Memories of Jean Monk

Jean Monk (nee Robertson) was a Sumner School for the Deaf student, who enrolled at Sumner in 1926 and left in 1936. Students weren’t allowed to sign but could “move their arms a bit”. Jean, born in Wellington, talks about her life in the 1930s and 40s after Sumner where she worked as a leather fitting machinist and life on the farm. Her husband was James (Jim) Alexander Monk, also deaf with whom she had six children with. Jim Monk was the President of Wellington Deaf Society from 1959 to 1961. Jean shows her photos of her life in the second half of the video. Filmed July 1998.