Ōpōtiki principal farewelled after 35 years in role

A Mass celebrated in Ōpōtiki in late June was followed by a function at which a long list of speakers paid tribute.

Speaker after speaker lauded the former principal’s ability to not only remember the children’s names, but to see the best in each of them.

Miss Clark said she had been a student at St Joseph’s for eight years and taught there for another seven years before becoming principal for 35 years.

“My family goes back over 115 years at this school, all the way back to 1915 or thereabouts. We were one of the earliest families along with the Connors, the Coswells and the Christies,” she said.

“So, we have a long tradition here and I still have family at school. Not many families can say they’ve gone right through without a break – but mine did.”

Miss Clark took particular pleasure in seeing children and ex-pupils succeed.

“Right now, we have three ex-pupils at med school and a doctor in the neurological ward in Auckland Hospital. We have accountants and lawyers; from a small school that’s pretty good,” she said.

Some speakers at the farewell mentioned that Miss Clark’s career had spanned many changes in education, for example private schools being integrated into the state system and various governments changing the curriculum.

“Yet Raewyn you maintained excellent academic standards throughout and kept to the Catholic way,” one speaker said.

Miss Clark said, “above all, kids need love and routine. Kids appreciate routine they really do – if they are up half the night don’t expect them to come home knowing much from school”.

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Eastern Bay App – Beacon Media Group (Whakatane Beacon/Eastern Bay App)