Daphne Purves

Who was Daphne Purves?

Dame Daphne Helen Purves, DBE was New Zealand's oldest Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the time of her death. Her main area of expertise was education. She saw this as the key to better conditions for women worldwide; and the passion of her life had been the International Federation of University Women of which she was president for three years from 1977. She is fondly remembered by her former students of Waitaki Girls' High School, Otago Girls High School, Otago Boys High School and Dunedin Teachers' College.