Miss Kay Deare

Miss Kay Deare was one of the earliest teachers of the Deaf children, and she came to the Deaf Unit, at Hamilton West School in 1965.

Kay was the popular teacher for the Deaf children over many years until she retired as an Advisor of the Deaf Children. She taught Deaf children to use oral but to encourage them to use sign language outside the classroom. Kay knew there was a policy that sign language forbade in the classroom under the Ministry of Education, New Zealand. New Zealand was not the only one country, and the rest of the countries around the world followed the ban of sign language in 1880. Because the Second International Congress on the Education of the Deaf held in Milan, Italy and the delegates decided to use oral education than a manual education in 1880.

Not many ex Deaf students know about her life or experience with any other Deaf children through school and home. First of all, to many ex Deaf students spoke highly of her as a popular teacher, lovely teacher, favourite teacher.
The photo above was taken a year before she passed away. Jean interviewed Kay about her role as a teacher/ Advisor of the Deaf Children in Hamilton. Her memory was not very good from time to time when Jean visited her often. Jean thought it was an excellent time to interview for the book – Hamiton Deaf Units and hope that Kay will attend the 50th Reunion of the Deaf Units in 2012. Sadly Kay did not attend to the reunion due to illness.

Here is a small biography of her life and the work.

Kay born and lived in New Plymouth, Taranaki. Kay’s parent was Roy and May, and Roy worked with his father – Robert as a shoemaker/salesperson in New Plymouth. She played the cello and became involved with the New Plymouth Symphony Orchestra and as well in orchestras for several years at the Auckland Teachers College.

Kay decided to become a teacher and completed her training course at Auckland Teachers College, New Zealand two years after World War 2. Her first post job was at Welbourn Primary School in New Plymouth for a probationary year. However, after Term One, she pressured into accepting a position as an assistant teacher at Otangiwai, where there were two schools in the King Country. One of Kay’s comments was funny – the school committee chairman said he would be offered her a horse to ride to school and to a home where she boarded. The home was three and a half-mile from/to school in the King Country. She refused to ride a horse and took her old rusty bicycle from her parent’s home. Another joke! Kay was telling Jean about many sheep walked around in the paddocks eating grass, had lambs annually and were shorn once a year. Kay thought “rudely thrust aside”, but she learned. Jean asked Kay what did she think of the tiny village – Otangiwai? Kay replied this village was a beautiful country and learnt to live and have many experiences there for she was born as a “Townie”. The holiday season was a trip home to her parents on the Railcar trip, and she decided to use a motorbike – a James two-stroke set of wheels. The cop called this motorbike – an “Eggbeater”. Kay used petrol ration coupons for one and a half gallons a month for her basic needs in the valley, to/from school and to play golf every Saturday.

In 1954, Kay left for Sydney, Australia and travelled to Egpyt (though the Suez Canal on the old ship ‘Otranto’, to England for several years with her old friend and returned around 1957.

Kay resumed to teaching at Mangorei School, near New Plymouth and there was a deaf student between 1957 and 1963. Jean was unable to locate the name of this deaf student. Kay was interesting to learn about hearing impairments (she called this at the time of the interview). She went to Christchurch in 1963 where she took up a year training in Education of the Deaf. Kay came to live in Hamilton where she taught many Deaf children at Hamilton Deaf Unit, Hamiton West School for several years. Then Kay updated her training as an Adviser on Deaf Children in Christchurch and finally landed a job in Hamilton again. Kay travelled around the Waikato area as it was a large area and involved many miles of travelling, but she found it was exciting to work.

Kay retired in 1985 after serving forty years of service as an Advisor on Deaf Children and continue to live in Hamilton where she loves living here, and her friends close by. Jean visited Kay in January 2016, and her health declined, and her memory was not good, but she still remembers most of the name of her ex Deaf students. Jean got a message from a person at the Baptist Church where Kay involved and worked there for many years. Kay passed away in the following month – February 2016.