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Isabel Charles
Biography
BiographyThis node was initially set up using an obituary in the September 26, 2001 'Leader'; Recollect also has five audio tapes from 2000.
Isabel May Conquest was a trainee telephone exchange supervisor, London when she met Fred Charles; they married in 1941 and she became a policewoman.
The couple bought an historic house and turned it into a restaurant. It was described in the September 14, 1966 'Leader' after an underground passage was discovered. They later owned a 30-bedroom Savoy Hotel on the Kent coast.
They came to New Zealand in 1956; Fred had trained as a gas engineer after being injured during army training, and had been offered a job with the Gas Association of New Zealand as a chartered fuel technologist. He served on the Hutt Valley Energy Board, and founded the Wellington No. 3 and Lower Hutt No. 11 Round Tables. He failed to get re-elected to the Energy Board in 1986.
On August 8, 1989, the 'Leader' reported that Fred had resigned from the Labour Party after 32 years and being awarded an honorary life membership and gold badge, and joined New Labour, which later became part of the Alliance Party.
At some stage Isabel switched from Labour to the Alliance party. She had been president of Labour's Heretaunga electorate committee in 1975.
They initially lived in Wellington; settled in Pinehaven.
Isabel came second to the deputy chairman of the Hutt County Council in the May 1974 election to the newly-formed Heretaunga-Pinehaven County Borough Council, and served on the Heretaunga-Pinehaven District Community Council for 15 years, and as president in 1981 attacked Upper Hutt deputy mayor Doug Ormrod for advocating the merger of the district and Upper Hutt (Leader', April 14).
She had been a J P since 1966, and the Upper Hutt Court Registrar had asked her in 1976 if she would consider becoming a celebrant; she accepted some months later, and had conducted her first wedding in January 1978, and her thousandth in September 1995.
She was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for public service in the 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours.
The November 8, 1988 'Leader' reported that Fred's son had persuaded him to buy a video camera, and he had produced about 370 videos of weddings and other occasions (his wife was a marriage celebrant), but he was having problems with arthritis.
Osteo-arthritis and trouble with her spine eventually made it difficult for Isabel to stand comfortably for very long and at age 79 she decided to give up her role as marriage celebrant in November 1999; she had conducted 1200 weddings. She became New Zealand's first recipient of a "family values award" from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the following week.
In July 1989 she was honoured with life membership of the Upper Valley Family Refuge Centre at a special ceremony to mark the tenth anniversary of its founding. ('Leader', August 1)
Fred died in April 1996.
Organisations in which Isabel was involved were listed in the obituary; in addition to those mentioned above, there were:-
Plunket;
school committees;
parent-teacher associations and boards;
Pinehaven Progressive Association;
60s Up;
BPW; the NZ Federation of Business and Professional Women;
Save the Children Fund.
The funeral was held at the Wesley Centre; she had been a member of the Upper Hutt Uniting Parish
founder member and vice-president, Citizens' Advice Bureau; Upper Valley Health Care Association.
The June 26, 1979 'Leader' reported the award of a Queen's Service Medal and listed interests up to that point;
Plunket, kindergarten ands school committees;
chairman and vice-president, New Zealand-American Association;
executive, Pan Pacific South-East Asian Women's Association;
executive member, Pinehaven Progressive Association;
only woman, Heretaunga-Pinehaven District Community Council;
founder member and vice-president, Citizens' Advice Bureau;
member, Upper Hutt Children's Board;
first Upper Hutt marriage celebrant;
founder and secretary, Silverhaven Club for the elderly;
deputy chairman, Upper Valley Health Care Association;
chairman, steering committee, to form Upper Valley Family in Distress refuge centre, then president of he management committee.
Isabel May Conquest was a trainee telephone exchange supervisor, London when she met Fred Charles; they married in 1941 and she became a policewoman.
