Obituaries II

OBITUARIES

Joan Constance McVicar (1920-2007)

Joan Constance McVicar died suddenly at her home in St Heliers, Auckland, on 26 October 2007, aged 87. She was the daughter of Violet Florence (née Barcham) and Charles William Rowberry, of Wellington, NZ, and granddaughter of Constance Eliza (de la Mare) and Robert William Barcham, who emigrated to New Zealand in 1888 .

Joan was born on 8 October 1920, in Wellington and attended Wellington Technical College. As a young woman she excelled in sport, especially athletics and cricket, representing Wellington in both these sports. After leaving college, she joined the Meteorological Office and was working in Wellington as an observer at the Kelburn Meteorological Office when it was taken over by the New Zealand Air Force in 1941. Joan was one of three women in the Met. Office chosen to join 20 WAAFs sent to Fiji. Joan served there from 1941 until she was demobilised in 1944. While in Fiji she married Robert (Bob) Neil McVicar, who was then employed in telecommunications by the NZ Post Office, whose employees had been taken over by the New Zealand Army for the duration of the war.

After they were demobilised in 1944, they settled in Bucklands Beach, where Bob worked for the Post Office at Musick Point. During this time Joan played competitive netball, tennis and joined Bob at indoor rifle shooting. In 1964, the family relocated to Papatoetoe, Auckland, and Bob continued to work with the Post Office, while Joan helped to run a number of small businesses. Joan continued to follow her passion for sport. Between 1944 and 1962, Joan and Bob had five children, all now married. She keenly supported her children’s teams. Joan was very creative, excelling in art calligraphy, knitting and clothes and fancy-dress costumes for her children when they were young and writing poetry – taking after her great-uncle, Walter de la Mare. After her family passed the stage of children’s illnesses, she cared for sick children at King’s College Hospital Infirmary for several years, and continued to provide compassionate help to neighbours until the day she died. After living in Papatoetoe for 40 years, Joan and Bob relocated to St Heliers and settled into a new routine. Unfortunately, Bob was in poor health and he moved into St Andrew’s Hospital in March 2007. Joan is survived by her husband, five children, 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

[from eulogy provided by her daughter, Robyn Ramsey]