Diana Rea

Diana is not well enough to write this herself so, with help from Sarah, I thought I would write her story from my point of view using some basic facts she has provided. (Jan Wilson)
Diana and I came to Fort Street from what was then Lady Hay’s School, later to become North Sydney Demonstration School. The youngest of a family of seven children, Diana was smart, feisty, outspoken and confident. Although we had not been close friends during the previous five years of school I, as an only child of over-protective parents and anything but confident, clung to her desperately in this new, overwhelming environment. We became ‘best friends’ and this friendship continued through North Sydney Girls High until the present time. Although I rarely see her I can ring, say ‘it’s Janet from Canberra’ and it is as though we had seen each other yesterday.

When Diana left school she worked in an office for two years then went to Queensland and spent six months strawberry picking, then another office job for some time, followed by ten years with the Queensland Railways. While in Queensland she was a Cub leader for 14 years.

For as long as I can remember Diana had wanted to teach, she hated office work and (I quote) ‘at 35 decided to get off my bum and go teaching’ so she returned to Sydney and ‘had a wonderful time for three year at Teachers’ College’. I can remember how delighted I was when she told me she was finally a qualified teacher. To have left a secure, safe job to do something she really wanted at that age, with no one to support her while she did it, demonstrated again all the qualities I had so much admired, and somewhat envied, when we first became friends.

During this time one of her lectures on casual teaching was given by Lance Richardson. Like most of us she has very fond memories of May Acason, who she still refers to as ‘Aco’. On a number of occasions she visited ‘Aco’ and horrified her with tales of what she and I got away with during our Fort Street days. Only the other day she asked if I would have done some of those things if she had not egged me on. When I replied, “Of course not, no way,” the school teacher came to the fore and quick as a flash she replied, “You always were easily led astray!” I told you she was feisty!

After Teachers’ College she took a year off study while establishing herself as a casual teacher. Five years of part-time studying at Macquarie Uni resulted in a BA and she taught at Berala Primary School, a very multicultural school near Auburn, for nineteen years before retiring at the end of 2004. She would have been an exceptional teacher and I am sure all her pupils loved her as much as she loved (most) of them and few would ever forget the year they were taught by Miss Rae.

She feels very strongly about “those ‘Ivory Tower People’ who have determined that teachers should take on parental responsibilities leaving too little time for the teaching of basic subjects”. The many administrative demands on teachers were another waste of time to Diana and it was a brave headmaster who tried to change her ways.

Diana has always enjoyed travelling and would love to do more if her health allowed, one of her greatest regrets at the moment is that she cannot leave Sydney because of the need for medical treatment. She still has very positive opinions on things that are important to her. Since retiring, along with Sarah, she has become a member of Greenpeace Grey Power and as the photo below (published with an article in her local newspaper) shows, she is not reticent to stand up for what she believes in.

Diana has a prodigious memory and would be able to regale us all with stories we would probably prefer to forget but for a long time she has been battling cancer, always with her brave, positive attitude. Having just come out of hospital, yet again, she is too tired to think about writing this now but I am sure that one day when she is feeling stronger she will put me straight on what I have got wrong as she has so often done in the past. I sincerely hope that day comes soon.

Footnote: Sadly Diana will never be able to put me straight as she lost her battle with cancer on 4 October 2006. Farewell my old friend.

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