The Queen’s High School world was deeply saddened at the passing of one of its treasured icons, Mrs Harrison as she was known too so so many of us. The school has received many memory messages from students she taught and inspired for so long at Queen’s.

At her funeral service, the current Principal at Queen’s Barbara Agnew delivered an amazing tribute on behalf of the Queen’s Community. With her permission this tribute is shared with the Ex-Girl Community. 

Tēnā koutou katoa
Ngā mihi aroha ki a koutou e tenei rā

My name is Barbara Agnew, and I am the current Principal of Queen’s High School. It is an honour to speak on behalf of the Queen’s community to acknowledge and to celebrate the extraordinary life of a woman who was a visionary, and an inspiration to us all.

To Richard, Katie, Lizzie and your whānau, on behalf of the Queen’s community I wish to offer our sincerest condolences, love and support to you all.

Patricia Thomson, or as I have always known her - Dame Pat Harrison, walked through the doors of Queen’s High School on the day it opened in 1955 as a young teacher, filled with a passion for learning and an unwavering belief in the potential of every girl.

She was described as ‘passionately enthusiastic and highly dramatic in her teaching skills, with sufficient unpredictability of temperament to make life interesting.’ She herself wrote, that it was her time as a beginning teacher, that she was taught to ‘hold firmly to the principle of equity’. That every girl had an equal right to a satisfying future.

What is also remembered vividly is that she was ahead of her time even then, while other teachers were dictating notes or writing them on a blackboard, Pat was shocking students and staff alike, by taking a new- fangled tape recorder around her classroom recording and using student voice.

Pat returned to Queen’s as Principal in 1974, and for nearly 20 years, she led with a clear vision, and an iron will. In leading Queen’s, the principle of equity, that curriculum was more than just a body of knowledge and that the experience of schooling could be lifelong followed her – and I know that she was pleased that they are still such an important aspect of Queen’s today.

Her first actions as Principal included fighting off King’s High School from taking over to make a co-ed school – Pat was having none of this, she fought tooth and nail for Queen's to stay as Queen’s, which she did. In doing so, many males in the education field discovered the hard way that Pat was a person you did not want to tangle with.

She updated the grey pinafore to the Anderson kilt, having her girls looking good meant they would feel good about themselves with the added bonus of being warmer – and as you can see, we still wear the Anderson tartan today.

She also saw the need for providing extra support for those students who needed it – this was the principle of equity in action - changing the culture of Queen’s to provide pastoral support in its many forms in the best way possible - which is still something we pride ourselves on today. Pat was described as “warm and generous, overflowing with enthusiasm for the school and students, compassionate, loyal and understanding, a wise administrator, outstanding teacher, brilliant producer, and as well, an actor of no small ability, which perhaps goes a long way to explain her influence on Queen’s.

Everyone marvelled at her phenomenal memory enabling her to know each student by name and take a genuine interest in their education. Her love and commitment were legendary.

Also legendary were her end of year celebrations and productions – planning for prizegiving’s began very early in the school year and they were an extravaganza. One year the foyer was turned into an aviary with actual live birds singing away and another year there was a Christmas theme, including candles, which caused only a slight distraction when the tree caught on fire.

This is probably as good as time as any to mention the infamous Grizelda and Humphrey, Pat’s dogs who also attended Queen’s. Those who were at Queen’s then, cannot forget the sound of Pat, along with Humphrey and Griselda, scampering along the corridor to investigate the classrooms in action. Staff have told me about both dogs being present in Pat’s office when being interviewed for a position at Queen’s, one even thinks that because the dogs seemed to like her she got the job.

Students from the debating team remember Humphrey in particular – training him to understand ‘no Humphrey’, no easy task by all accounts. There was never any ambiguity with her. What she said was what happened. She expected the best from everyone, staff and students alike, because she knew that the best was within them. She treated every student the same, with the same high expectations, the same directness, and the same quiet respect. She saw them as they were and pushed them to become what they could be.

A number of former students have shared their memory of Mrs Harrison – even today still can only talk of her as Mrs Harrison - smiling and laughing while watching any one of her girls doing what they loved and achieving success.  Be it in the classroom, on the stage or on the sports field she was always there to support us and in hindsight realise that this would have been at the expense of her spending time with her own family.

Her impact was revolutionary. She placed great importance on transition to work schemes and skills training programmes. She fought to get students into gateway programs, opening doors into the community that had previously been closed.

Then there was the creche. Pat – the home educator at school. She would bring her child to school, sit him or her at the back of the classroom equipped with paper and pens, and then just get on with teaching – her students loved this.

At a time when very few employers recognised the need to provide child- minding facilities, she provided on-site childcare for her staff, a forward- thinking move that empowered her teachers to return to work and continue their careers. I doubt any other school anywhere in New Zealand at the time, solved the childcare problem for their teachers.

Today the creche works in exactly this way, allowing teachers to return to work in a way that is supportive and easy. She wasn't just running a school; she was building a community.

As part of our Queen’s community was the connection she built with Ōtakou Marae through Aunt Mori and Uncle George Pickering. Pat said their presence gave a distinct dignity; their blessing strengthened our partnership and deepened our understanding. The Ngai Tahu greenstone still stands solid and tall in our foyer entrance, as it was meant to.

Even after her retirement, her work never stopped. I am not sure how it was for the four principals between myself and Dame Pat, but in my first week in the role, she came to visit me, with a gift of a beautiful orchid, to say congratulations - though both of us knew the real reason, that she was actually coming to check me out. We met many times after that, often early on a Saturday morning at the farmers market, and my quick trip to get some fruit and vegetables became a much longer trip with us having an in-depth  discussion on Queen’s, what I was actually doing in the role of principal and education in general. Her love of, and for Queen’s never left her and she wanted only the best for all the students who attend.

In 2001 she was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education and the community and in 2009 she accepted the redesignation as a dame companion of the Order of Merit.

She was a constant presence, a mentor, and a guiding light right up until her final day. Her legacy is etched into the very fabric of Queen’s and in the lives of every student and teacher she touched. She was a woman who not only shaped minds but also changed lives. We are all better for having known her.

And finally in the words of Flavia Weedn:

Some people come into our lives and quickly go, like waves touching the shore. Some people stay for a while and give us deeper understanding of what is truly important in this life.
They touch our souls, we gain strength from the footprints they have left in our hearts, and we will never be the same.

Aroha nui
Barbara Agnew