Supporter of disabled
Lady Patricia Mary Caughey, philanthropist: b Auckland, September 8, 1917; m Harcourt Caughey (dec), 1s, 2d; d Auckland, December 19, 2011, aged 94.
LADY Mary Caughey was instrumental in establishing the Laura Fergusson Trust, an organisation that has helped tens of thousands of disabled New Zealanders and which she guided and inspired for nearly 50 years.
Her involvement in what has become a nationwide service began in 1965, when she and Lady Laura Fergusson, the wife of thenGovernor General, Sir Bernard, and a group of friends and family members conceived a plan to assist physically disabled young men and women whose residential options were at the time limited to finding accommodation in hospitals for the elderly.
Lady Caughey and Lady Fergusson, with the help of others, set up a facility to provide accommodation for young disabled people. A charitable trust was formed, soon followed by the purchase of a site suitable for a new residential facility in Auckland’s Great South Rd.
The development of the premises was a huge task. It involved all the components of a major health sector development project but was carried out as a charitable venture without government assistance or a central funding source. As Lady Caughey put it: ‘‘It was, all in all, something of a miracle.’’
The founding group assisted with the development of sister organisations in Wellington and Christchurch. Fundraising was entrusted to the newly formed Laura Fergusson Women’s Committee. Its first event raised £516. In the 47 years since, the group has raised more than $4 million.
Lady Caughey was born in Auckland on September 8, 1917, the daughter of George and Mabel Finlay. She spent part of her childhood in Te Kuiti, where her father was a solicitor, before the family relocated so she could attend Hill Top Primary School and then Nga Tawa School in Marton.
In 1939, Lady Caughey married Harcourt Caughey, later Sir Harcourt, who headed the Auckland department store Smith and Caughey for many years. During the war, Lady Caughey worked with Red Cross Transport.
Chris O’brien, non-executive chairman of Laura Fergusson Auckland, said Lady Caughey had ‘‘charm and grace, combined with a lively sense of humour’’. He said a fundamental interest in people and current affairs were her hallmarks.
She was a ‘‘constant source of inspiration to the trust’’, which now provides a wide range of inpatient, outpatient and community-based rehabilitation services, including an extensive stroke rehabilitation service.
Lady Caughey was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for services to the community in 1993.