This article was shared with us by Cecelia's daughter Joyce after her sister Anne Elliott visited the school earlier this year.

Joyce's years at Otago Girls' High School were happy formative years. Joyce played tennis and was a very good student. She was proud to have attended the oldest girls high school in the Southern Hemisphere. On leaving school she continued her education at the School of Home Science, University of Otago. Upon graduation she embarked on a career as a school cooking teacher, travelling each week by train between Balclutha & Owaka. With war time rationing it was challenging to work within the ration coupons for the ingredients. Her next teaching position led her to Lower Hutt Intermediate School, as a founding staff member.

Joyce married (Deryck Forsyth) and settled in Petone. As was expected in1949, she retired from teaching to raise a family, 2 daughters. Joyce was a very active member of the Ex Otago Girls branch in Wellington, for over 40 years. Joyce was a lifetime learner, taking university extension courses and had a voracious appetite for non fiction books.

In 1990, she was a widow and with courage in her late 60s immigrated to Vancouver, Canada to be close to both her daughters, their husbands and her grandchildren. Canada opened up new opportunities for Joyce to travel extensively throughout Canada, USA and Europe.

Joyce led a full life and was much loved by her family, she died at the grand age of 97 years old. Her long life is testimony to the fact you can skip the main course and go straight for the desserts!