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Lesley Pearse’s Kiwi mission

Author Lesley Pearse is on the hunt for unsung homegrown heroines.
Lesley Pearse

Celebrated author Lesley Pearse has spent most of her adult life writing about fictional women who have overcome difficult or troubled circumstances. But it’s the real-life stories of bravery she hears at her annual Women of Courage Awards that always move her to tears.

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The awards, which were launched in the UK in 2006, recognise the everyday heroines among us who often go unnoticed. “There are a lot of awards for those who have struggled with illness, but I didn’t want it to be just about that,” Lesley (70) explains, speaking from her home in Bath. “I wanted to reward women who had got themselves out of a situation by sheer determination.”

As a young girl, Lesley was always fascinated by strong individuals and found herself researching real-life icons such as nurse Florence Nightingale. “I was hooked from an early age – I always like a good story where someone overcame the odds,” she explains.

The Women of Courage Awards honour brave Kiwi women, such as inaugural winner Kelley Martin.

Lesley herself is no stranger to adversity. Losing her mother when she was three, with her father in the Royal Marines, she and her older brother were sent to separate orphanages. Her teenage years were erratic, leading to a short-lived marriage and a stint as a “bunny” at the Playboy Club.

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It was always her dream to become a novelist, but it took six years of juggling full-time work with raising three children, before she was able to publish her debut novel, Georgia. Lesley’s publishers brought the awards to New Zealand in 2010, to recognise Kiwi women who’ve triumphed in the face of adversity. Lesley fondly recalls choosing inaugural winner Kelley Martin, and having the chance to meet 2011 winner AJ MacDonald, a woman in her twenties with macular edema, a condition that left her with no sight in one eye and the other rapidly deteriorating. Despite this, she completed a diploma in social work, which she used to help disadvantaged youths.

“She was so joyful about everything,” Lesley recalls. “She came to the UK and was sitting in my kitchen, bonding with my dog, and she said, ‘That’s one of the good things about being blind – you get to have a dog,’ before adding, ‘I love that I can just listen – sometimes it’s good that I can’t see anything.’ I thought, ‘What an amazing thing to say.’ I found it so moving that she could turn her condition into a positive.”

It’s just one example among the thousands of women whom Lesley has read about. And although every nominee has protested there’s nothing special about her, the writer is encouraging more to come forward. “It’s important to be acknowledged and inspire other people,” Lesley tells. “I think people like to read that kind of thing. It makes us all feel uplifted.”

New Zealand Woman’s Weekly is proud to present the Lesley Pearse Women of Courage Awards.

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