4 Feb, 2026
by Julia Gilchrist
History Archivist, churches of Christ NSW & ACT
Frances May Ashwood (1884–1980) was a foundational figure in the story of what is now Fresh Hope Communities and a compelling example of a woman in Christian leadership within the Churches of Christ in New South Wales and the ACT.
May came from a family of deep faith, committed to work and service within the Churches of Christ and the community. Her grandmother, Ann Jepson Morris, was a founding member of the NSW Sisters’ Conference, and her mother, Ellen Elizabeth Ashwood, served in multiple executive roles within the same conference. Her father, John Francis Ashwood, was a successful businessman and philanthropist whose generosity underwrote many early church initiatives, including the construction of Ashwood Hospital in Dhond, India, in 1929 to support overseas mission.
Following her father’s death, May inherited substantial resources, which she stewarded with remarkable purpose. Under her mother’s guidance, May financed the ongoing operation and expansion of Ashwood Hospital, including the construction of accommodation for female staff.
Opening in 1938, Ashwood House in Pendle Hill was the first aged care home for women in New South Wales. May funded its design, construction and fit-out in honour of her mother, Ellen. Ashwood House was innovative, not only for its purpose but for its vision. It created a home and community designed specifically for older women at a time when their needs were often overlooked.
May’s insistence on a vibrant, relational community fostered a culture of belonging, kindness, generosity, and mutual support — qualities especially significant for women who had lived through the Depression, two World Wars, and the compounded challenges of grief, loss, and gendered disadvantage. May personally oversaw every aspect of the project, and its influence extended well beyond its walls. The boys from the nearby Dunmore House Boys’ Home, many of whom were orphaned or separated from their families, came to regard the women of Ashwood House as their “grandmothers”. In both practical and relational ways, Ashwood House embodied values of kindness, connection, integrity and optimism.
Over several decades, May Ashwood’s generosity and leadership significantly shaped the wider church network. She served as Women’s/CWF Conference President (1933–34, 1940–41), Secretary (1933), and on multiple committees including Ashwood House Ladies Nursing Home, the Boys’ Home, the Homes Cooperative, and the State Bible College Board of Management. She also established the Woolwich Bible College Endowment Fund with £10,000 for student scholarships, and founded the Ashwood Lectureship, to support teaching staff.
May Ashwood died in 1980 at the age of ninety-six, leaving a legacy of faith, generosity, and practical compassion. Her legacy continues to shape the work of Fresh Hope Communities as a provider of residential aged care today.
