Freda du Faur
Encyclopedia
Emmeline Freda Du Faur was the first female mountaineer
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...

 to climb New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's tallest mountain, Aoraki / Mount Cook.

Early life

Du Faur was born in Croydon
Croydon, New South Wales
Croydon is an affluent suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Croydon is located 11 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. Croydon is split between the two local government areas of Burwood Council and the Municipality of Ashfield.The...

, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. She was the daughter of Frederick Eccleston Du Faur, a stock, station and land agent, and his second wife, Blanche Mary Elizabeth Woolley.

She was educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School for Girls. Du Faur probably developed her passion for mountaineering when she lived with her family near the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. As a young woman, she explored the area and taught herself to rock-climb. She did not finish nursing training due to the stress and demands of the work. Due to the interests of her parents, and an inheritance from an aunt, Emmeline Woolley, she had an independent income that enabled her to travel and climb.

Encountering Mount Cook

Freda Du Faur summered in New Zealand, but did not visit the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 until she journeyed there in late 1906. At the time, she saw photographs of Mount Cook at the New Zealand International Exhibition in Christchurch. This experience inspired her to travel to the Hermitage
Mount Cook Village
Mount Cook VillageUrban AreaPopulation:Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Mackenzie District CouncilPopulation:Mayor:Website:Extent:Regional councilName:Environment Canterbury...

 where she decided that she wanted to climb to the summits of the Southern Alps
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...

 of the South Island]. She visited the area twice. On her second visit in 1908, she investigated the mountains in more detail, and met the chief guide at the Hermitage, Peter Graham.

Graham introduced her to mountain climbing, and added existing experience of ropework, snow and ice climbing to her existing skills on rock. At a time when mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...

 itself was a rare pastime, Freda Du Faur's enthusiasm and perseverance enabled mountain guides to explore their own opportunities to make challenging ascents. She found the challenge of mountaineering a source of considerable enjoyment and freedom. Given strictures on Edwardian women, it may have also provided a welcome escape from many of her frustrations with family and society.

Mountaineering experiences (1906-1910)

Du Faur first ascended Mount Sealy within the Southern Alps
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...

 on 19 December 1909. At the Hermitage, she fell afoul of other women, who insisted she should not spend a night alone with a guide, not even Peter Graham. It is unknown whether Freda was aware of her attraction to other women at this point, and how she privately responded to these concerns about morality. Unfortunately for Du Faur, the designated chaperone proved to be an encumberance. Her well-learnt ropework expertise saved his life when he slipped.

Given the rigour of the alpine environment, Freda dressed practically. She wore a skirt to just below the knee over knickerbockers and long puttees while she climbed. Du Faur wore it on all her subsequent mountaineering expeditions. She contradicted gender expectations after some of her major climbs. Her femininity disconcerted male critics and upset stereotypes about female athletes. She was a practical woman, however, and felt sunburn, dirt and discomfort were minimal discomforts when it came to the excitement of climbing.

Freda Du Faur proved to be a trendsetter in her chosen vocation, not only for similarly motivated women, but for other guided climbers of the Edwardian era. She was celebrated for her rock-climbing expertise, perseverance, and athleticism. Muriel Cadogan trained her for three months at the Dupain Institute of Physical Education in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, before she travelled to New Zealand in November 1910.

Mount Cook: December 1910

Du Faur's rigorous preparation for the coming onslaught enabled her to climb Mount Cook soon after her arrival in New Zealand. On 3 December 1910, Peter and Alexander (Alec) Graham accompanied her to the summit. Her expedition was the first female ascent of the mountain, as well as the fastest to that date. She shared her tent with the guides. After this expedition, chaperonage, dress, and convention proved to be irrelevant to her enjoyment of mountainerring. She wrote:

'I was the first unmarried woman to climb in New Zealand, and in consequence I received all the hard knocks until one day when I awoke more or less famous in the mountaineering world, after which I could and did do exactly as seemed to me best.'

Over four climbing seasons she made many first ascents and notable climbs. Her feats included the second ascent of Mount Tasman
Mount Tasman
Mount Tasman is New Zealand's second highest mountain, rising to a height of 3497 metres. It is located in the Southern Alps of the South Island, four kilometres to the north of its larger neighbour, Aoraki/Mount Cook...

, the first ascent of Mount Dampier
Mount Dampier
Mount Dampier is New Zealand's third highest mountain, rising to 3,440 m . It is located in the Southern Alps, between Mount Hicks and Aoraki/Mount Cook. It is often traversed by climbers on route to the North ridge of Mount Cook....

 and the first traverse of Mount Sefton as well as other 3000 m peaks. She made the first Grand Traverse of all three peaks of Mount Cook on 3 January 1913 with Peter Graham and David (Darby) Thomson.

Life After mountaineering (1913-1935)

Du Faur and Muriel Cadogan moved to England after this and planned to climb in the Alps, Canada and the Himalaya. WWI prevented their climbing in Europe but gave them a chance to work in London where her book The Conquest of Mount Cook was published in 1915. It proved important for its record of her mountaineering feats.

Du Faur moved from London to Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...

, living in the suburb of Boscombe
Boscombe
Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth. Located to the east of Bournemouth town centre and west of Southbourne, It developed rapidly from a small village as a seaside resort alongside Bournemouth after the first Boscombe pier was built in 1888...

. Freda and Muriel had their own property at 28 Sea Road, Boscombe from the autumn of 1922, and were living there until 1925, but let the property out from 1926-1928. They were back at Sea Road in 1929, and following Muriel's death Du Faur lived there alone in 1931. In 1932 and 1933 Du Faur lived at Sea Road with Hannah Dickens, who remained in the flat on her own from 1934 onwards, although she appears to have been an occasional visitor up until 1935.

After Cadogan experienced something akin to a mental breakdown, Du Faur took her to a facility and admitted them both. However the two were separated and after Freda left, Muriel continued treatment, until her family came to take her back to Australia. Cadogan died in June 1929, on the voyage home. Freda Du Faur returned to Australia to live at Dee Why, Sydney, and took up bush walking. Freda suffering from depression at the loss of her beloved friend and her inability to get answers as to why she died, killed herself on 11 September 1935. She poisoned herself with carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...

 and was privately buried in the Church of England cemetery at Manly
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...

.

Although she did not live in New Zealand, Du Faur was the leading amateur climber of her day. She also has enduring significance as the first active female high mountaineer in New Zealand. Today, in the main divide of the Southern Alps, Du Faur, Pibrac and Cadogan Peaks are named in memory of this pioneering mountaineer, the Du Faur family house and her devoted lover.

Du Faur's unmarked grave in the Manly cemetery was finally recognised during a ceremony on 3 December 2006 when a group of New Zealanders placed a memorial stone, of NZ greywacke, and plaque, recognising her alpine achievements.

External links

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