Joyce Alfreda Ivory, 20 November 1934 – 25 March 2022.
Joyce was born and raised in Christchurch where she attended Christchurch Girls’ High school, Christchurch Teacher’s Training College and began a part-time BA degree at Canterbury University. After her marriage to Hugh, they lived in Wellington, Hastings and then returned to Christchurch by which time there were 4 children. It was the interest of her children in AFS (American Field Service) Intercultural Programme that led to the family and Joyce in particular becoming increasingly involved in home hosting AFS exchange students, the work of the local committee and the selection of applicants and host families. As President of the Christchurch Chapter Joyce attended Conferences in many parts of New Zealand and when the family moved to Auckland Joyce was responsible for English language assessment of incoming exchange students. In 1990 as part of an Educator’s Adult Group, she was home hosted in Thailand which enabled her to visit a range of educational institutions. Again in 1996, this time with Hugh, they were home hosted in Russia for 3 weeks at a time when the country was emerging from the Soviet era. It was in Auckland in the 1980s that Joyce returned to the University of Auckland and completed a BA with a double major in History and Sociology. On graduation, she joined NZFUW, Auckland Branch, as had her Mother in Christchurch a generation before her. She became particularly interested in Public Affairs but in 1997 she became the Membership Secretary of the National Executive of NZFUW. It was during this term of the Executive that we became concerned about members who lived where there was no Branch. Joyce undertook to search out these graduate women and over that period of time, and again during the next Auckland Executive 2006-09 continued to nurture this group of Graduate Women, now recognized as Independent Members of GWNZ. In addition to these two terms on National Executive Joyce also served as membership secretary and President of the Auckland Branch of Graduate Women as well as being a Delegate to the newly formed West Auckland Branch of the National Council of Women. An older ladies group of the Auckland GW Branch, Viva, decided to record members’ family backgrounds and own achievements and these ‘herstories’ became the material of the book that Joyce compiled and edited in 2011, Herstories: A celebration of Life. Joyce describes these years of involvement in women’s organizations as very rewarding and inspirational. I believe that those of us who had the privilege of working with Joyce have been very fortunate to know this very gentle but committed lady. Joyce illustrated in every way the objectives of Graduate Women – to continue life-long learning; to support fellow women graduates; to encourage girls and women to achieve tertiary education and to use their education and skills in the community. Thank you, Joyce.
- Dorothy Meyer