Lesley Elliott (campaigner)

Lesley Frances Elliott MNZM (née Scott; 27 October 1946 – 20 November 2022) was a New Zealand nurse and the founder and chairperson of the Sophie Elliott Foundation, an organisation that educated New Zealanders on the signs of abuse in personal relationships. She was moved to start the work after her daughter Sophie was killed by her former boyfriend in January 2008.[1] She realised that she had been unaware that he was abusive, but that it was possible to identify the signs. In 2019, she closed the Sophie Elliott Foundation as her Parkinson's disease was preventing her from continuing to run the foundation and she did not want another person to control her daughter's image.[2]

Lesley Elliott

MNZM
Elliott in 2015
Born
Lesley Frances Scott

(1946-10-27)27 October 1946
Invercargill, New Zealand
Died20 November 2022(2022-11-20) (aged 76)
Dunedin, New Zealand
OccupationNurse
Known forCampaigning for the prevention of domestic violence
Spouse
Gil Elliott
​
(m. 1968)​
Children3
RelativesSophie Elliott (daughter)

Biography

Born Lesley Frances Scott in Invercargill on 27 October 1946, Elliott was the daughter of Eric Prior Scott and Audrey Victoria Scott (née Green).[3][4][5][6] She became engaged to Gilbert Stanley Elliott in 1966, and they married at St Mary's Anglican Church in New Plymouth in 1968.[4][7] The couple went on to have two sons as well as their daughter Sophie.[3] Towards the end of her life, Elliott suffered from Parkinson's disease and dementia, and she died in Dunedin on 20 November 2022, aged 76.[3][5][8]

Recognition

In 2014, Elliott won the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.[9] She also won a Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary International and the Next Woman of the Year title. In the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the prevention of domestic violence.[10][11]

Publications
  • Sophie's Legacy – A mother's story of her family's loss and their quest for change, (2011) Lesley Elliott with William J O'Brien, Random House[12]
  • Loves Me Not - How to Keep Relationships Safe, (2014) Lesley Elliott with William J O'Brien, Random House[13]

References
  1. "Lesley Elliott honoured for her work". The New Zealand Herald. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  2. "Lesley Elliott closes Sophie Elliott Foundation 11 years after her daughter's murder". Newshub. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  3. Gibbs, Tatiana; McNeilly, Hamish (22 November 2022). "Domestic violence campaigner Lesley Elliott dies after 'incredibly difficult' illness". Stuff. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  4. "Engaged" (PDF). New Plymouth Photo News. No. 118. 19 February 1966. p. 37. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  5. "Lesley Frances Elliott". Tributes Online. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  6. "Births". The Press. Vol. 82, no. 25019. 30 October 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  7. "Married" (PDF). New Plymouth Photo News. No. 142. 24 February 1968. p. 35. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  8. Ryder, Wyatt (21 November 2022). "Sophie Elliot's mother Lesley dies after tireless domestic violence campaign". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  9. "Lesley Elliott named winner of Next Woman of the Year". Scoop Independent News: Regional. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  10. "Lesley Elliott brings message to Cambridge". Waikato Herald. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  11. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2015". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  12. Dudding, Adam (12 June 2011). "Sophie Elliott: I can't forgive". Stuff. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  13. "Loves Me Not by William J. O'Brien". Retrieved 18 October 2017.
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