2010 Jackie Fyson's farewell: 25th May

CBS June 1988 – July 2010

Jackie hails from Edinburgh where she went to school at St Serf’s School for Girls and where she also gained higher post-secondary qualifications.

Jackie arrived at Campbells Bay School in June 1988. She has been a loyal and dedicated member of the team who would climb any mountain in order to get the job done. In fact, although Jackie had a job description it is something that is not referred to as Jackie tackled any job that needed to be done. This included becoming our first aid supremo both at school and on various camps and being the Board’s minute secretary.

Over the years Jackie has seen many changes in the office at CBS. When Jackie started, an electric typewriter was considered to be cutting edge technology, with fax machines a luxury beyond the scope of a primary school. Banda machines, Gestetners and other machines were the order of the day, not only at CBS but in school offices up and down the country.

The true measure of a person is not how they perform when the going is good but how they perform when the going gets tough. Jackie has never shirked challenges, always going the proverbial ‘extra mile’, whether it is accompanying a student to hospital or preparing yet another sumptuous morning tea for a special occasion. Jackie is the ‘go-to person’ in time of need. The person who is always there. The person who will be missed when she is not there.

Given Jackie’s involvement with children it is appropriate that one of our students has the last word. This is what the student wrote about Jackie in a completely unsolicited way:

I went into the sickbay. There was a teddy bear, a bed and somebody who looked kind and beautiful. I’m always forgetting names, silly me! She wore a pair of clean glasses and spoke in a kind voice. I felt better when she spoke nicely to me. She was as beautiful as an angel and spoke as kindly as God, making me feel better.
(Year 4 student, 2010)

After 22 years of wonderful commitment and service to our community it is time to say farewell. Lang may yer lum reek! (May you live long and stay well!) Haere ra.

Photos below: the CBS staff farewell afternoon tea on Friday 25th June.

(photography by available light ltd)