Shona McFarlane. Dunedin, Portrait of a City. Christchurch: Whitcombe & Tombs, 1970.
Shona McFarlane (1929-2001) was an artist, journalist, broadcaster and cultural activist. Born in Gore, she attended Otago Girls’ High School from 1942-46, and studied teaching at Dunedin Teachers’ College.
McFarlane initially worked as an art teacher before switching to journalism at the Evening Star, where she was women’s editor from 1960-74. She considered herself first and foremost an artist, creating more than 600 drawings and sketches of Dunedin buildings. She was involved in heritage conservation campaigns to save Olveston, the Regent Theatre, and the Dunedin North post office.
From 1976, she became a recognised public figure as a forthright and vivacious panellist on the daytime show Beauty and the Beast. She was awarded the MBE in 1973 and the CBE in 1993. McFarlane also wrote several books on a range of topics, a selection of which are displayed here.
Shona McFarlane. Dunedin, Portrait of a City. Christchurch: Whitcombe & Tombs, 1970.
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