June Baldwin
June Baldwin was born in 1957, Auckland, New Zealand and is the old-est child to Hiroko Hewitt (Kadowaki). After completing high school, she commenced psychiatric nursing at Carrington Hospital, Auckland. She moved to Australia in 1977, married Terry Baldwin in 1979, and became a mother to three children Talitha, Leon and Amzi. For most of her working life June has been involved as an educator with preschool and primary students and worked as a mental health carer. She has always had a passion for the “underdog” (children and adults alike). Her mother Hiroko who had a generosity of spirit towards those less fortunate than herself, was a significant influence for June, who hopes she can emulate and pass on these attributes to her own children.
Updated October 2021
Stories from This Author
Hardship and Happiness: A New Zealand War Bride’s Life—Hiroko Kadowaki, 1929-2021
Oct. 18, 2021 • June Baldwin , Leon Baldwin
June Baldwin and her son Leon reflect on their mother and grandmother, Hiroko Kadowaki, who migrated to New Zealand in 1956 after marrying a New Zealand soldier she’d met in Hiroshima. * * * * * JUNE (Nisei): My mother, Hiroko, grew up on the small island of Daikonshima in the middle of a lake in Matsue City, Shimane prefecture, on the north-west coast of Japan. She was the third of four children. Her parents farmed their land. Mum often …
