Grit and telling Mavis she was a girl and couldn’t go wasn’t going to work
Adventure, mountaineering and determination led to Mavis leading the first all women team to ascend Aoraki Mount Cook. Mavis also led women’s groups to climb Mount Aspiring, Tititea and Mount Avalanche.
- Biologist specialising in silka deer, their habitat
- Mountaineer who contributed to breaking a glass ceiling or two
“Mavis worked closely with deer cullers and hunters and did her share of hunting. She was greatly respected by all in the field and built up a powerful bond of trust and friendship with her co-workers. She wrote that she was “distanced from my (male) colleagues by chauvinistic pride and the practicalities of accommodation. While it raised no comment if I shared a tent with my hunters, I was banished to some accommodation elsewhere when I attended a conference”. Her research has been published internationally and she wrote 12 scientific publications.” source History – In memory of Mavis