Flora Macdonald WILSON (1905 – 1988)

Biography

Missionary for the Presbyterian Church
Deaconess at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church
Taught at Napier Girls’ High School
Lived in China for many years

From Presbyterian Church archives – ([ww]w.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/Page210.htm)

WILSON,  Sr  Flora  McDonald   B.A., M.A.(Hons)
b  Petone 3.11.1905.
Educated at Petone District High School, Wellington Girls’ College, Victoria & Canterbury Universities, and the Wellington Teachers’ Training College.
Matriculated in 1922 and was Dux of Wellington Girls’ College.
She took her M.A. degree with 2nd Class Honours and her “B” Teachers’ Certificate, becoming a Secondary School Teacher, her speciality being mathematics.
Took a shortened course at the PWTI. Presbyterian Women’s Training Institute (PWTI) Dunedin  1935-37
Accepted for Mission service in the Canton Villages Mission (CVM) as an Evangelistic Worker qualified to teach 1936 Ordained Missionary for CVM 1937,  arrived  China  1.1.1938
Language study on Cheung Chau Island (with Sr Annie Lilburne) 1938 Later stationed at the Kong Cheun Mission Compound near Canton.
Interned in Internment Camp, Honam Island, Canton  25.2.1943
Arrived NZ 23.12.1945 after release from Internment Camp.
Departed NZ for South China Mission 14.2.1947, arrived China 3.5.1947
Taught at the Tak  Kei  Girls’ Boarding School & Junior Middle School,  Kong Chuen  1949 – took  place of  Miss  Yansen  who retired. After the removal of English from the curriculum, she taught arithmetic and handwork.
Extra curricular activities included a few English classes, helping with the Sunday School, morning prayers, and the “Spreading the Light” club.
Lead one of the weekly Bible Classes for nursing students and was on the rota for preaching at the Hospital’s Sunday evening services.
She was one of the few foreigners to master the abacus and used it to teach Primary School children.
Arrived Hong Kong 12.4.1951 after all Missionaries were required to leave Communist China.
Arrived back in NZ 27.4.1951 Obtained a temporary appointment to a Chinese School at Suva Fiji 1.9.1951 – returned to NZ at end of 1951.
Returned to NZ to care for her elderly parents in 1952 and resigned from Missions service effective 30.4.1953 – accepted with regret.
Congregational  Deaconess St Pauls Napier (part-time) 1952 – resigned 10.11.1960
Appointed to Hong  Kong for short term 15.8.1963 Teacher at the new Hoh Fuk Tong College, New Territories, Hong Kong 1964 – retired  1971
Arrived Auckland NZ 20.9.1971 Off Missions staff 31.3.1972
Secretary of the National Busy Bee Committee late 1970’s and taught in the “Bible in Schools” programme.
After her return from Hong Kong she assisted with classes at the newly established Hawke’s Bay Polytechnic, using her expert knowledge of the Chinese language and its dialects to assist young Chinese students.
She also spent a considerable amount of time helping new arrivals and their families from a number of Asian countries, to adjust to their new environment.
In her eighties she found that because of some memory loss that she needed to go into care.
Died  4.11.1988  Woburn  Home  Lower  Hutt.