Rest in peace darling Joanna, you will not be forgotten.

Farewell to one of the nicest people I have ever met. I met Jo at Teacher's college in 1980, we taught together for a term in our first year out, and we have been friends for over 30t years.Her beautiful smile, her laugh, her great stories, fabulous memory, gift for languages, talent and inspiration as a teacher,her loyalty to her family, friends and students : the world will be poorer without Jo in it. She faced her illness with strength, dignity and courage, over and over again, God must definitely needed another special angel up in heaven. Rest in peace, dear friend, you will live on in our hearts forever.

Joanna was larger than life. I first met her in our freshman French class at uni. Our friendship has endured the trials of life and long distance. I'm thankful for the laughs, her knowledge, advice, solace, and loyalty. Her attributes were many. She was intelligent, well-grounded, and had a sharp sense of humour. I admired her dedication as a teacher and she was a true professional. She was compassionate and generous. She was loved and respected by both colleagues and students. She was a real asset wherever she worked. I also admired her dedication to family whom she helped and took care of so much and her loyalty to friends. I'll miss the long and lingering conversations over dinner and coffee, she was a passionate foodie and, yes, she was a mean cook, too. She valiantly fought her illness time and again until she had to succumb. She faced death squarely and went forth without fear and with dignity. Alas, our journey together was cut off too soon though I wanted it to be longer, I'm thankful for the time we had. Her departure leaves a void in my life and I will always miss her, she will always live on in my heart and mind. I bid adieu to my dear friend, Joanna, and I thank her for being my friend. My deepest sympathy to the Giogias family and to all those whose lives she touched. She is well loved.

Today we farewelled Joanna. The church was packed, a huge number of people from so many areas of Jo's life, came, a fitting testament to the impact she has had in the world. I have known her for over 30 years, since our uni days, and shared a love of languages (especially German) and teaching. We taught together for a term in our first year out, at Marrickville High, and she was the first Sydney person to meet my baby daughter when she was born in Melbourne.In all those years, Jo has been a fabulous friend, always so kind and generous and ever willing to lend an ear, a shoulder, or a helping hand. She was always smiling, laughing, telling stories of her family, her travels, her students, her life. I will never understand why good people like her have to face cancer, and yet, time and time again, she faced it with such dignity and strength, she was an inspiration to so many. She will be sorely missed, but her memory will live on, in the hearts of all those she has touched. Rest in peace, dear friend, hope you are sharing a chat and a coffee with friends in heaven. Much love alwys xoxo

I remember Ms.Giagios was the first James Cook teacher I met when I first started Year 7. She introduced herself to my parents and to myself with such grace and comfort. I cherish every memory of Ms.Giagios, although shes with the good Lord she will forever be in our hearts. Every Greek languages lesson was fun and enjoyable, she always brought the best out of every student. May Ms. Giagios rest her beautiful spirit. Not only was Ms.Giagios my teacher, she was my friend and still is. I will miss your comforting words and your kindness. Your memories will always be with me.

My memories of you are from the Multicultural Education Centre and meeting up with in Greece. We always found something to dream and hope about, there were endless opportunities for laughter. You were my beam of sunshine.... Eva Molnar

To Joanna's family and friends, I was at James Cook for 10 years and Joanna was such a wonderful person to EVERYBODY, she never spoke unkindly about anybody, she always kept her personal feelings about others to herself. Many people can learn from her, she was a wonderful role model to all of her peers. She fought for what was right and and she valued honesty. She fought her battle so bravely, she is a hero to us all. We had many chats together and we often talked about 'when we are angels' ... we prayed together and spoke of the difficult times and sent each other little positive notes and other bits and pieces. Joanna will never ever be forgotten because she had dignity and grace and she was a genuine and true friend to all who she valued in life. We will miss her beautiful heart, her dedication to others and her strength. See you on the other side my friend, I bring some hot rich coffee and some expensive chocolate. Wx

Why has she been taken? This ray of sunshine. Why has she been taken? This epitome of hope, compassion and fair play. Why has she been taken? This woman who offered much to all those around her And who had so much more to give. Why has she been taken? This paradigm of a teacher. Why has she been taken? This my dear, dear friend.

Why has she been taken? This ray of sunshine. Why has she been taken? This epitome of hope, compassion and fair play. Why has she been taken? This woman who offered much to all those around her And who had so much more to give. Why has she been taken? This paradigm of a teacher. Why has she been taken? This my dear, dear friend.

Joanna was a bold, passionate, true believer in the value of an equal education for us all. It is the end of an era for James Cook Boys HS; Joanna is part of our school's heritage. She was a nurturing, generous colleague and loyal friend, always ready for an extended conversation over a decent cup of coffee. The sadness of this moment in time is lightened by the knowledge that she kept in touch with so many of her friends up till the last and knew how we cherished her.

Joanna was a bold, passionate, true believer of the value of an equal education for us all. It is the end of an era for James Cook Boys HS; Joanna is part of the school heritage. She was a nurturing, generous colleague and loyal friend with a quick sense of realist humour, always ready for an extended conversation over a decent cup of coffee. The sadness of this moment in time is lightened by the knowledge that she was in touch with so many of us up till the end and knew how we cherished her.

Joanna was a bold, passionate, true believer in the value of an equal education for us all. It is the end of an era for James Cook Boys HS; Joanna is part of our school's heritage. She was a nurturing, supportive, generous colleague and loyal friend with a quick sense of realist humour, always ready for an extended conversation over a decent cup of coffee! The sadness of this moment in time is lightened by the knowledge that she was in touch with so many of her friends up till the last and knew how we cherished her.

Joanna was a fantastic teacher of languages. Her dedication to her students and subject area was an example to colleagues. I remember Joanna's excursions to Greek and German restaurants - a highlight of many boys' study of languages at James Cook Boys HS. A truly professional teacher, Joanna will be sorely missed.