Mavis Melville Davidson (née Gedye; 10 February 1910 – 27 May 2004) was a New Zealand zoologist, biologist and mountaineer.

Biography

Davidson was born in

Te Karaka Te Karaka is a small settlement inland from Gisborne, in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It is located in the valley of the Waipaoa River close to its junction with its tributary, the Waihora River. Te Karaka is located on State Hi ...

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay (Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa'') is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. It stretches for from Young Nick's Head in the southwest to Tuaheni Point in the north ...

, the seventh of nine children of Thomas James and Dagmar Martha Melville Gedye (née Hansen). She attended primary school in Gisborne and then Wairoa High School, followed by a year at a commercial college in Auckland. After completing her studies, she worked in Auckland and Wellington as a shorthand typist and clerk. 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 ...

, she served in the Women's Royal Army Corps as a subaltern for four years. Davidson studied at

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

and graduated with a master's degree in zoology in 1950, specialising in forestry and deer ecology. She worked in the zoology department at Victoria as a demonstrator and junior lecturer between 1946 and 1950, then in 1958 Davidson was appointed a biologist with the

New Zealand Forest Service The New Zealand Forest Service was originally established in 1919 as the State Forest Service. The State Forest Service changed its name to the New Zealand Forest Service in 1949, at about the same time that the Forests Act of 1949 passed through ...

. She initially worked on

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

, then later moved on to study

sika deer The sika deer (''Cervus nippon''), also known as the Northern spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south to ...

in the Kaimanawa and

Kaweka Range The Kaweka Range (also known as the ''Kaweka Ranges'') of mountains is located in inland Hawke's Bay in the eastern North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) of New Zealand. It forms part of the mountainous spine of the North Island which extends from Welli ...

s of the central North Island. Davidson was also a mountaineer, although the New Zealand Alpine Club and the Tararua Tramping Club did not allow her to join their mountaineering trips to the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...

. Instead, she organised her own trips, and in 1953 she led the first all-women group of climbers to ascend

Aoraki / Mount Cook Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, as of 2014, is listed as . It sits in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite ...

. She also led all-women groups to climb

Mount Aspiring / Tititea Mount Aspiring / Tititea is New Zealand's 23rd-highest mountain. It is the country's highest outside the Aoraki / Mount Cook region. Description Set within Otago's Mount Aspiring National Park, it has a height of . Māori named it ''Tititea'', ...

and Mount Avalanche. In 1971, she joined a party that climbed to the base of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...

. Davidson retired from the Forest Service and moved to

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

, in Northland, in 1983. In about 1999, she had one of her legs amputated above the knee, and in 2004 was told that her other leg would also require amputation. She died on 27 May that year, before a decision was made.

Recognition

In the

1992 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1992 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...

, Davidson was appointed an

Officer 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 science and mountaineering. She also received a gold badge of honour from the Internationale Gessellschaft Sikawild (International Sika Society) for her research on sika deer. She was appointed a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Foresters.

Personal life

Davidson married Bill (William) Davidson in 1939. He died in November 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Mavis 1910 births 2004 deaths People from the Gisborne District People educated at Wairoa College Victoria University of Wellington alumni New Zealand women scientists New Zealand zoologists New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand mountain climbers New Zealand female climbers