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We pay tribute to a Dio legend – Annette Johnston 80 Milestones 38
Farewell
TO A CHAMPION OF GIRLS’ EDUCATION
Diocesan alumnae aged 40 to 70 will no doubt remember Annette Johnson who taught geography, social studies and history from 1967 to 1997. She also served as Senior Mistress and Head of Humanities and volunteered her time in the School Archive. We sadly acknowledge Annette’s death at the age of 83 on 30 June 2022. Here is an abridged version of the eulogy Diocesan Archivist Evan Lewis gave at her funeral.
Annette began work at Diocesan at the start of 1967 and found herself very much at home here. She demonstrated her ability from the outset. Her students’ results were so good that first year, that Headmistress Miss Roberton phoned her with joyful congratulations and the news that Annette would have a permanent room in the coming year.
In 1976 Headmistress Dawn Jones appointed her to the position of Senior Mistress – effectively making her third in the school hierarchy. In this role, Annette was involved in much of the day-today organisation of school life. She was responsible for running exams, organising prize giving, taking assemblies and shorter daily chapel services, as well as handling student issues. In 1975 she had learnt the tortuous business of timetabling and, during her many years as Senior Mistress, she would lock herself away for days at the end of each year, planning the next year’s timetable. Despite the perennial difficulties with both staffing and the availability of classrooms, she would do her best to accommodate the oftenconflicting requirements of as many students as possible.
Notwithstanding a sabbatical year in 1978, Annette continued as Senior Mistress from 1976 until 1988 when Miss Jones appointed Gail Thomson as a second deputy principal and abolished the Senior Mistress role. From 1989 until 1997 Annette was Head of Geography and eventually Head of Humanities.
Old Girls usually agree that Annette could be formidable and was not a teacher to trifle with. PE teacher Jenny Lloyd once remarked that she loved it when her PE class had Mrs Johnson next. There was no loitering in the changing rooms as Annette expected her girls to be on time and latecomers to class could expect a rather chilly reception.
However, girls who took senior geography often discovered Annette’s gentler side – her endless interest in the world, her genuine care for her students, the warmth of her personality and the sparkle of her sense of humour.
At the beginning of 1997 she asked her seventh formers to join her in making her final teaching year a really good one. The girls rose to the occasion and won nine geography scholarships. Annette was delighted! But throughout her career, she took just as much pleasure from a class of lesser ability working and passing their exams by sheer perseverance.
In Spring 2004, Annette visited Centennial House and was introduced to the School Archivist. We quickly struck up a rapport, and I was very surprised when she responded with positive interest in my invitation to join the Archive volunteers. Thus began 17 years of Tuesday visits to the Archive.
In her first four years in the Archive, Annette was delighted to be working with former colleague, retired principal and head of geography Beverley Williamson. Together they sorted out hundreds of photographs.
After Beverley’s death in 2008, Annette continued to help in all sorts of ways – keen to contribute and bring her wealth of institutional memory to so much of our work in the Archive, providing she wasn’t off overseas exploring the world.
In the context of her archival work, Annette had the pleasure of meeting many former colleagues and past pupils. She’d often go home to look up any chance-met Old Girls in her old mark books and usually come back the next week to say: “Oh yes – she did all right.”
I will forever be thankful for Annette’s generous heart, her unique mix of common sense, ruthless efficiency and good humour, for the breadth of her general knowledge, for much laughter, and for 17 years of collegiality and service (on top of her 31 years of teaching!)