The couple bought an historic house and turned it into a restaurant. It was described in the September 14, 1966 'Leader' after an underground passage was discovered. They later owned a 30-bedroom Savoy Hotel on the Kent coast.
They came to New Zealand in 1956; Fred had trained as a gas engineer after being injured during army training, and had been offered a job with the Gas Association of New Zealand as a chartered fuel technologist. He served on the Hutt Valley Energy Board, and founded the Wellington No. 3 and Lower Hutt No. 11 Round Tables. He failed to get re-elected to the Energy Board in 1986.
On August 8, 1989, the 'Leader' reported that Fred had resigned from the Labour Party after 32 years and being awarded an honorary life membership and gold badge, and joined New Labour, which later became part of the Alliance Party.
At some stage Isabel switched from Labour to the Alliance party. She had been president of Labour's Heretaunga electorate committee in 1975.
They initially lived in Wellington; settled in Pinehaven.
Isabel came second to the deputy chairman of the Hutt County Council in the May 1974 election to the newly-formed Heretaunga-Pinehaven County Borough Council, and served on the Heretaunga-Pinehaven District Community Council for 15 years, and as president in 1981 attacked Upper Hutt deputy mayor Doug Ormrod for advocating the merger of the district and Upper Hutt (Leader', April 14).
She had been a J P since 1966, and the Upper Hutt Court Registrar had asked her in 1976 if she would consider becoming a celebrant; she accepted some months later, and had conducted her first wedding in January 1978, and her thousandth in September 1995.
She was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for public service in the 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours.
The November 8, 1988 'Leader' reported that Fred's son had persuaded him to buy a video camera, and he had produced about 370 videos of weddings and other occasions (his wife was a marriage celebrant), but he was having problems with arthritis.
Osteo-arthritis and trouble with her spine eventually made it difficult for Isabel to stand comfortably for very long and at age 79 she decided to give up her role as marriage celebrant in November 1999; she had conducted 1200 weddings. She became New Zealand's first recipient of a "family values award" from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the following week.
In July 1989 she was honoured with life membership of the Upper Valley Family Refuge Centre at a special ceremony to mark the tenth anniversary of its founding. ('Leader', August 1)
Fred died in April 1996.
Organisations in which Isabel was involved were listed in the obituary; in addition to those mentioned above, there were:-
Plunket;
school committees;
parent-teacher associations and boards;
Pinehaven Progressive Association;
60s Up;
BPW; the NZ Federation of Business and Professional Women;
Save the Children Fund.
The funeral was held at the Wesley Centre; she had been a member of the Upper Hutt Uniting Parish
founder member and vice-president, Citizens' Advice Bureau; Upper Valley Health Care Association.
The June 26, 1979 'Leader' reported the award of a Queen's Service Medal and listed interests up to that point;
Plunket, kindergarten ands school committees;
chairman and vice-president, New Zealand-American Association;
executive, Pan Pacific South-East Asian Women's Association;
executive member, Pinehaven Progressive Association;
only woman, Heretaunga-Pinehaven District Community Council;
founder member and vice-president, Citizens' Advice Bureau;
member, Upper Hutt Children's Board;
first Upper Hutt marriage celebrant;
founder and secretary, Silverhaven Club for the elderly;
deputy chairman, Upper Valley Health Care Association;
chairman, steering committee, to form Upper Valley Family in Distress refuge centre, then president of he management committee.
Photos
Audio
Oral History
Details
Date of Death17th September 2001Place of DeathTe Omanga HospicePlace of ResidenceBlue Mountains Road (1972)SexFemale
Place of DeathTe Omanga HospicePlace of ResidenceBlue Mountains Road (1972)SexFemaleMarriage
HusbandFrederick Henry CharlesDate1941LocationLondon
Date1941LocationLondonFamily
ChildColin, 1944Antony (pre-1956)Ian, 1962
Antony (pre-1956)Ian, 1962Isabel Charles (1941). Upper Hutt City Library, accessed 19/03/2026, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/25213