20 May 2020
Alice Hosking was important figure in Masterton; she was a founding lady of the Ranfurly Club which opened in 1899. This venue was a place where women could come to have lunch, afternoon tea, meet friends or interview servants. Alice had been to London where similar ladies’ clubs were popular.
Alice was also a popular amateur artist and her botanical sketchbooks are quite a treasure. Her Arts and Crafts style carvings are well-known and are still owned and enjoyed by her descendants.
The botanical paintings of native plants found in the Tararua bush, as well as garden plants, despite being more than a century old, are still fresh and bright.
