Maker: Joanne Dixon

Panel number: 281

Petition sheet number: 335

Person honouring: S. [Sarah] Mildenhall

Relationship to maker: Husband’s great-great grandmother

Sarah and her husband did pioneer work for the Methodist church in the Marlborough and Wellington provinces.

Sarah Rodgers was born in Buckland, Berkshire, England in February 1853. She married Alfred Mildenhall in 1874 before migrating to New Zealand shortly after. Sarah and Alfred had 11 children (seven sons and four daughters) in Wellington.

She was a highly respected and devoted member of the Johnsonville Methodist church for 42 years. Sarah passed away in December 1923, at the age of 71, in Johnsonville, Wellington. She was buried at her church cemetery.

Panel materials: I patch-worked some old cuttings of prints I created as a textile designer in the UK. I decorated this with colourful threads and buttons that belonged to Lois Mildenhall. Lois was the wife of Francis Clive Mildenhall, affectionately known by his grandchildren as ‘Park’. Sarah was his grandmother. I also used a sewing machine that belongs to Caitlin, Sarah’s great-great-great granddaughter. The aim was to re-purpose textiles, so I didn’t purchase anything new for the project.