Ida Gaskin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ida Margaret Jacobs (1919-12-09)9 December 1919 Pontardawe,Glamorgan, Wales |
| Died | 8 January 2016(2016-01-08) (aged 96) New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Schoolteacher |
| Known for | Winner of New ZealandMastermind(1983) |
Ida Margaret GaskinCNZM (néeJacobs, 9 December 1919 – 8 January 2016) was a Welsh-born New Zealand schoolteacher and politician, known for her expert knowledge ofShakespeare, and for becoming the first woman in New Zealand to win the local version ofMastermind.
Gaskin was born inPontardawe, a steel mill town inGlamorgan, Wales in 1919, the daughter of Edward Jacobs and Edith Jacobs (née Skinner),[1] and grew up there during theGreat Depression.[2] For much of her childhood her father, a steel worker, was unemployed. She won a scholarship to theUniversity of London, graduating with an honours degree in English, and trained as a teacher at theInstitute of Education. Emigrating to New Zealand on theRMSRangitata in 1946, she met and married Victor Gaskin inHavelock North, and they moved toNew Plymouth in 1961. The couple had five children, but separated in 1977 and later divorced.[2]
Gaskin taught at schools in London duringWorld War II. In New Zealand, she taught English atNew Plymouth Girls' High School, as well as a Shakespeare module atNew Plymouth Boys' High School, where her pupils includedAndrew Little.[3] She served as national junior vice president of thePost Primary Teachers' Association in 1976, national president in 1977 and senior vice president in 1978.[1]
In 1983, Gaskin competed on and won the New Zealand version of the television quiz showMastermind, with the specialist subject of the works of Shakespeare. She was the first woman to winMastermind in New Zealand.[3]
A lifelongsocialist,[2] Gaskin stood for Parliament as theLabour Party candidate forNew Plymouth at the1984 general election, losing to incumbentTony Friedlander by 269 votes. She also served as aNew Plymouth councillor.[3]
Gaskin died on 8 January 2016.[3]
In the1997 New Year Honours, Gaskin was appointed aCompanion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to education and the community.[4] She was awarded an honorary doctorate by theUniversity of Waikato in 2002.[5]