Helene Ritchie was Wellington’s first female deputy mayor and is currently the capital’s longest serving city councillor. In those roles, she has successfully championed many social justice and environmental issues. She led the nuclear weapon free status of the Capital and the major Wellington civic centre project. A registered psychologist, she has, as an elected member of the Health Board, campaigned to significantly upgrade mental health hospital facilities. The greatest challenge, she faced, however, was as ‘carer’ of her husband Peter who died in 2001 from a chronic and degenerative illness.