There was much more to Judy Bannon than her upright posture and elegant attire… or even her involvement with local council.
JUDY BANNON 20-12-1946 – 19-1-2025
Judy Bannon, seen here in a photograph from a few years ago, was known for her sartorial flair. She died on January 19, age 78.
Those at her funeral last week heard she came from a line of strong women – she was the fifth generation of her family to be christened in New Zealand – and at age 16, she attended a party on the Royal Britannia yacht during Queen Elizabeth II’s 1963 visit. That invitation came because her grandfather was secretary for the Royal Akarana Yacht Club at the time.
Judy’s daughter Kim said her mother was patient, kind, had a great sense of humour, was honest and always hard-working. “Intelligent, knowledgeable and with a flair for dress,” she added, “you could never predict what colour outfit she would be wearing when she walked through the door.”
Judy was born in Auckland, the elder sister to three brothers. Growing up around Onehunga, with a spell on Motutapu Island, she enjoyed an idyllic young life and forged a particularly strong connection with her grandmother.
Judy Bannon (nee Young) as a young woman.
It was in her late teens that she met Jim Bannon… on a blind date of sorts where Jim caught Judy in overalls, painting the ceilings and with paint in her hair. It was said to have been love at first sight. They married in 1969 then moved to a cottage in the middle of four acres of bush in Waimauku.
The family moved to Cambridge in 1973, primarily for the better schooling options for young James and Kim.
Undeterred by gender norms of the day, Judy went back to work when the children were preschoolers. “Dad raised us while studying,” Kim said. “He was the only dad at kindergarten pick-up. Mum broke down barriers… she never thought of herself as brave, but she was. She could brick a house, wallpaper, clean the guttering, paint a ceiling, sew a dress, dig a vegetable garden… she would give anything a go.”
Both Jim and Judy studied in the evenings. Judy completed a certificate in commerce in 1984 then and became general manager of operations (practice manager) at Tanner Fitzgerald and Getty in Hamilton. She furthered her studies by completing an MBA in 1997 and completing the inaugural landscape design course at Hamilton Gardens.
Judy Bannon
In 1998, she became manager at the Auckland-based patent attorneys, Baldwins. It was after she retired from there that she did a director’s course and became a trustee for the Waipā Network Trust and an elected Waipā councillor.
Judy’s involvement with the Cambridge community was with the harriers club, netball, the Cambridge Tree Trust, Waipā District Council, the Cambridge Community Board, and Waipā Networks Trust.
Jim died in 2009. Judy always supported his own adventures … from breaking in a racehorse or sailing the Amazon, to completing his PhD in freshwater ecology.
Waipā deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk said Judy, who served on Waipā District Council from 2013 to 2019, became a trusted voice on local issues. She was an active supporter for the building of Cambridge’s new swimming pool and worked to bolster Civil Defence funding.
More women needed: Left to right: Sue Milner, Judy Bannon, Jo Davies- Colley, Liz Stolwyk, Alana Mackay are encouraging women into local politics. Photo: Michael Jeans.
