Patricia Forsythe arrived in New Zealand to begin her time as Australian High Commissioner to the country the day after the tragic Christchurch gun massacre last year.
Her time in the job has involved one challenge after another - from the aftermath of the horrific public shootings by an Australian citizen to the White Island volcano disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Novocastrian whose family connection to the Hunter stretches back to the 1850s - and who began her working life as a history teacher at Jesmond High School and Newcastle Grammar School - was presented a key to the city on Friday by lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes.
It was a surprise for Mrs Forsythe, who was taken from a meeting with Cr Nelmes to a room full of close family members for the presentation.
"It's a huge honour, completely unexpected but something I'll treasure," she said.
"I'm very proud of being a Novocastrian. I did leave the city late in the 1980s but even when I was in parliament and years later I've always talked about being an ambassador for the city of Newcastle. It was my home, it's where I was educated and it's a city about which I'm very proud."
After working as a secondary school teacher, Mrs Forsythe was elected to the NSW Parliament Legislative Council in 1991.
During her time in the upper house, she served on the Opposition front-bench holding the shadow portfolios of education and women's affairs.
She was named Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Cook Islands and Niue in May, 2019.
"I arrived in New Zealand the day after the events in Christchurch. They were of course horrific for everybody and it certainly was a reminder about the role that you play in looking after the interests of your own country," Mrs Forsythe said.
"The Whakaari-White Island volcano was exactly one year ago and I'm so proud of everyone at DFAT [Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] and the Australian Government in what they did to support Australians in a very, very difficult time."
Cr Nelmes said Mrs Forsythe was "a major champion" for establishing the University of Newcastle's medical school in the 1970s and helped lobby for a tax office to be set up in the city in the 1980s.
"Not only has she done amazing things over a very illustrious 30 year career, she has also been our ambassador during some very significant moments for New Zealand and for Australia over the last 18 months," she said.
Mrs Forsythe is the ninth person to be handed a key to the city in Newcastle since the program began in 2017.
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