‘One of the forces of nature’ Christine Cole Catley

We knew her as a publisher, but there was much more to the redoubtable Christine Cole Catley – 88 years of achievement in a variety of word–related ways.

While those achievements of Chris Cole Catley could provoke awe, the same was not true of the person. Friendly, brisk, outgoing, with a real enthusiasm for life, she was charming and treated everyone as her equal.

Local politicians, industry leaders, teachers, journalists, literary figures, authors at the beginning of their careers all felt the force of her personality. Politicians and business people they came under her spell and contributed to her work with the Frank Sargeson Trust and Michael King Writers Centre.

Authors though were helped, mentored and occasionally received some tough love treatment.

Christine Bull grew up on a farm in Hunterville with all the freedom and challenges kids of the era faced; she roamed the property on her horse and rode it to school. She recalled this in a biographical excerpt included in Way Back Then, When We Were Ten, New Zealand Writers on Childhood edited by Graeme Lay.

She won a scholarship to Canterbury University, but became pregnant in her MA year. Being Chris, she was an openly solo mother in 1945. Her friendship with Rita Angus saw her with baby Sarah the subject of a Mother and Child painting; in 2008 Chris was an honoured guest when the artwork was part of a Rita Angus retrospective at Te Papa.

She had started her career in journalism at school, writing part time for the Taranaki Daily News, and again as a student at Canterbury for The Press.

A year after Sarah’s birth, she was in Wellington, writing for the Southern Cross, and also the Listener.

She broadcast commentaries on New Zealand life for Radio New Zealand from 1948, and became the ABC’s correspondent here. In 1956 she went to Indonesia, when the area was politically volatile, as correspondent for the ABC.

Chris was one of our first television reviewers. Paul Easton recalled in the DominionPost this week “...she was the first TV critic for The Dominion, writing as Sam Cree. She also wrote for The Dominion's sister paper, The Sunday Times as Hillary Court…

At times Sam Cree and Hillary Court would clash in print – "naughty but great fun", as she put it.”

Along the way, Chris founded the Parents Centre with Helen Brew, making people aware of emotional aspects of childbirth and the importance of mother and child bonding.

Other notable contributions: becoming the tutor in charge of the first polytechnic journalism course in Wellington; being appointed to the Broadcasting Council – only to be removed later by Rob Muldoon after they crossed swords!

As an advertising copywriter, Chris coined the term “kiwi berry”, later to become kiwi fruit.

Her first job in publishing was as a freelance editor for AH and AW Reed, at that time based in Wellington.

Setting up Cape Catley came with a move to the Marlborough Sounds in 1973. She also ran writing workshops. Heather Heberley and Jeanette Aplin both put their writing careers down to her guidance.

As does Graeme Lay, whose first novel The Mentor Cape Catley published.

“When she accepted the novel, I thought that was wonderful, but then began the process of editing, chapter by chapter. It was all by mail in those days. Some of her comments I thought harsh – she’d make notes like ‘terrible cliché’, but I became a much better writer because of the long laborious editing process, even though my first reaction was “Oh shit, I thought it was perfect!”

The whole correspondence has been kept by Graeme as a record of how the editing process works and the value skilled editors like Chris bring to a book.

Graeme also revealed that when Frank Sargeson died he left his estate to Chris, urging her to sell his house and use the money for a cruise.

Instead Chris launched the Frank Sargeson Trust and ensured his cottage remained as a tribute to his literary contribution. Setting up a fund to support young writers was another vital part of the trust and “Chris proved adept at slipping into corporate functions and Government House and getting financial contributions from captains of industry to support impecunious short story writers,” said Graeme. She was still active as its chair until last month.

Success in that area meant that Chris was an integral part of setting up the Michael King Writer’s Centre, convincing local body politicians to donate the villa at Devonport and ensure its maintenance.

While many are happy to slow down in their eighties, Chris continued full bore, finishing Bright Star, her outstanding biography of astronomer Beatrice Tinsley in 2003.

However, she was grateful that Martin and Jenny Cole returned to New Zealand to become involved with running Cape Catley three years ago.

Chris was awarded a CLL Writer’s Award in 2010, enabling her to work on the first volume of her autobiography, scheduled for publication next year.

When she received her lung cancer diagnosis in late June, she worked to complete the manuscript – ‘meeting her last deadline.’

Speaking Frankly, a collection of the annual memorial lectures given at the University of Waikato 2003 – 2010 which includes one by Chris, will be released by Cape Catley next month.

Married to John Reece Cole and later partner of Doug Catley who died in 1981, Chris leaves three children, Sarah Beck, Nicola Scott, Martin Cole and six grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held at Maclaurin Chapel, 18 Princes Street, Auckland, Saturday 27 August at 2.30pm.

Sharing a room with Chris on book tours, Heather Heberley recalls “She used to laugh in her sleep.” It is a comfort to think that continues.

Written by Jillian Ewart