By Roselyn Fauth
https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/first-woman-to-get-a-massey-degree-dies/
Have you ever imagined being the only woman in a university lecture theatre? I think about that sometimes. What would it feel like to sit down in a room full of men, knowing everyone was watching to see if you belonged there? In 1941, Paddy Bassett did exactly that. She was a Timaru schoolgirl who had with big ambitions, and became the first woman to graduate from Massey Agricultural College, and her story started not in a bustling city, but in the quiet coastal valley of Menzies Bay, Banks Peninsula.
Paddy’s early years were spent on the family farm, where her father, a farmer who later became an Anglican clergyman, and her mother raised her with the rhythms of rural life. Like many children in remote places, her first lessons came from a governess before she went to Okains Bay Primary School. Later, she boarded at Craighead Diocesan School in Timaru. I can picture her there, sitting in classrooms that are still in use today. She was bright and gifted in languages, especially Latin and French, but science wasn’t taught at all...
After school, Paddy enrolled in science at Canterbury College in Christchurch because she wanted to become a vet. But in the 1930s, veterinary training was only offered in Sydney. For a young woman of that era, that was simply out of reach. Instead, she turned to agriculture, only to find herself rejected by Lincoln Agricultural College because they didn’t admit women.
I wonder how many young women would have given up at that point. But Paddy didn’t. She enrolled at Massey Agricultural College instead and walked into lecture halls where there were no other women. During this time, she decided to start calling herself "Paddy" rather than Elsie, and by 1941 she graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, becoming Massey’s first female graduate (Massey University).
After a short spell working for the Department of Agriculture, she returned to study. Together with another student, Daintry Walker, she persuaded Lincoln College’s Campbell McMeekan to let them enrol. They became the first two women accepted there. Her master’s thesis focused on the link between cattle pituitary glands and ovarian dysfunction (Research@Lincoln, 1943) and laid the foundation for her later work on reproduction in sheep.
Her research was so highly regarded that she earned a place at the University of Cambridge, where she spent two years studying ewe pregnancy and birth. I think about that leap—from a childhood in rural Banks Peninsula to one of the world’s great universities. It must have been extraordinary. Her PhD, completed in 1957, remains a cornerstone in agricultural science (British Library EThOS).
Back in New Zealand, Paddy worked at the University of Otago’s Dunedin Medical School in endocrinology, lecturing medical students and continuing her research. Later, she moved to Nelson, collaborating with Wellington’s School of Medicine. Even in her eighties she was still publishing research papers. She officially retired in her nineties after more than 20 publications (Royal Society TeApārangi).
Paddy passed away in July 2019, just five days after celebrating her 101st birthdayjust . She lived through immense social change and saw barriers crumble that she herself had helped to dismantle.
Paddy’s journey is full of moments that make me pause. What if Lincoln had admitted her in the first place? How different would her path have been? Her determination reminds me how recent many educational opportunities for women really are. I keep thinking of the students walking through Craighead today. Do they know one of New Zealand’s pioneering scientists once sat in those same classrooms without any science lessons on offer?
This is also a story that fits beautifully into Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories and Science learning. It invites us to ask questions:
What challenges did women face in education and science then, and what challenges remain today?
How has agricultural research shaped farming in South Canterbury and across the country?
If Paddy were starting her studies now, what would be different for her?
Paddy Bassett’s life is proof that determination can take you from a small rural school to the heart of international science. She opened doors for women in agriculture and beyond. Her story is grounded in our region’s history yet still resonates now, especially as we encourage students into STEM careers and reflect on how far we have come in terms of equity in education.
What I learned from Paddy is simple: sometimes it only takes one person saying "yes" where others said "no" to change the course of a life—and a field of science. Her story is a reminder to keep asking questions, to keep learning, and to remember that even global achievements can have roots in small, local places like Timaru.
Timeline
1918 15 July: Born Elsie Gertrude Thorpe in Menzies Bay, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Parents: Francis Thorpe (farmer, later Anglican clergyman) and Constance “Connie” Menzies.
1920s–1930s Taught by a governess on the family farm. Attended Okains Bay Primary School. Boarded at Craighead Diocesan School, Timaru, excelling in Latin and French but offered no science subjects.
1936–1941 Enrolled in science at Canterbury College (Christchurch) intending to become a vet. Veterinary study was only available in Sydney, so she switched to agriculture. Applied to Lincoln Agricultural College but was rejected because women were not admitted. Enrolled at Massey Agricultural College and became its first female student. Began using the name "Paddy" instead of Elsie.
1941 Graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, becoming Massey’s first female graduate.
1943 Married Colin Holman Bassett on 5 October at Holy Trinity Church, Avonside, Christchurch. Began work as an assistant research officer for the Department of Agriculture. Alongside Daintry Walker, persuaded Lincoln to admit them as the first two female students. Completed Master’s thesis: Pituitaries of New Zealand cattle (Research@Lincoln).
1950s Conducted research at Ruakura Animal Research Station, Hamilton.
1954: Travelled to England for PhD study at the University of Cambridge.
1957: Completed PhD: Observations on the Anatomy of the Ewe: With Special Reference to Pregnancy and Parturition (British Library EThOS).
1960s–1970s Returned to New Zealand; joined University of Otago’s Dunedin Medical School in the Endocrinology Unit. Lectured medical students and continued research into reproductive biology.
1980s Moved to Nelson; became an honorary research fellow with the Nelson Hospital Board. Collaborated with Wellington School of Medicine on connective tissue research.
1990s–2000s Continued publishing research well into her eighties. Appointed as an honorary staff member in pathology at Wellington’s School of Medicine. Authored more than 20 scientific papers.
Recognition
2002: Awarded Massey University Anniversary Medal.
2017: Featured in the Royal Society TeApārangi’s "150 Women in 150 Words".
July 2018: Celebrated her 100th birthday.
2019
20 July: Died aged 101, just five days after her birthday (Massey University).
"In her eulogy, her niece Bridget Williams affectionately summarised her as “unstoppable”, recalling, “she took life in all weathers in her stride – wild rain and strong winds, cheerful sunny days and tranquil ones”.
In addition to her scientific interests, she had a great love of music, family concerts often enlivening camping trips. One family photo depicts Dr Bassett, her brother David and his son Michael playing as a violin trio on the shores of a southern lake. She remained physically, as well as intellectually active, taking “great delight in striding up nearby mountains late into her life”.
Dr Bassett forged a lasting legacy as a pioneering figure for women in science." - https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/first-woman-to-get-a-massey-degree-dies/
References
"Paddy Bassett", Massey University https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/first-woman-to-get-a-massey-degree-dies/
"150 Women in 150 Words: Paddy Bassett", Royal Society TeApārangi https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/150th-anniversary/150-women-in-150-words/
Bassett, E.G. (1943). Pituitaries of New Zealand cattle (Master’s thesis). Research@Lincoln https://hdl.handle.net/10182/14296
"Paddy Bassett", Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Bassett