One summer in the early 1990s I was telling Jean that I had been renovating my patio and building a brick barbecue. She told me that she too had been building a brick retaining wall around a flower bed in her garden. Apparently Antoinette had popped in one afternoon and Jean showed her what she had been doing. Antoinette tactfully suggested that maybe she should hammer in some pegs and sling string between them to make sure the wall was straight, to which Jean replied, “Oh no, Antoinette, that’s for when men do it!.” That was so typical of Jean - hilarious and always one to plough her own furrow.
Jean was a great role model for me when I joined the NUT committee in Bexley. I have never met a better chair of a meeting. She had the knack of ensuring that the contributions of those who were very fond of the sound of their own voices were curtailed without causing any offence, whilst encouraging the more reticent to speak.
When I unexpectedly and somewhat reluctantly became Division Secretary she dubbed me “Red Leader” - a small thing, but it told me that someone I admired greatly was behind me and had confidence in me when I was feeling unsure of myself.
Comments