June Lindsay Clark (née Milne) was born in Dunedin but spent her early years on her parents’ farm at the foot of the Rock and Pillar Range just outside Middlemarch, in Central Otago. Their home was a stone cottage. June lived with her grandmother while she attended Otago Girls’ High School. She then gained a B.A. Degree in History and Geography at Otago University before training to become a secondary school teacher at Christchurch Teachers’ College. She married Arnold Clark in December 1959 and subsequently had three daughters.
The family moved about New Zealand as Arnold taught at various schools and June also returned to teaching as the daughters became older. June was a Girl Guide Leader in Golden Bay (near Nelson, South Island), where she also developed her interests in tramping and alpine flora. Here, she also lead a busy life being involved with Play Centre, Nelson Agriculture and Pastoral Association and the Drama Club.
June and Arnold semi-retired to a rural block at Wakefield, 30km south of Nelson, where they established a home and garden and raised Angora goats for mohair. June vigorously pursued her interests in tramping, flowers, gardens and alpine plants. Overseas trips to Nepal, China and Russia extended her love of history and geography.
After the trip to China in 2000, June and her husband became members of the Nelson Branch of the NZCFS and June gave almost 14 years of commitment to the society, visiting China two more times, becoming the Nelson Branch President, organising a successful National Conference in 2007, and raising funds [nearly $100,000] to establish the ‘Huangshi’ Chinese garden in Nelson. She was made a Life Member of the branch at the beginning of 2014.
We will remember June for her wide-ranging commitment to the New Zealand China Friendship Society, her wise and effective leadership of Nelson Branch, the invaluable contribution she made to improving our understanding of China and its people, her part in strengthening our relationship with our Sister City, Huangshi, and for her commitment to the growth and development of the Nelson Branch.
But, most of all, we will remember her delightful humanity, her friendliness and warmth, her genuine interest in others and the world around her, and her joy in family – she was a very special lady and will be sorely missed.
