Graves of note

In the Wellington region during November and December 1918, more than 700 people succumbed to influenza and many of them were buried in Karori Cemetery, Wellington. Their graves have been mostly untended and lost from the collective memory.

In conjunction with the Friends of Karori Cemetery, we have produced an interactive map that shows the burial locations and stories of some of those people.

View our 1918 Influenza storymap

Date of birth:  12 February 1882
Date of death:  4 June 1968

Walter Nash immigrated to New Zealand from Worcestershire, England in 1909. Once in Wellington, Walter soon became involved in New Zealand politics, assisting the NZ Labour Party in its 1911 election campaign.

Nash steadily rose through the political ranks. In 1935 he became minister of finance. When Labour returned to power in 1957 Nash was made prime minister.

As prime minister, Nash was embroiled in one of the biggest public protests in New Zealand's history when, in 1959, the New Zealand Rugby Football Union assembled a rugby team to tour South Africa that excluded Māori players.

Date of birth:  1842
Date of death:  11 January 1922

A black obelisk marks the grave where newspaperman John Blundell is buried along with other members of the Blundell family, founder-owners of Wellington's first daily newspaper - The Evening Post (1865 - 2002).

John's father, Henry Blundell, moved his family from Dublin to Australia in 1860, then to New Zealand in 1863. In 1865 they started Wellington's first daily paper in the colony's new capital city. With his father, John and his younger brothers (Henry and Louis) worked as typesetters, canvassers and reporters, eventually taking over the management.

John's own son Henry Percy Fabian Blundell was chairman of directors for many years. The Blundells retained control of the paper until the late 1960s. The final edition was published on 6 July 2002 when, after 137 years on Wellington streets, the Evening Post and Dominion papers merged as The Dominion-Post.

Date of birth:  19 June 1835
Date of death:  1 October 1926

A memorial to the Sisters of Compassion records that Mother Mary Joseph Aubert (Suzanne Aubert) 1835 - 1926 was originally buried here, but removed to the order's Mother House in Island Bay in 1950.

Frenchwoman Suzanne Aubert - founder of the Roman Catholic order, the Sisters of Compassion - came to New Zealand in 1860. She worked first in Auckland with Bishop Pompallier as a missionary to Māori, moving on to Meanee and Pakipaki (Hawkes Bay), Jerusalem (on the Whanganui river), and Wellington in 1899.

Aubert devoted her life to helping the homeless, poor and sick. Fluent in Māori, she worked as a teacher and a nurse, produced herbal medicines and established homes for children and old people. On Wellington streets during the early 1900s, she was a familiar figure pushing an old pram used for collecting donations for the work.

When Aubert died in 1926, aged 91, government offices closed and thousands of people lined Wellington streets to watch her funeral procession. The legacy of her life's work has influenced the development of social welfare, education, and health in New Zealand, and benefited the lives of many New Zealanders.

The Suzanne Aubert Compassion Centre continues to support Wellington's poor and needy. It operates in central Wellington near the Buckle Street Soup Kitchen that Suzanne Aubert started in 1899. The order received papal recognition in 1913, and the church may eventually recognise Aubert as New Zealand's first saint.

Robert Stout

Date of birth:  28 September 1844
Date of death:  19 July 1930

Anna Paterson Stout

Date of birth:  29 September 1858
Date of death:  10 May 1931

Robert Stout and Anna Paterson Stout were a dynamic and forward-thinking couple whose impact is still felt in New Zealand. Married in 1876, they helped transform New Zealand society in areas ranging from educational advancement to women's rights.

Robert Stout was born in Lerwick Scotland in 1844. After an education that included theology, literature, and land and marine surveying, Robert emigrated to New Zealand in 1864. Robert became involved in many aspects of New Zealand society, eventually becoming New Zealand Premier and later Chief Justice, and was a founder of the institution that became Victoria University of Wellington.

Anna Paterson Logan was born in Dunedin in 1858. After marrying Robert Stout, then a member of the House of Representatives, Anna was greatly influenced by her husband's beliefs in individualism and sexual equality. For the next 40 years, Anna was involved in a range of women's groups which helped improve the standing of New Zealand women in areas ranging from suffrage, health, and educational equality.

Date of birth:  Circa July 1891
Date of death:  3 August 1891

Frederick William Fish, a month old baby who died on 3 August 1891, was Karori Cemetery's first burial.

