McFarlane, Shona

Born in Gore, spent her early childhood in Lawrence and lived most of her life in Dunedin. She began her career as an art teacher and later went to London to study at an art school there, teaching for long periods to make enough money to do so, in schools for the physically and intellectually handicapped.

On returning to New Zealand she tried to make a living by painting, but that was very difficult in the early 1960s, so she became a journalist and worked for the Evening Star for some 12 years, painting in her spare time. After that, and getting involved with lots of art organisations, and writing and illustrating her first book, she decided to leave journalism and paint full-time. She did this, as well as running a small art gallery in partnership with her sister Heather, until 1976 when she married Allan Highet, Minister of Internal Affairs and the Arts.

Shona was a member of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council from 1968-73. and was actively involved in many art societies. Her books included Dunedin: Portrait of a City and Mixed Media.

Her paintings are included in the National Art Gallery, Dunedin Public Art Gallery and the Hocken Library, as well as in many private collections. Her commissions include stained glass murals for Manukau City Centre in Auckland, Dunedin Teachers' College and Dowse Art Gallery, Lower Hutt.

She was awarded an MBE for services to the arts in 1973, and won a National Bank Art Award in 1974. was also a regular contributor to Radio New Zealand's 'Sunday Supplement".