Maker: R. L. McGregor

Panel number: 376

Petition sheet number: 453

Person honouring: Lissie Gush

Relationship to maker: Married my great-grandfather

Sadly, I suspect life married to my great-grandfather did not treat Elizabeth kindly. He left her and attempted to obtain a marriage licence in a different province. She was left with their two children in Napier.

Travelling to Hawera, Elizabeth’s father had to give testament in court that his daughter was in fact alive and living with her children at his home in Napier. She signed the petition as Lissie Gush, living at Roslyn Road, Napier.

I find it tremendously sad that although she signed the petition, for whatever reason, health-related or otherwise, she didn’t live long enough to actually vote. Lissie was just 33 when she died in 1893.

Panel materials: The base of the panel was part of an antique cotton sheet; new embroidery cottons and recycled embroidery cottons from op shops were used to create the majority of the panel. Some vintage-appearing quilting fabrics were purchased to be used as well.