Margaret Alington in her book Unquiet Earth evokes the barrenness of the Karori Cemetery at that time. "In the midst of the vast acres of rough hillside, the ground was first broken to receive the tiny body. [His remains] lay in isolation on the windy slopes for six months before the next burial."

There was no marker or headstone on Fish's grave until a plaque was placed at the centenary of the cemetery in 1991.

Date of birth:  6 February 1849
Date of death:  17 August 1921

Scotsman John Guthrie Wood Aitken came to New Zealand in his early thirties to set up a Wellington-based import / export business - Aitken, Wilson and Company - in partnership with another young Scotsman, George Wilson.

Their business prospered, and Aitken became president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and director of many companies. Active in community life, promoting education and supporting charities, Aitken helped establish the Wellington Boys' Institute, the YMCA and YWCA, Scots and Queen Margaret colleges, and served on the Wellington Education Board and the Victoria University College Council.

Aitken was mayor of Wellington from 1899 until 1905. During his tenure, the city's tram system was electrified, and the Town Hall and Te Aro baths were built. He was elected to Parliament in 1902 and 1905, and became a member of the Legislative Council in 1914.

An elder of St John's Presbyterian church, Aitken was elected in 1916 as the first lay Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly of New Zealand. He campaigned for Bible readings in schools, prohibition and against gambling. Aitken never married.

Date of birth:  21 April 1902
Date of death:  27 June 1994

As a child, Louise Etiennette Sidonie Sauze played with marble chips in the home of Auguste Rodin. She was born in Paris, where her father was the sculptor's secretary, but moved to Christchurch in 1925 after marrying New Zealander Hubert Henderson.

Henderson, who was trained in embroidery design, wrote and designed for Madame magazine in Paris. She taught embroidery and design at Canterbury College School of Art, the Correspondence School and Wellington Teachers College.

In New Zealand she also began to paint landscapes in a modernist style, exhibiting for the first time in 1933. From 1935 - 1938 she was a member of The Group along with other influential New Zealand artists including Rita Angus. Her first solo exhibition was held in 1948 at Wellington Public Library.

With her husband's encouragement Henderson became a full-time artist, returning to Paris for a year to study cubism under Jean Metzinger. Later she taught art at the National Art School (Sydney), Elam School of Fine Arts and the Auckland City Art Gallery. A prolific and influential artist, Dame Louise Henderson's artworks appear in many public and private collections.

Date of birth:  1891
Date of death:  24 August 1918

Sergeant Samuel Forsyth VC was born in Wellington in 1891. He enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of World War I in 1914, and sailed with the main contingent to Egypt.

He fought at Gallipoli where he received a slight wound and was evacuated twice with illness. He was seconded to the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment in August 1918. During a battle in Grevillers, France, he led his men through heavy machine gun fire, before he was shot and killed by a sniper.

He was posthumously awarded the VC for his actions at Grevillers on 24 August 1918. He is buried at Adanac Military Cemetery, France. His mother, Grace Forsyth, erected a headstone in Karori Cemetery in memory of him.

Date of birth:  2 August 1878
Date of death:  2 March 1972

William (Billy) Wallace loved rugby. As a Pōneke Football Club member, his nickname was Carbine - after a famous racehorse - as he was extremely fast.

Wallace first played for New Zealand in 1903 - scoring 85 points in nine matches. He joined the first All Black side in 1905/06, touring the British Isles, France and North America. The team lost only one match (against Wales) of its 35 matches.

Wallace scored 379 points over 51 matches for New Zealand and became one of the most admired fullback players.

On retiring in 1908, the public of Wellington awarded him 400 gold sovereigns. Wallace used this to set up an iron foundry where he worked until his retirement.

The Wellington Rugby Football Union awards the Billy Wallace Memorial Trophy every year to the best and fairest club player.

Date of birth:  25 May 1846
Date of death:  18 August 1926

A self confessed "combatant against drink, poverty, factory owners and the medical profession" Grace Neill strove for social reform in New Zealand.

During her 13 year career in the public service, Grace left her mark on many fields. She began her career in 1894 as a factory inspector - the first female inspector in New Zealand. She also set up training institutions for midwives, and aimed to create a state hospital "for mothers, managed by women and doctored by women".

Date of birth:  26 January 1849
Date of death:  24 January 1930

Netherlands-born Herman van Staveren emigrated to New Zealand in 1877 to take up a post as minister for the Wellington Hebrew Congregation.

