‘She’ll still be greeting students with her trademark sparkle for a long time to come’

A teacher who welcomed generations of students to her rural classroom now has a memorial which will continue to greet students and visitors.

Gayle Rodger, a teacher of Canvastown School’s new entrant class for 20 years, passed away on October 30, 2024 after a long battle with cancer.

However, thanks to the generosity of the Canvastown School community, Gayle’s contributions, artwork and spirit will continue to welcome students through the placement of a new monument and garden dedicated to her at the entrance to the school.

It was revealed on Sunday before students returned to start Term Three.

“Gayle was a such a bright person, and you can tell by the sculpture - that’s her in a nutshell – and I’ve just been starstruck on her behalf because all of the stories of her that have come out during this process have shown the type of woman she was”, said husband Graeme.

“She saw two generations of kids – they’re seven when they leave her room and she loved seeing the next generation of families come through.

“It’s a beautiful addition to the school to come, sit, talk and remember her, and I miss her terribly,” said Graeme.

Canvastown School Board of Trustees presiding member Nan Buchanan-Brown said, “We wanted today to be a celebration of her teaching and what she gave to us so having the family and wider school community involved was just fantastic.

“It all fitted in together – we did a bit of landscaping, a board member donated the boulder it sits on, people added flowers to the garden today, and it sits right outside her classroom.”

The exterior of the flower’s petals includes artwork and patterns drawn by Gayle while in Hospice, with the steel interior expressing how she helped many local kids to shine.

One of those students is Harrison, the son of Seamus and Sarah Van Lent of Welderbeast Engineering, who donated their time and expertise to build Gayle’s memorial.

“Gayle had such an impact on Harrison and other kids around her - she saw a kid, saw their potential, treated them as an individual, and saw how they channelled them into their potential”, says Sarah.

“When we got together to honour Gayle, we wanted to tell a story - the centre is her as a star shining bright, and the flower arrangement is how she managed to wrap around not just students but the whole Canvastown community.

“She’ll still be greeting students with her trademark sparkle for a long time to come.

“It’s genuinely such an honour to be here, the turnout despite the weather was beyond what we could have imagined – it’s a testament to who she was, a big welcoming hand into Canvastown School”, summarised Gayle’s daughter Grace.

“Mum was a talented artist, and while in Hospice she doodled on her sketch pad - so Seamus and Sara incorporated little snippets of Mum’s doodles and put them into the petals and it’s just come out beautifully.

“The impact that she had on this school was second to none, and it’s all been very, very humbling,” she added.