Henderson, Stella (1871–1962)
Henderson, Stella (1871–1962)
New Zealand-born Australian journalist and feminist. Name variations: Stella May Allan; Vesta. Born Stella May Henderson, Oct 25, 1871, at Kaiapoi, South Island, New Zealand; died Mar 1, 1962, in Melbourne, Australia; dau. of Alice (Connolly) Henderson and Daniel Henderson (clerk); sister of Elizabeth McCombs; Canterbury University College, BA, 1892, MA, 1893, LLB, 1896; m. Edwin Frank Allan (leader-writer for the Wellington Evening Post), 1900 (died 1922); children: 4 daughters.
Despite laws prohibiting women from practicing law in New Zealand, entered law school (1893); completed degree (1896), when the New Zealand legislature relaxed the ban; became Wellington parliamentary correspondent and political writer for Lyttelton Times (1898); moved to Melbourne with husband, where she worked as a freelance journalist, authoring a column, "Women to Women," under name Vesta for the Argus; wrote about women's issues, such as child care and "domestic feminism"; was a founding member of National Council of Women of New Zealand (1896), and of Australian National Council of Women; appointed substitute Australian delegate to assembly of League of Nations in Geneva (1924).
See also Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (Vol. 2).