Cathy Strong, granddaughter Katie Belle, flying off on another adventure

Cathy Strong flies more than Mary Poppins

1970s BJ State Desk reporter Cathy Strong, who created the journalism master’s program at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand, and who stays in one place about as long as a hummingbird does, is off to Washington State with her granddaughter, Katie Belle, whose parents are Cathy’s daughter, Rebecca and her husband, Dion.

Cathy’s sister, Janet Mullins, lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

In February, Cathy saw daughter Penelope marry international patent attorney John Pint, originally from Minnesota, in New Zealand.

In 2005 Cathy's daughter, Rebecca, and husband Dion, were married in Otaki, New Zealand. They have three daughters and a son. 

In 2013 Cathy’s daughter, Amanda, married Jeff Shima near Waiouru, New Zealand. They have a daughter. 

Cathy lives about an hour away from Wellington on the Kapiti Coast’s Te Horo Beach. 

She  spent three years in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, teaching journalism, mostly to daughters of Arab royalty (with a broken foot slipping down a stairway as a souvenir). 

She also has taught snowboarding down New Zealand mountains (with cracked ribs to prove it).

And given journalism lectures in Japan, water-skiied and kayaked. 

She's been to Kenya and Tonga (for a family reunion), given journalism seminars in Taiwan and flown to Washington, D.C. to accept first prize in the Great Ideas For Teachers competition at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in 2013. 

Cathy flew to Boston to jump in a hot tub with friend Pam McCarthy, retired North Canton Hoover High teacher, in a reunion that took 35 years to happen. 

Hell, when retired BJ photographer Don Roese, 1970s State Desk reporter Paula Stone Tucker and I visited Cathy in 2013, she hadn’t had a visit from anyone except the late legend Fran Murphey in her four decades in Kiwi land.

And, as Don said, “she’s still a fine-looking woman.” Maybe a little accident-prone, though.

If you want to visit or phone Cathy, her New Zealand office number is  021 2172112. Don't be surprised if you get her VoiceMail. This is one busy broad! 

8-28-14 report from Cathy:

Disneyland was soooo fun with granddaughter Katie Belle. From tomorrow is family get-together in Leavenworth, zip lining, river tubing, lots of nattering -- with Ann Hays, Ian Equality Hays, Sally Bryan, Penelope Pint ,John Wayne Pint and long long time friend Jim Hackett.