Friends pay tribute to slain teacher

Pupils released hundreds of balloons at the end of the service for Lois Dear. Picture / Alan Gibson

Chatter and music filled the air as Strathmore School pupils released 300 balloons in memory of their murdered teacher Lois Dear yesterday.

The orange, white and silver balloons, signifying the monarch butterflies Ms Dear loved, were released at the end of a memorial service for the 66-year-old at Tokoroa Apostolic Church.

About 700 people attended the service, the crowd spilling out from the main church into an adjoining hall, where they listened to tributes from Ms Dear's family, fellow teachers, friends and students.

Hundreds of cards, letters and photos remembering Ms Dear lined the church entrance and walls.

"Miss Dear was cool because she didn't need to growl people," Troyden, a boy she taught last year, had written.

Children sang songs and a DVD of Ms Dear's Room 4 class performing a play she adapted from the book The Pipi and the Mussels was shown.

The DVD provoked laughter from her pupils, seeing themselves singing and dancing on the big screen. Ms Dear could also be heard talking.

"It was lovely to hear Lois' voice speaking to us at the start of that," said principal Murray Kendrick, whose tribute followed the DVD.

Mr Kendrick said a message in one of the condolence cards the school had received since her murder on July 16 summed up feelings about Ms Dear. "A beautiful soul is never forgotten," the message said.

Deputy principal Murray Robson relayed tributes from teachers, one of whom recalled Ms Dear's favourite saying about Mr Kendrick was, "He's not always right, but he's the boss".

Strathmore student Mike Harris said his funniest memory of Ms Dear was her dancing around the classroom to country music.

He would also never forget the nickname she gave him.

"She called me Mike the Spike because I always have spiky hair."

Parent Vanessa Beere said: "One thing I know is that now you're above, heaven will be astounded by your mana and love."

Ms Dear's son, Kevin McNeil, thanked the Tokoroa community for their support, and her daughter, Jan Armstrong, said her mother always taught people that if they found it hard to say "I love you", they should do it in sign language.

She struggled to hold back tears as she demonstrated.

Ms Dear's brother, Harley Dear, was happy the memorial was on a beautiful, sunny day.

"Today is the day the community can start healing. We're overjoyed about that," he said.

He joked that his sister was bossy and said she was not perfect, but to him she was "simply the best".

Before the service, Mr Dear told the Herald the family had visited her classroom, where she was murdered.

"Obviously it was emotional," he said. "However, what was really good for us was we saw how happy the room was and the happiness is still there."

Mr Dear said taking a video of the word "courage", which Ms Dear had written on her blackboard, was a highlight.

* A 23-year-old man has been charged with Ms Dear's murder and is due to reappear in Tokoroa District Court on Monday.