As senior Rabbi, van Staveren was active in the local Jewish community. He gave weekly Shabat services, performed circumcisions and carried out kosher killings at the Petone meatworks.

Rabbi van Staveren also involved himself in community and charitable causes, being an active member of the Wellington Benevolent Institution and helping establish the Wellington Jewish Philanthropic Society.

He was a long-time member of the Wellington and Wairarapa Charitable Aid Board and sat on the Wellington Hospital Board from 1889 - 1910.

Date of birth:  28 December 1916
Date of death:  12 December 1994

Czech-born refugee Frederick Turnovsky settled in Wellington in 1940. Soon after his arrival, Turnovsky established Tatra - a successful leather goods company.

For much of his life Turnovsky was active in both trade and music circles. He helped establish the Wellington Chamber Music Society and was awarded an OBE in 1965 for services to the arts.

Date of birth:  3 April 1844
Date of death:  17 August 1921

Born in Sweden and the son of a master mariner, Holm arrived in Wellington in 1868 as an able seaman. After working as a pilot, Holm became chief officer of the steamship Taranaki and was commended for bravery after it was wrecked off Tauranga in 1878. Using various barques, he trained apprentices and traded as far as Mauritius. It was largely due to Holm's influence that the government introduced the Amokura as a training ship. In 1911, he purchased the steamship John, which became a familiar vessel around the New Zealand coast for the next 25 years. His last sailing ship was the Titania, wrecked off Nouméa in 1914 - a victim of the French authorities' wartime blackout on the reef lighthouse.

Holm's sons continued the family seafaring tradition and established the Holm Shipping Company.

Date of birth:  29 March 1866
Date of death:  19 July 1921

Originally from Auckland, Lily moved to Wellington with her family in 1874 when she was seven years old. Her community mindedness was demonstrated at an early age; Lily, with her mother and sisters, taught English to Chinese immigrants and reading skills to factory workers.

In 1885 Lily joined the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Well regarded for her influential manner and her firm belief in the ability of women to bring about social change, Lily rose through the ranks of the WCTU from secretary to president.

Lily made many public addresses during the WCTU's campaign for women's suffrage. A popular public speaker, her husband described her as a "prodigy of talent, public and private ... a beautiful platform speaker and as strong off the platform where so many good platform hands are weak."

Date of birth:  2 November 1879
Date of death:  15 November 1918

Matthew Holmes, a respected and well-educated doctor, had studied at two Edinburgh universities and was the resident surgeon at Chalmers Hospital for Children, Edinburgh from 1903 - 1906.

By April 1907 Matthew was registered as a medical practitioner in New Zealand and was an Honorary Surgeon at Wellington Hospital.

During WWI Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Holmes served in Samoa, Egypt and in France. When he returned to New Zealand, the country was about to be struck by the deadly influenza epidemic. Matthew Holmes was one of the hundreds of Wellingtonians who died of influenza in 'Black November' 1918.

A memorial dedicated to Matthew Holmes - the Lt Col Matthew Holmes Sundial - sits in Karori Cemetery.

Date of birth:  12 January 1874
Date of death:  18 April 1936

John Sidney Swan, a renowned architect, designed many of the most recognisable structures in Wellington. Erskine College in Island Bay and St Gerard's Church above Oriental Bay were both from his designs.

He began his career under the mentorship of architect Frederick de J. Clere before establishing his own firm with his brother.

John was also a founding shareholder in the Kelburne Tramway Company - the creators of Wellington's iconic cable car.

Date of birth:  18 April 1885
Date of death:  22 December 1926

Artist Mina (Hermina) Arndt was born in Arrowtown, and grew up in Dunedin and Wellington. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Germany and Poland, but Mina's father had died six weeks before her birth.

The family moved to London in 1907. Mina, who had studied art at Wellington Technical College, continued her studies in London, Berlin and Cornwall under well known European artists. By the time she returned to New Zealand in 1914, she had exhibited in London, Paris and Berlin.

In a 1915 exhibition in Wellington, Mina exhibited 93 European works including drawings, oils and etchings. After marrying Lionel Manoy in 1917, she moved to Motueka where she taught art and produced new works. Her son John was born in 1920.

Mina Arndt left a considerable body of work including drawings, oils and etchings. Only 41 when she died, her talent was not widely appreciated until two retrospective exhibitions were held in the early 1960s.