Christine McKelvie Bull was born in 1922 in
Wellington, New Zealand. She grew up on a farm in
Hunterville,
Rangitikei and began writing while still at school, freelancing for the
Taranaki Daily News. She won a scholarship to the
University of Canterbury and moved to
Christchurch, where she also worked as a part-time reporter for
The Press newspaper while studying. In 1946, Cole Catley and Sarah moved to Wellington, and she began writing for the
Labour Party's daily paper,
The Southern Cross, the
New Zealand Listener, and
Radio New Zealand. In 1948 she married John Reece Cole, a protégé of writer
Frank Sargeson, and they subsequently had two children, Nicola in 1950 and Martin in 1953. They hosted writers such as
James K. Baxter and
Louis Johnson (poet) in their home. Cole Catley's first job in publishing was as an editor for
A.H. and A.W. Reed, in Wellington.
Other interests In 1952, Cole Catley and
Helen Brew founded
Parents Centres New Zealand, an organisation committed to providing education and support for pregnant women and their husbands. The organisation also lobbied authorities to change hospital procedures around childbirth and delivery, such as enabling fathers to be present during labour. He suggested that she sell his bach and spend the money on a cruise. Instead, she established the Frank Sargeson Trust and the Sargeson Fellowship, and ensured his cottage was retained as a memorial. She was so successful in this endeavour that she was later also involved with establishing the
Michael King Writers Centre. ==Honours and awards==