Violet Augusta Roche (1885–1967) was born in

Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilto ...

, New Zealand, in 1885. She was a welfare worker and journalist who wrote numerous articles between 1935 and 1950 for ''

Walkabout Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditiona ...

''. She is credited with reviving and sustaining the New Zealand branch of the Barnardo’s children's charity for many years. In the

1964 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1964 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1964 to celebrat ...

, Roche 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 the community, especially in connection with Dr Barbado's Homes.

References

1885 births 1967 deaths People from Te Awamutu 20th-century New Zealand women writers 20th-century New Zealand writers New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century New Zealand journalists 20th-century New Zealand women journalists {{NewZealand-writer-stub