Interview with Vera Levett

Vera Levett was born in Trencin, Czechoslovakia in 1935. Mentions Jewish origin, and talks about her mother who was a seamstress and her father who was a doctor. Talks about escaping Czechoslovakia during World War II, cousins who died in concentration camps, the impact of the Holocaust, bombing, air raids in England, and emigrating to the United States. Talks about girlhood, school, university and her doctorate in clinical psychology. Mentions marriage, moving to New Zealand, two children. Talks about interest in feminism, joining National Organisation of Women (NOW), feminist literature on mental health. Mentions work as guidance counsellor and at the Wellington School of Medicine. Describes helping establish Hecate Women's Health Collective in 1979, and involvement in a television documentary on mental health that was critical of doctors.

Mentions Hecate referring women to Levett for counselling, and mentions the Women's Resource Centre. Talks about friendship with Elizabeth Sewell, National Director of YWCA, who recruited feminists. Talks about tension between Sewell and YWCA's non-feminist lobby, and being a YWCA board member. Mentions collegues Faith Gibbons, Audrey Reynolds, Mary-Jane Rivers and Gail Powell. Describes self defence courses, sexual abuse discussions, board meetings. Comments on YWCA as a traditional organisation and feminists' impact on it. Mentions Hecate's closure by the end of the 1980s. Talks about decision to leave YWCA to work at Child and Family service, Hutt Valley Health and her private practice. Talks about feminism's impact on her children, and mentions adoption.

Interviewer(s) - Jill Abigail

Accompanying material - Project release form, biographical information, CV.

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-9070-9072

Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 2.20 Hours and minutes Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-2875.

Photocopy (coloured) mid shot of Vera Levett.

Original recordings not available for playback. Surrogate copies will be provided.