Catherine Smith Melville (née Lees) was born in Dunedin in 1869. The daughter of a prosperous businessman, she married accountant Andrew Gulland Melville in 1897. Catherine devoted much of her time to public causes and when war broke out in 1914 her commitment turned to patriotic activity. She was an energetic collector in the Roslyn area on behalf of funds for wounded soldiers and Belgian refugees. She was secretary for the Ladies’ Committee which organised a Queen Carnival fundraiser in 1915 and continued to work hard for patriotic causes through the war years. As thanks for her fundraising efforts in support of Belgium, Mrs Melville received the Médaille de la Reine Elisabeth (Queen Elisabeth Medal) from the Belgian government.
Family information
Parents: Andrew Lees and Annie Lees (née Campbell)
Born: 1869
Died: 4 September 1953, aged 84 years
Buried: Northern Cemetery, Andersons Bay, Dunedin, Block 26, Plot 12 (cremated)
Married: Andrew Gulland Melville, 1897
Children:
- Runa Lees Melville, b. 1898
Active in: Dunedin
Obituary/death notice:
MELVILLE – On September 4, 1953, at Dunedin, Catherine Smith, beloved wife of the late Andrew Gulland Melville, 29 Tweed Street, Roslyn – Private cremation. – Hope and Kinaston, funeral directors.
Otago Daily Times, 5 September 1953, p. 2
Selected sources
'Marriages', Otago Witness, 29 July 1897, p. 33
'Queen of the Allies', Otago Daily Times, 9 September 1915, p. 3
'Otago Patriotic Association', Otago Daily Times, 3 August 1917, p. 4
'The Otago Patriotic Fund', Otago Daily Times, 10 September 1917, p. 5
'Patriotic Bazaar', Otago Daily Times, 25 July 1918, p. 8
'Belgian Awards for Dunedin Women', Otago Daily Times, 5 January 1920, p. 6
Community contributions