Who was Christine Taylor?

The path that led to Christine Taylor’s part in the story of Richmond Fellowship was an indirect one.  Born in Wellington, the family moved north when her father Raymond Baker was appointed as Borough Engineer of Onehunga.  She was a pupil of Epsom Girls Grammar School from 1949, before going on to complete an Arts Degree at Auckland University.  She then entered administration with a position in the University Academic Registry as Faculty Secretary.

A break for ‘overseas experience’ in 1963 led to her marriage in England, before coming back to NZ when her husband Michael joined the Chemistry Department of Auckland University.

In 1968, Christine’s steps toward social work began through voluntary activity with the Red Cross, organising Meals on Wheels and adding a library service for the house-bound.  She also undertook a course in Social Studies. Completion of this certificate fortuitously coincided with a return visit to Britain and the opportunity to take part in a research project on the admission procedures to psychiatric hospitals, often a grim experience for the individual concerned.  A publication of the Nuffield Hospitals Trust aptly titled ‘From Person to Patient’ set out the findings in the clear prose which was her hallmark.

From 1970 to 1984, Christine worked full time in the mental health field; first as a research assistant at the School of Medicine of Auckland University, then in clinical practice as a social worker in adult psychiatry with Auckland Hospital. This experience was the genesis of a practical handbook ‘Returning to Mental Health’ [C.M. Taylor, 1981] on the needs of people learning to live with mental illness.

Christine was aware that The Richmond Fellowship in the United Kingdom provided an alternative to hospital-based care. She and her like-minded friend Peggy Ziesler, then perceived that the Richmond community focus and philosophy could be adapted to local needs in New Zealand.

This led to the first move, some twenty years ago with the establishment of residential houses in Auckland for those recovering from mental illness. A country-wide Richmond service then followed with Christine as National President during its formative years of 1987-1992.  Good structure, sound operational guidelines, and all the details necessary for consistent standards of practice had to be developed and put on a secure basis. Her background of administration coupled with clinical awareness made Christine Taylor the right person at the right time and place.

Christine Taylor’s voluntary commitments beyond Richmond included leading roles with the Federation of Graduate Women and the National Council of Women however she was not to be reckoned a feminist, believing and practising partnership in both her private and public life.

Christine was also an active Justice of the Peace and held the position of president of the Auckland JP Association. In 1992 she was awarded the O.B.E. in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, her work in community mental health was paramount in being awarded this honour.

Books, music and the theatre were a large part of Christine’s life. An avid reader, she also wrote fluently (although the subject was more often a public submission or an entreaty for funds than original literature which was her first love). She enjoyed singing and was once a member of the Auckland Dorian Choir. Later in life, she wrote songs herself. Thanks to her friends, most of these songs have now been set into parts for choral use.

Christine welcomed travel and loved the world’s great cities for their atmosphere as much as for their cultural wealth. If the visit could be combined with an international conference or a helping hand with a Richmond Fellowship Meeting so much the better. Christine’s deep commitment to learning, Christian ethics and the improvement of society were central to a life enjoyed to the full, until sadly cut short by cancer at the age of 67 in 2003.

Christine was totally devoted to the ideals of the Richmond Fellowship from its New Zealand outset. I believe that it is particularly fitting that her name should endure through the Christine Taylor Foundation for Mental Health that she was instrumental in establishing in 1995 under its original name of the Richmond Foundation, to help local organisations working in the mental health field.

by Michael Taylor, husband (2008)

Click here to view Christine Taylors Obituary in the New Zealand Herald