Hidden Queer Identities

Amy Maud Bock (18 May 1859 – 29 August 1943) was a notorious con artist operating in the South Island. Amy’s most notable fraud involved impersonating a man under the alias “Percy Redwood” and marrying the daughter of a wealthy Otago family in 1909. As the fictional Percy, a rich bachelor newly arrived in Port Molyneux, Bock organised an elaborate wedding to Agnes Ottaway and had a valid marriage certificate issued. She was caught by the authorities and arrested days after the wedding. Agnes claimed to have no idea that her husband was a woman.

Here is an audio recording from the RNZ Mobile Unit collection, where in 1948 a Mr. Johnson from Balclutha remembers the wedding of “Percy Redwood”.

Mary Ursula Bethell (6 October 1874 –15 January 1945) was a poet based in Christchurch. She had a significant relationship with her “consort”, Effie Pollen. They were together for over 30 years, until Effie’s death in 1934, and Bethell wrote most of her poetry during their relationship.

Her feelings for Effie were sometimes described, including by Bethell herself, as “maternal”, but at the time that was one of the ways intellectuals “explained” lesbianism. See this transcript of a lecture by Dr Alison Laurie for more information about their relationship and the coded language Bethell used to describe it.

Ngā Taonga holds this audio recording of analysis of Bethell’s poetry:

Freda Stark (27 March 1910 – 19 March 1999) was best known for her career as a dancer. In 1935, she was the key witness at two trials where Eric Mareo was convicted of the murder of his wife Thelma Mareo. Thelma was also Stark's lover. Stark met the young dancer Thelma Trott whilst working together in 1933 and the two women fell in love. During their love affair Trott married Eric Mareo, their conductor. It is suspected that this marriage was for Mareo’s financial gain.

The relationship came to a tragic end in 1935 when Trott was given a fatal overdose of the prescription drug Veronal in suspicious circumstances, leading to Mareo being charged with her murder. During the trial, Freda was under great scrutiny and outed as a lesbian in attempts to discredit her testimony.

The below item features Freda Stark in her later years, talking about her involvement in the Mareo trials. After her death in 1999, Freda was finally laid to rest with Thelma.

Following the trials, Freda continued to work as a dancer, famously wearing nothing but gold paint and a headdress in her shows. She married fellow dancer Harold Robinson in 1947. Harold would later come out as a gay man and the two remained lifelong friends. Stark and Robinson both feature in the 1946 short film Curves and Contrasts: The Camera Art of Robert Steele.

William Charles Farnell (1929 – 2022) had a spectacular career as a pianist and musician in the Auckland hospitality scene. He lived his life as a flamboyant gay man with a knack for theatrics, before and after Homosexual Law Reform.

Billie’s flashy and animated personality is captured in Diana Wong’s film The Sad Pianist…. or The Drab Musician (1972). This film is described in our catalogue as a burlesque, pantomime, costume dramedy where the main character was written specially for Farnell, who was a good friend of Wong. The Sad Pianist is an artist collaboration between the two, and it exemplifies the whimsy and queer joy found among private circles in an era where criminalisation and social stigma made such life-affirming friendships all the more vital.

A full biography of Farnell’s music career can be found here: Billie Farnell - Person | AudioCulture

For more context on the creation of The Sad Pianist, there is a great oral history with Diana Wong here: Diana Wong: A filmmaker's story

Peter Hudson and David Halls hosted the cooking show Hudson and Halls from 1976 to 1986. The two men give cooking instructions in a camp manner, filled with innuendo and drama. The pair were also a real-life couple. Their relationship as lovers seemed obvious from their body language and bickering banter. However, this was never confirmed nor denied during their time in the public eye.

This episode is a prime example of their public image.

This 2001 documentary explores their real-life relationship. https://www.nzonscreen.com/videos/hudson-and-halls-a-love-story-2001/

The below 2002 episode of Queer Nation unearths more hidden queer histories, in Wellington specifically. Including Katherine Mansfield, Frank Sargeson, and the Dorian Society.

Many more episodes of Queer Nation are available to watch on our website.