By Roselyn Fauth
A visit to Woodbury Library recently reminded me that Pamela Gibson, a volunteer archivist for Timaru Girls’ High School, had sent me an obituary of Beatrice Rae Wilson CNZM with a Timaru Girl's High School and Woodbury connection. I went back to the email with her bio and the amazing research compiled by the schools archivists, prompted this blog. Some lives dont make an impact through self-promotion, and instead are focused on what they can contribute to education and their community. Beatrice Rae Wilson was one of those people. She was one of the first women appointed to the permanent secondary staff to Timaru Girl's High School. She became the schools principal 1977. She retired to Woodbury in 1895 with the odd bit of relief teaching at the local high school in Geraldine. In the 1998 New Year’s Honours List, Beatrice Rae Wilson was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of her services to education and the community. Read on to learn more about this wonderful woman and what she gave...
Born and educated in Waimate, Beatrice Dale showed early leadership, serving two years as head prefect at Waimate High School. Teaching ran in the family. Her father and brother were both teachers, and she followed that path, training at Dunedin Teachers’ College and specialising in physical education and Māori studies.
In 1943, during the Second World War, Beatrice was assigned as a PE specialist to Taihape. Despite concerns from her father, who worried it was a dangerous posting for a young woman, she remained there until the end of the war. It was an early indication of a trait that would define her life... some might say her quiet resolve.
Although Waimate was home, Timaru had long been part of her story too. As a child, she holidayed with her paternal grandparents in Timaru, playing with the children next door. Years later, life came full circle when she married one of those neighbours, Leslie K Wilson, after his return from service with the RNZAF. Together they settled in Timaru.
Beatrice taught briefly at Timaru Main School before joining the staff of Timaru Girls’ High School in 1958 as an English teacher. She was one of the first women appointed to the permanent secondary staff. She took a full and generous role in school life and is still remembered for moments that combined dignity with delight, including the legendary Can-Can she produced for a leavers’ dinner.
From reading her bio, I learned that Beatrice was a life long learner, and began degree studies while at Teachers’ College and completed most of her BA extramurally. Later, while Head of English at Geraldine High School from 1972, she drove weekly to Christchurch to attend lectures in order to complete her final Stage 3 unit, all while commuting daily from Timaru.
In 1977, after much persuasion, she agreed to take on the role of Principal of Timaru Girls’ High School. It was a significant appointment at a time when women in senior educational leadership were still uncommon. Her principalship coincided with a major period of redevelopment, both physical and professional. Staff and students alike appreciated her friendly and dignified manner, her respect for tradition, her openness to innovation, and her commitment to every aspect of school life.
She retired from the principalship in 1985. Retirement, however, did not mean retreat. Beatrice and Leslie moved to a rural property at Woodbury near Geraldine, where she continued occasional relief teaching at Geraldine High School and deepened her involvement in community life.
Her service extended widely. She was active in the South Canterbury National Council of Women, Age Concern, Marriage Guidance, Youthline, and court conciliation work. She chaired the Aoraki Regional Employment and Access Council and played a major role in the Health Consultation Committee for Rural South Canterbury.
Faith was also central to her life. She was long involved with the Anglican Church, first at St Mary’s in Timaru, and later as a lay minister in the Geraldine parish.
In the 1998 New Year’s Honours List, Beatrice Rae Wilson was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of her services to education and the community. It was a formal acknowledgement of a lifetime of contribution carried out without fuss.
On display at the Timaru Girls High School as part of the the Archive. Photography by Roselyn Fauth Feb 2026
Her life was not without loss. Leslie died in 2004. Their daughter Stephanie, who briefly relieved on the Timaru Girls’ High School staff, was killed in a tragic accident while studying at Massey University in 1977. Beatrice carried these losses with characteristic grace, supported by her surviving daughter Viv, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
In her later years, she lived at McKenzie Life Care in Geraldine, where she died peacefully on 1 February 2017.
Beatrice Rae Wilson’s legacy lives on in the schools she shaped, the communities she served, and the many young women who benefited from her leadership. She represents a generation who led without fanfare, believed deeply in education, and understood that service is a lifelong commitment.
They did not seek attention. But they changed lives.
This blog is inspired by research held in the Timaru Girls’ High School archives. The original research is published with acknowledgement to Mrs Viv Raj and Mrs Joy Slade, and was kindly shared through the work of Pamela Gibson, volunteer archivist for Timaru Girls’ High School.
Beatrice Rae Wilson, who died on 1 February 2017 aged 93, was laid to rest at Timaru Cemetery on 7 February, in the General Section.