Births
Georgina Brebner (Gaisford) – daughters
Paige in 2011 and Aiya in 2015, and sons
Archie in 2014 and Cooper in 2018 Debbie Lyons (Foulkes) – a daughter,
Charlotte, on 14 April 2003 Ashley Ropati – a son, Bobby, on 2 January 2021 April Sze Mun Kwong – a son, Austin, on 26 June 2011
Engagements
Dr Rebecca Brimble to Dr Aakash Rajay in January 2022 Victoria Henderson to Curtis Eward on 22 January 2022
Marriages
Debbie Foulkes to Tony Lyons on 2 May 2002 Ashley Ropati to Nicholas Blumsky-Gibbs on 21 July 2018 April Sze Mun Kwong to Choi Kuong
Chung on 6 December 2009
Achievements
Dr Rebecca Brimble gained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from the University of
Auckland in 2021. Andrea Dawber gained a BA in history and art history, a Post-graduate
Diploma in art history, an MA in history, and a Post-graduate Diploma in
Secondary School Teaching. Shanell Le Loux (Gregory) gained an
MBA from Hult International Business
School in August 2022. Ella Poole-Crowe graduated with a BVSc (Bachelor of Veterinary Science) from
Massey University in December 2021 Ashely Ropati gained a Bachelor of Arts in art history from the University of
Auckland, and a Post-graduate
Diploma in Journalism, Publishing and
New Media from the University of
Technology, Sydney in 2013. April Sze Mun Kwong, 1992 dux of Dio, graduated from the University of Auckland with a BCom/LLB in 1997 and was admitted as a solicitor and barrister of the High Court of New Zealand in 1998. In 2001, she was admitted as a solicitor of Hong Kong.
MILESTONES
Deaths
Betty Bennett (Hobbs, PY 1948) on 6 July 2022 Rosemary Blackbourn (Marshall, PY 1957) on 18 August 2022 Katharine Bowden (Thomson, PY 1946) on 1 June 2022 Margaret Braun (Hart, PY 1951) on 13 June 2022 Erica Eady (PY 1961) on 31 October 2022 Inez Flavell (Speechlay, PY 1949) on 3 June 2022 Jennifer Gould (Cowell, PY 1960) on May 2022 Annette Johnson (Associate Old Girl) on 30 June 2022 Pamela Johnston (PY 1947) on 8 August 2022 Mary Keenan (Macduff, PY 1951) on 6 July 2022 Patricia (Mollie) Kershaw (Cooper, PY 1943) on 4 August 2022 in her 97th year Noeleen Palmer (Rimmer, PY 1956) on 30 October 2022 Marianne Pepper (Strickett, PY 1959) on 24 July 2022 Helen Prothero (McDowell, PY 1951) on 19 August 2022 Hilary Reid (Rodwell, PY 1946) on 25 June 2022 Marie Shann (Alchin, PY 1939) on 16 June 2022 in her 102nd year Glenn Shaw (Rogerson, PY 1949) on 16 June 2022 Hilary Smallfield (MacCormick, PY 1942) on 16 July 2022 in her 98th year Mary Tofield (Pattinson, PY 1958) on 14 September 2022 Anna Wilson (Jones, PY 1986) on 20 May 2022 Lilian Wright (PY 1951) on 22 September 2022 We acknowledge the recent death of Hilary Reid (Rodwell, PY 1946). Hilary was a keen supporter of the School and a proud member of the Diocesan Old Girls’ League, often attending the Chapel Festival service, the Senior Old Girls’ Morning Tea and Founders’ Day. Hilary is especially remembered as a founding trustee of the Doris Innes House Trust. Over many years she made a significant contribution to the re-establishment of boarding at Dio and gave much of her time ensuring the girls at Innes House were well cared for. For many years Hilary was one of a faithful band of Old Girls who volunteered every week in the School Archive. Hilary’s daughter Catherine Cooke (Reid) and granddaughters Diana Stirling (Cooke) and Amanda Cooke also attended Diocesan. Her three great-granddaughters will attend in the future.
We also mark the passing of Noeleen Palmer (Rimmer, PY 1956). Noeleen was a much-admired member of the Diocesan Old Girls’ League and a founding trustee of the Doris Innes House Trust. Noeleen’s contribution to Innes House and her wonderful support of the boarders was legendary. She would pick up wherever she could help, and her aqua Mercedes was often seen parked outside. Noeleen would be doing the garden, acting as matron and nurse to those feeling unwell, and always arrived with fresh baking for the girls. She was loved by them all. Noeleen was thrilled to have her daughter Michelle Adams (Palmer) and granddaughters Briar Adams and Maddie Palmer continue the family tradition of attending Diocesan.
Note: PY is short for ‘Peer Year’ and indicates the year an Old Girl would have been in Form 7 (Year 13) had she continued her schooling at Dio through until the end.
