Rees, Rosemary (c, 1876–1963)

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Rees, Rosemary (c, 1876–1963)

New Zealand actress, theater producer, and novelist. Born Rosemary Frances Rees, 1875 or 1876, at Auckland, New Zealand; died Aug 19, 1963, in Gisborne, New Zealand; dau. of William Lee Rees (lawyer and politician) and Hannah Elizabeth (Staite) Rees.

Entertained troops and organized theatrical performances for Allied forces in France during WWI; formed theater company (early 1920s); wrote 24 romantic novels, which enjoyed wide readership during lifetime, including April's Sowing (1924), Wild, Wild Heart (1928), Home's Where the Heart Is (1935), Little Miss Independent (1940), and The Mended Citadel (1949); published well-received travel book, New Zealand Holiday, 1933; served as volunteer fire warden during WWII.

See also Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (Vol. 4).