Kay Forsyth started her career at Campus Corner as a reliever after chickenpox struck down one of its teachers. She leaves this Friday after 23 years as a much loved stalwart of the centre.
Kay started at the early childhood education centre about six months after it opened to service the needs of parents who were staff and students of the Nelson Polytech. She started as a relief teacher and by the following year was working fulltime.
She says the years since have been great fun and she doesn’t regret a moment.
There have been plenty of highlights, from the priceless sayings of children to the centre’s 21st birthday celebrations when old pupils came to say hi.
There were also the shocking moments, like when a two-trailer truck packed just down the road rolled into the centre after its driver forgot to put on the hand brake. Fortunately it was 7.30 in the morning so only a few children were at the centre and none in the corner of the building that ended up with a truck sticking out of it.
“The children that were there were saying ‘big truck, big truck’ and the staff said it was like an earthquake,” says Kay.
Kay started at Campus Corner after around a decade off work to raise her children. Before that she was a primary school teacher in Mapua after moving from Westport with her husband, who worked for the Minstry of Transport.
Kay says her time at Campus Corner has been more like spending time with family, than work. “They treat you like family, you don’t feel like a teacher. My grandson is in Japan and so it’s like having my grandchildren here and just like grandchildren, they go home. It does feel a bit like that.”
Kay says she is looking forward to lawn bowls, gardening, reading and working on her genealogy after this week, but she will miss the children. “I will probably get a tear in my eye. It will be the end of an era for me, but I’ve told them I’m available for relieving for another year.”
Her colleagues are having a drink with her from 5.30pm this Friday upstairs at Café Affair. Anyone who would like to pop up is invited.
