Maker: Therese O’Connell

Panel number: 282

Petition sheet number: 336

Person honouring: Hannah O’Connell

Relationship to maker: Great-grandmother

Hannah (Johanna) Moran was born in Blenheim in 1862, a year after her family arrived in New Zealand from County Kerry, Ireland.

In 1880 Hannah married William Kingston O’Connell who had migrated from County Cork, Ireland in 1875. William was a farm worker and Protestant, Hannah a home worker and Catholic.

In 1893, when she signed the petition, they were living in Waverley with the first seven of their 15 children. Nine of her children died before Hannah did – three died on the day of their birth, two from diphtheria in childhood, three from influenza, and one in action during WW1.

Hannah herself died in 1933, aged 72.

There seems to be no family knowledge about Hannah’s life besides domestic and family matters. In her family of origin (the Morans) she was one of five girls and one boy (mirroring my parents’ family).

William worked long hours as a farm labourer; Hannah worked non-stop taking care of her very large family. Oops, I’m back there contemplating / imagining her life! I would love to know why she signed the petition but whatever impelled her I am so proud she did! Thank you great-grandmother Hannah.

Panel materials: I am not a skilled needlewoman but do enjoy painting so I found a spare piece of canvas and a photocopy of a family photo then researched when the photo was taken – it was around the same time as she signed the petition. I wanted to show her surrounded by her family within the context of her cultural background.