Jackie was always the embodiment of calm, composure, consistency, reliability and common sense. From the first day I met her she was someone I felt I could trust, could rely on and who made me feel valued and respected. She never had a bad word to say about anyone, and she really always saw the good, the likeable, the human in us all at Peter Symonds, teachers and students alike. She dealt with other people with rationality, kindness and humour, and that was how people behaved in her presence in return.
That's not to say that she didn't have her flamboyant side, tucked away just beneath the surface. She would invariably team a dark suit with a really bright scarf or top or a pair of cowboy style boots or a really unusual piece of jewellery. But as I got to know her over years I realised that Jackie had eclectic tastes, interest and hobbies that went way beyond a jazzy scarf. She was Tarantino mad and loved dark and violent films; her book tastes were similarly dark too. She was an epicurean and loved good food, good wine and great restaurants. The office was often fragrant with the smell of her customary Cinammon lattes, especially at this time of the year. She was always making the most of her holidays to jet off to exotic locations in Europe with different combinations of her family, coming back with enviable tales of museum hopping and sampling the local wines and cuisines. After a busy day at work, she would often be off on her way to the cinema or to dinner, or at the very least planning an invigorating swim in her back yard. Jackie occasionally mentioned that she had unusual sleep patterns and would often be up for a few hours in the middle of the night before going back to bed, during which time she would read, write and plan. I'm sure she was making light of something that must have been difficult, but she always made it sound so exotic. I pictured her like Sherlock Holmes, having extraordinary secret epiphanies in the moonlight whilst everyone else slumbered away their lives.
One of the best things about Jackie was her wicked sense of humour, ranging from the ludicrous alien-like nobbly objects she kept on her desk to keep it clean and to entertain her students, to her sparkly wearable Christmas decorations, to her trademark phrases, she would often address us as her collee-ag-yous and to her witty and sometimes hilariously naff smart board resources that she would amuse and engage her students with. No matter how dark, depressing and harrowing the books we taught were, she could always hone in irreverently on something about the text that would make you laugh.
She didn't like to talk about or think about her illness at work, understandably, but in the rare moments that she did she described it with all the amazing qualities above; with dignity, sense and humour.
Jackie was a wonderful teacher and person. There are not enough people like her in the world. She will be much missed.