Naida, who passed away on 17 July, only a few months after her 100th birthday, was married to the late Henry Christie (Head Master 1963-71). Funeral details were published recently in The Telegraph, and can be read here.
On Henry Christie's retirement in 1971, Naida's strength and contribution to College was praised in the Brightonian:
No doubt the secret of such composure under stress is a rich by-product of a deeply contented family life. With this Henry Christie is certainly blessed. His wife, Naida, has been a main pillar of many of those aspects of his headmastership that have been most markedly successful. The flow of hospitality from their home will be remembered with admiration and gratitude as having built up the awareness of being a family community among all those who belong to the College. Furthermore, her teaching of English, especially in the Sixth Form, has been grounded on standards of scholarly integrity that her pupils have been fortunate indeed to encounter
Philip Robinson (CR. 1971-2000) writes fondly of his time teaching alongside Mrs Christie:
I really only knew Naida for four months, but she made a great impression on me. When I came down from Oxford in 1971 for a term’s teaching practice, I took over her class in the 4th Form. She insisted on observing my lessons for the whole half term. I must admit that at first I found that somewhat intimidating, but I soon warmed to her and developed a very easy relationship with her. I cannot have made too bad an impression on her because shortly after, Henry offered me a job for the next year. Along with Tim Pearce, the Head of English, she showed me the importance of careful planning and of good communication with the classes I taught. That formed the basis of my happy and fulfilling career at Brighton College.
The friendliness and good nature of the Christies is well recorded. Upon Henry's passing in 1992, the late Peter Perfect (CR. 1958-94) remarked in his Chapel address that 'Our first impressions of Henry and Naida was of the warmth of the welcome they had for us.'
If you would like to share your memories of Naida Christie with us, do get in touch via ob@oldbrightonians.com