A GIFTED WOMAN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14898, 29 July 1910, Page 8

A GIFTED WOMAN.

DEATH OF MISS VIOLET BROOKEHUNT. (I'boji Our Own Corkkspondeni.) „„ , LONDON, June 17. live death occurred on Friday last at Atverstoke, of Miss Violet Brooke-Hunt, who was well-known for her labours iir connection with educative, social, and political movements; She was one of the most gifted women of the day, and heir death at the early age of 39 removes from London a well-known personality. Postessed ol many talents, she will lojig be rememoercd as a woman with a genius for organisation.

Tho .news of her death will bo received with deop regret by those journalists who attended last year's Imperial Press Conference. In the management of the women s side of tho conference Miss Brooke-Hunt's strong Imperial spirit found expression ; she threw herself heartily into fho business of ensuring tlhe success 'of tJie meeting, and at a reception given by the de.egates she was presented with an address and » diamond pandmit ill reocgniwon of lid' labours.

The eldest daughter of Mr C. BrookeHunt, of Bowdeu Hall, Gloucester, she was educated privately and 'at Cheltenham Her guiding principle wasi thorcugnnes;, and wiron at the age of 17 sho shared in. tho organisation of several boys , clubs in the neighbourhood of her home m Gloucestershire she showed surprising aptitude for management and a distract distaste for following blindly the lead, of Conors.

Duririg the late war in South Africa Miss Broke-Hunt went out as an organiser of soldiers' institutes,> a:id sire received a war modal, as well us the Oder of Lady of Urooe of St» John of Jerusalem, in acktrowledgnwit of her services. On returning to Kng'jand she inaugurated a scheme to provide a club for tho colonial troops who came to this country to take tart m tilie Coronation of the late King, and liho was one of the chief movers in t.he establishment of the Union Jack Club for soldictfs and sailors. _ Her interest in that institution never failed, and she remained ■a. member of the council till her death. She gave to the club a beautiful silver timepiece, which bears the following itiscrip* tionj-" This clock is presented to tJio Umci, Jack Club by Violet Brooke-Hunt m honoured memory of those 43C0 sons of Britain Beyond the Seas who laid down their lives for the Empire in South Africa 1899-1902."

liarly ui April, 1906, When it was decided to entertain Lord Mitner in recognition of liis great services to the Kmpire Miss Brooke-Hum; acted with the Earl of Donoughmore as a joint hoa. secretary' of the Dinner Committee, and was indefatigable in her endeavours to secure the success which attended the banquet under the presidency of Mr Chamberlain at tho Coc.il Hotel oji May 24 of that vear. It was, perhaps, in the foundation and organisation of the Women's Unionist and Tariff Reform Association that her greatest triumph was achieved For the past seven years she had been organising secretary of the Women's Unionist and Tariff Reform Association, a body of which she was one of the founders, and which now owes much of its efliciencv to her industry. She was not only a good organiser, but an. effective speaker, and during the last general election, although in indifferent health, she addressed gome 30 meetings in the Unionist interest. She exercised a potbnt- infhenco among the younger generation of politicians, and "the cause of Unionism and Imperialism had no more devoted supporter. Miss Brooke-Hunt po6sessod in a remarkable degree the power of inspiring with her own enthusiasm those with whom she worked.

Miss Brooke-Hunt, whose death was due to hoart trouble, published several books among them being "The Story of the Tower of London," A Woman's Memories of the War," " The Westminster Abbey," "The Story of Lord Robert's Campaigns," and "Golden String." Her interests were of the most varied order and the news of her death was received by a wide circle of friends with felinge of genuino sorrow