High School New Zealand schoolteachers 20th-century New Zealand painters 20th-century New Zealand educators 19th-century New Zealand painters 19th-century New Zealand educators 19th-century New Zealand women 20th-century New Zealand women