Olga May Jekyll (née MacPherson, 8 October 1918 – 11 February 2014) was a New Zealand fencer, who represented her country at the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

Fencing

Born Olga May MacPherson on 8 October 1918, Jekyll competed in her first fencing tournament in 1938. She went on to win 18

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

championships, and five New Zealand national titles: in 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1959. At the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, Jekyll represented New Zealand in the individual women's

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

, recording three wins to finish in fifth place. Jekyll retired from competitive fencing in 1972, but continued her involvement in the sport as an administrator and coach, including at Avonside Girls' High School. She was a founding member of the United Fencing Club in

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 Rive ...

in 1956.

Personal life

After

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 opposing ...

, Jekyll married Allan Joseph Jekyll, but was widowed by his death in 1948. The couple did not have children, and she never remarried.

Honours and recognition

In the 1982 Queen's Birthday Honours, Jekyll was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The Queen's Service Medal is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or appointed public office. It was established in 1975 and is related to ...

for community service. She was also a life member of the New Zealand Amateur Fencing Association. Fencing Midsouth awards the Olga Jekyll Trophy annually, and organises an Olga Jekyll mixed teams event.

Later life and death

As a result of the

2011 Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...

, Jekyll was forced to move from her home. She died in Christchurch on 11 February 2014.

References

1918 births 2014 deaths Sportspeople from Christchurch New Zealand female foil fencers Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand Fencers at the 1950 British Empire Games Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal 20th-century New Zealand women {{NewZealand-fencing-bio-stub