Dedicated deputy principal will be missed

Amanzimtoti High School will bid a sad farewell to one of its ‘family members’ when deputy principal Rosemarie Hughes (64) retires at the end of the year.

Rose joined the school as a typing and accounting teacher in 1986, before leaving for the department of education’s FET College in Swinton Road until her return in 1997. The following year she became acting head of department of the grade 8s and deputy principal in 2005.

She was born in Durban and schooled at Brighton Beach Primary and Grosvenor Girls High, before studying teaching at the then-Natal Technical College. In 1974 she began her teaching career at Mowat Park High School.

She took a break from the blackboard to run a dancing school for three years, following another of her passions. She is a qualified instructor in modern, tap and Spanish dancing and had a successful professional career on stage at the Natal Performing Arts Council (NAPAC) and in shows around Durban.

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In 1975 she married Derek and they had two children – Desmond and Shanna, who are both teachers. Shanna was a KZN hockey player from U16 to senior level and head girl at Toti High in 2001, while Desmond, who was a prefect and later taught at Amanzimtoti High with Shanna, is an indoor SA cricketer who represented his country at the 2016 world cup, and KZN in baseball and softball.

Her grandson Jayden is also a prolific sportsman and he was selected to the KZN U10 action cricket team. “I’m looking forward to watching him play sport in my retirement, that is my main aim,” said Rosemarie, who played badminton in her day. “I would like to get involved in NGOs that work with children – my passion is children.

I will miss everyone at Amanzimtoti High when I retire, and the pupils – there have been so many special ones over the years who have crept into my heart. I would like to thank the principal Louise Lemmer, who took me out of my comfort zone by appointing me deputy principal. She has made me grow. She has been such an amazing leader as well as a friend. I will miss the family atmosphere at the school – it will be like leaving part of my family. I’m really going to miss that.”

Louise was full of praise for Rose’s work ethic over the years. “She is the most passionate, loyal and crazy woman I have ever worked with,” she said with a smile. “The school has been like her home. She has cared for every single child.

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I have never seen someone with her admin skills and I don’t know how we are going to cope after she leaves. She has assisted the school with our end of year schedules so well that the department of education has asked her to continue helping all the schools with their exams. She has always assisted anyone who needs help.

We are all going to miss Rose – she has made such a big impact at the school and her footprints will always remain here. She has been such a big part of the school. I will be sad to see her go but she has earned the right to spend some quality time with her family.”