Robyn Margaret Joynes
(nee Goodison, formerly Scrimgeour)
23 December 1944 – 7 July 2024

Robyn’s dad Jim Goodison returned home from the second world war in the Middle East, married his teenage sweetheart Jean Wright and Robyn arrived just before Christmas, an early boomer. She grew up in Whangarei along with younger sister Gill and brother Ian.

Robyn attended Whangarei Primary School then was an inaugural student at the newly minted Whangarei Intermediate School, then on to Whangarei Girls High School, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother.

After finishing school, Robyn attended Teachers Training College in Auckland. Next, she moved to Christchurch to undertake her training as a speech language therapist. Her first job as a speech therapist was in Ashburton. While in Canterbury, Robyn caught the eye of John Scrimgeour and they married.

Before long Robyn and John were off on their big OE in 1967, the year of love. Back in the 60’s many people still travelled between continents by passenger ship, as they did. It was to be a 5 year odyssey around the world on a shoestring budget, stopping to work when they needed to top up the funds. Robyn certainly demonstrated her enduring thirst for challenge and adventure. Letters home to family were carefully curated to avoid raising alarm about the more hair-raising things they got up to. It was during that OE that 2 of

Robyn’s special talents became apparent:
She took a job in the US as a chef in the household of one of the wealthiest of families, cooking for the widow of William Randolf Hearst the publishing magnate. Robyn rose to the challenge and proved to be a truly excellent master of all things culinary. Robyn’s meals were often a gastronomic delight.

Arriving in Europe, Robyn’s flair for languages came to the fore. A combination of her natural listening skills and her technical knowledge of speech resulted in her readily and rapidly picking up the local lingos: Danish, German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish. She could get by in most places in Europe.

Several adventures stand out: working an opal mine in Australia, part-owning a Baltic trading vessel in Denmark, working in London while living in a tent, administering an international school in Switzerland, and making the journey home through Asia, overland all the way. This was an amazing adventure but fraught with moments of life-threatening risk from wild animals, not all of which were 4 legged.

Back home to civilisation in 1972 they settled into Auckland and Robyn carried on her speech therapy at the Carlson School for Cerebral Palsy in Epsom, and at a clinic in Takapuna.

In 1973 Robyn and John become shareholders in the newly formed Little Windy Hill Company at the Barrier. The Barrier looms large in her family sagas; her great-great grandmother Marguerite Le Roy arrived in 1852 to join her relatives in NZ who lived at Port Fitzroy. Her grandfather and father sailed the Gulf extensively between the wars and visited the Barrier many times in their Logan snapper boat “Little Jim”. Her childhood was laced with their stories. It’s no wonder that Robyn leaped at the chance to establish herself on the Barrier. She and John built one of the first houses on the land at Little Windy Hill. In 1979 they moved to the island to teach at Mulberry Grove School.

Robyn remained resident on the Barrier until her passing and worked at the school until her retirement in 1997. She called on her speech language therapy skills to help many children facing language and literacy challenges, pro-bono more often than not. In 1996 Robyn travelled to Wellington to receive the Education Service Award from the Governor-General. The award is recorded as saying “it is clear her skills were significantly supplemented by generous dedicated time and travel in difficult terrain and throughout holidays. The degree of progress made by the young people concerned is credited to Robyn with unqualified praise by grateful and admiring parents”.

During the 80’s she teamed up with Barrier author Don McGregor and shared sailing adventures in their yachts “Phildora” and “Stargull”. “Stargull” was built by Tony Litherland at Whangaparapara, after “Phildora” was wrecked at Puriri Bay in a storm.
Robyn and Joe Joynes got hitched in 1992 on our parents’ lawn in Whangarei. Robyn had no children of her own, but Joe came with a ready-made family whom Robyn embraced whole-heartedly. Her adventures didn’t end there. Robyn ably assisted Joe with his entrepreneurial ventures; Bug Busting, Joe’s mussels, the gas business, growing mushrooms, the septic sucker truck, the Mr Whippy truck, and Kaka Tours. Robyn did the books, dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s, ran the phones, and scooped the icecream, much to our childrens’ delight! It was hilarious to see the poo truck and the icecream truck parked side by side in the shed; Joe had both ends covered, figurately speaking. All the while Robyn continued with her speech therapy work.

Robyn’s thirst for travel and adventure did not diminish. She travelled again, both with Joe and on her own after Joe’s passing. Many of their adventures were with a couple she met on the big OE. Ken Marx was a Hollywood character who visited Barrier several times. A second cousin of the Marx Brothers; his dad filmed the Lassie movies and you can guess who his family pet was. Ken’s wife Pamela had one of those undefined roles with the US State department which involved overseas postings. Just imagine touring Egypt with them in an embassy car with diplomatic plates; to visit with them in Cuba where the US did not have an “official” diplomatic presence. Later on Robyn accompanied Ken on a road trip all
the way from Florida to Alaska and back, a cruise on the Baltic to Russia, tall ship sailing in the maritime states, and a voyage from the Med to Thailand on a luxury sailing cruise vessel. They ran through the Red Sea with no lights, radio silence, and armed guards on board.

Robyn was very active physically; often seen running and walking Barrier tracks and roads with her treasured 4-legged companions; Chas & Chica, Gina, Sally and last of all Lucy. She loved then all and she really enjoyed doing the wharf to wharf event. Robyn and Lucy patrolled Gooseberry Flat every day.

In the last few years as her health deteriorated, Robyn insisted in staying on the Barrier no matter what. It was heart-breaking to see her being ravaged by her condition, but it was truly inspirational for us to see her indomitable spirit and determination carry her so far and for so long. It was the right decision to stay. We have a very strong sense of how marvelously the Barrier community wrapped around Robyn in her times of need. She could not have done it without you. There are too many to name, but these are some; Robyn’s boys we call them: the men who have looked out for Robyn ever since Joe’s passing. Graeme, Vern, Scrim. Robyn was so appreciative of all the little things you did for her over the years; the fresh snapper fillets at the door, the repairs around the home, the newspaper deliveries, the dog-sitting, transport, the chats over coffee and the bikkie jar, most importantly, watching the rugby together.

The staff at Aotea Health have been absolutely awesome throughout Robyn’s journey. Also Aotea Family Support and caregiver Julie Moore. The care and support that Robyn received from both groups was not unique to her alone. We know that you deliver exceptional service across the Barrier community and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Robyn remained in command until the end. When she realized that her body was worn out she let go and went easily and quickly. We are grateful she is longer in pain.
A service was held at Barrier Social Club on 12 July with family and friends, and then we laid her to rest at Gooseberry Flat cemetery. Special thanks to Mallory Thompson William Parkes and the past pupils of Mulberry Grove School who were pallbearers, and to Ron Berry and the Barrier Social Club for hosting the celebration of Robyn’s life. A memorial event was also held on the mainland Saturday 10 August 1pm at Weiti Boating Club, Whangaparaoa. Dress code colourful!

Words by Ian Goodison, Robyn’s brother