In June this year Otago Girls’ staff and students farewelled long term Assistant Principal Sue Lynch who has recently accepted a job in Wellington as a National Assessment Facilitator with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

Sue was appointed Assistant Principal at Otago Girls’ High School in 1995 having previously taught at Patea High School, Rotorua Girls’ High School and the Waikato Diocesan School for girls. During Sue’s 17 years at Otago Girls’ she took on a myriad of roles and her time with us was characterised by service to the school and the community.

As Assistant Principal Sue was, at various times, responsible for timetabling, exam timetables and organising relief. She was for many years the staff liaison person for the school fair, and in recent years was a member of the school Alumni Association and the 150th Celebrations planning committee. Sue was also an NZQA marker.

Sue taught a variety of subjects over the years but it was her passion for geography (particularly any earthquake related aspects) that we will always remember her for. She had valuable input into both the Year 12 Borland Camp and the Year 11 Geography Camp to Aoraki Mt Cook. Her involvement in Geography extended well beyond Otago Girls’ and Sue was the Chairperson of the New Zealand Board of Geography Teachers’ Association, and a representative of the Otago/Southland Geography Teachers’ Association. She was one of the main facilitators between the University of Otago and the secondary school geography teachers.

In 2011, in recognition of her dedication and passion in the realms of Geography, Sue was offered a ten school week Secondary Teachers’ Sabbatical by the Ministry of Education. On this sabbatical Sue studied and developed personal confidence in using GIS (Geographic Information Service) resources for her geography teaching.

Sue also gave time and energy to organising many community events over the years. These have included the Easter Basket and Christmas Hamper schemes, and the varied street collections that our students participate in. Sue was also responsible for nominating students for the Trust Power Community Awards and for preparing the school’s successful application to become recognised as a National School of Character.

As a Gold Duke of Edinburgh recipient herself, Sue spent many years dedicating time and energy to the Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award Programme. She spent part of her holidays taking participants on numerous trips around Otago and Southland as part of their activities. Her trips to Stewart Island, which also involved some international students and other staff, are legendary.

Sue has also coached and managed sports teams and has led school trips to Fiji and Australia. Kind heartedly Sue also often opened up her home to host international students and language assistants and was always a welcoming hostess. Staff fondly remember her cake decorating skills as do many students to whom she passed this skill on.

Sue has had a long and distinguished career in teaching and we know she will transfer many of her skills and knowledge to her new role. We acknowledge and thank her for all she has done for Otago Girls’ since she arrived here in 1995.