William of the White Hand
Junior News Editor
Woman bashed to death in classroom named
Lois Dear
UPDATED 7.35pm Monday July 17, 2006
By Stuart Dye, Maggie McNaughton and Juliet Rowan
Police have named the teacher bashed to death in a Tokoroa classroom yesterday as Lois Dear, aged 66.
Detective Inspector Garth Bryan, who is heading the homicide inquiry, said Ms Dear had been in her classroom preparing for the new school term when she died.
Police did not yet know the cause of death or any motive.
Twenty five police were working on the inquiry, completing a scene investigation at the school and interviewing neighbours, teachers and other potential witnesses.
Ms Dear was a new-entrant teacher who had been at Strathmore for nine years. Her 1994 Toyota Corolla hatchback was taken from the school a
nd found in Tokoroa at about 9 last night.
Detective Inspector Bryan appealed for more sightings of the car. "We believe the person responsible for Lois' death has also stolen her car," he said.
Ms Dear's brother Harley described her as a "workaholic" who lived for her job. She has a son and daughter and five grandchildren.
"She was just a really neat person -- wouldn't harm anyone, loved animals, loved to work and liked her teaching role. She had been a teacher pretty much from when she left school right until now," Mr Dear said.
"She was a workaholic in terms of her teaching, but she wasn't a workaholic for work's sake, she just loved the job. But in particular she liked seeing the result with kids."
Mr Dear said she had plans to retire at a country property with her family but he did not know when she planned to give up teaching.
She had been looking after her 95-year-old father, who lives in a Tokoroa resthome, because her two brothers lived farther awa
y.
Mr Dear, who lives in Auckland, said he had just delivered the news of her death to their father.
Ms Dear's body was found about noon yesterday by a teacher. It is understood she had head injuries.
The 12-classroom school is rated decile one - the poorest level - by the Ministry of Education.
It caters to mainly Maori and Pacific Island students.
Many of the pupils arrive with poor spoken-language ability, but last year's Education Review Office report said that by the time they reached Years 4 to 6, they were achieving at or above national expectations.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10391618
UPDATED 7.35pm Monday July 17, 2006
By Stuart Dye, Maggie McNaughton and Juliet Rowan
Police have named the teacher bashed to death in a Tokoroa classroom yesterday as Lois Dear, aged 66.
Detective Inspector Garth Bryan, who is heading the homicide inquiry, said Ms Dear had been in her classroom preparing for the new school term when she died.
Police did not yet know the cause of death or any motive.
Twenty five police were working on the inquiry, completing a scene investigation at the school and interviewing neighbours, teachers and other potential witnesses.
Ms Dear was a new-entrant teacher who had been at Strathmore for nine years. Her 1994 Toyota Corolla hatchback was taken from the school a
nd found in Tokoroa at about 9 last night.
Detective Inspector Bryan appealed for more sightings of the car. "We believe the person responsible for Lois' death has also stolen her car," he said.
Ms Dear's brother Harley described her as a "workaholic" who lived for her job. She has a son and daughter and five grandchildren.
"She was just a really neat person -- wouldn't harm anyone, loved animals, loved to work and liked her teaching role. She had been a teacher pretty much from when she left school right until now," Mr Dear said.
"She was a workaholic in terms of her teaching, but she wasn't a workaholic for work's sake, she just loved the job. But in particular she liked seeing the result with kids."
Mr Dear said she had plans to retire at a country property with her family but he did not know when she planned to give up teaching.
She had been looking after her 95-year-old father, who lives in a Tokoroa resthome, because her two brothers lived farther awa
y.
Mr Dear, who lives in Auckland, said he had just delivered the news of her death to their father.
Ms Dear's body was found about noon yesterday by a teacher. It is understood she had head injuries.
The 12-classroom school is rated decile one - the poorest level - by the Ministry of Education.
It caters to mainly Maori and Pacific Island students.
Many of the pupils arrive with poor spoken-language ability, but last year's Education Review Office report said that by the time they reached Years 4 to 6, they were achieving at or above national expectations.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10391618