It is with great sadness that we mark the death of Joanna Lowis FRGS, who died at home in early October 2019. Joanna joined the Society as a Fellow in 1992 and in 2014 joined the regional committee before becoming Secretary in 2016.
Joanna had spent her working life in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and undertook a wide range of postings including to Warsaw, Dusseldorf, Wellington, Paris, Cape Town, Pretoria, Kathmandu, Ottawa, Islamabad and Tunis – a succession of workplaces doubtless the envy of any ambitious geographer. After retiring in 2004, she became an ever-present participant at South Region events.
She bravely agreed to undertake the task of committee Secretary in the silence which followed a request for a volunteer to take minutes. Despite her aversion to the demands of the digital age, Joanna excelled in the position. She proved to be an absolute stalwart in her contribution, constantly reminding the acting chair when required and promptly producing documents with clarity and economy.
Joanna managed to fit her RGS-IBG work into a very busy social life, in which she seemed to be regularly engaged in a multiplicity of activities, including sailing, skiing and service to her local community in Lymington. She remained fit and active to the last, still skiing, sailing and travelling in her eighth decade. Her cheerful and generous demeanour enriched the lives of many colleagues and friends. She will be sorely missed.
By Derek Mottershead, Paul Newby and Henry Hogger