Merilyn is survived by her father Kel, her husband of 36 years Noel and her son Rowan, aged 29.

Rowan was Wingham High School Captain in 2008. She is also survived by Noel's children as well as her brothers Christopher, Anthony and Ryan Dagg and their families.

Some teachers have a unique power to effect everlasting positive change in their students and Merilyn was one such teacher. She began her career in NSW in Finley and arrived at Wingham High in 1983 as a music teacher. Drama, however, became her passion and through her inspired teaching, her pupils grew and flourished in the five C's: communication, confidence, concentration, creativity and cooperation. Because of Merilyn's prowess, Drama in the school grew from a peripheral subject to a flourishing department within the Creative and Performing Arts faculty.

Merilyn's contribution to Wingham High was immense. As well as helping students achieve outstanding results in the HSC, her students entertained and captivated the school community with performances at a range of assemblies, occasions and functions. Whenever there was a need for the school to demonstrate the creativity of its students, Merilyn delivered.

The best example of this was, of course, her annual school productions. These began in the early 1990s and became a signature feature, indeed an entrenched expectation, of Wingham High. In quality they were far more professional than a mere school production. Merilyn ensured this with her attention to detail, but also through her teaching of leadership, problem solving and trust.

Productions were always about teamwork, pride and success. Rehearsals at first appeared chaotic; but they never failed to come together exquisitely. Performers, crew and helpers will have left school with memories of enjoyment and achievement, etched far deeper than any classroom lessons.

Audiences too will have similar memories. Who will ever forget the brilliant 2014 production of Romeo and Juliet? Instead of the Montagues and Capulets, it was the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Like most of Merilyn's productions, she wrote it in collaboration with her students because it was a far better achievement to create an original product. Other memorable productions included: Get Smart, The Addams Family, Cinderella, Court in the Act, The Wizard of Oz, Snakes Alive, Mary Poppins, The Little Shop of Horrors, The King and I and the 1995 super-fun show, Handstand, in which Merilyn performed as Paul Cook, the drummer in the Sex Pistols.

Merilyn was a great supporter and promoter of the Taree and District Eisteddfod. She ensured Wingham High always participated, and of course, the success brought kudos to the school. Student performances were incorporated into annual performances like The Big Night Out and its predecessor Wingham Live.

The school's MPC was a second classroom for Merilyn and, over the years, she had been active in its upgrades. In the mid 1990s she had been instrumental in securing a dedicated drama room for the school. Activism was part of her nature. She worked with the P&C to obtain the best for Wingham High. She had been an office-bearer and supporter of the Wingham Teachers Association.

She was a long-time opponent of uranium mining and supporter of social justice issues. Merilyn was a supporter of the local Quota club and assisted with the Akoostik festival each year. She was an active House Patron and was relentless in promoting participation in and success by her beloved Oxley sporting house. Merilyn's activism extended to her decades long work as co-coordinator with Julie Leslie of the school's Student Representative Council. Mentoring was central to Merilyn's being. She believed all students had leadership qualities and her teaching extracted strength of character from her students.

Merilyn Kendall's achievements have left an indelible mark on Wingham High, its students, teachers and community. She was the executive director of Creative Arts. She was an icon of the school. Vale Madame Matriarch.