‘An example to us all’: Rosemary Plummer was a teaching assistant and education convenor for Unison

A WHIFF of injustice and Rosemary Plummer leapt into action.

A teaching assistant and education convenor for Islington Unison, Rosemary, who has died aged 74, put everything she had into leaving the world in better shape than she found it in.

“She was five foot two, but for a little woman she had a big personality,” said Joann Plummer, her daughter.

Rosemary started as a Unison rep in 1999, before becoming education convenor, clocking up an impressive 18-year career as a trade unionist.

“She stood up for people’s rights,” said Joann. “If she got a bee in her bonnet and thought there was a miscarriage of justice, she was on it. She was so loving, and my God everyone loved my mum back.”

She added: “There was a drunk who used to sit outside Iceland in Holloway Road. My mum would never walk past him and she’d always give him some money even though she knew it was going on alcohol.

“If there was a penny in her pocket she would give it to someone who needed it. She’s instilled that sense of justice in us all. She’s always said that if you want something in life you’ve got to work for it.

“My mum was 68 when she retired. She loved her job. My mum would be up fighting for someone who had been mistreated, she’d be awake at 6am working on the case, which really isn’t her office hours, and she’d still be going at 11pm.”

Rosemary was born in Bride Street near Highbury, and lived around Islington until she settled in the Andover Estate, where her daughter now lives.

Outside of her activism, Rosemary could be found singing Turn Back Time by Cher at karaoke with a glass of wine in hand, or in her caravan in Norfolk, where she loved to go.

Jenny Densham, one of Rosemary’s closest friends, said: “We always had so much fun, there was never a dull moment. We would sing together, we would drink together – she would always blame me for the wine, but I’m pretty sure it was her, she was the bad influence.

“She was a very strong woman, very strong willed. She was always there wanting to make sure that everything [unjust] was corrected.”

MP for Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn, told the Tribune: “I valued her knowledge, her advice and her wisdom. She was an example to all of us and weathered her illness with incredible stoicism and determination.

“As somebody who stood up for working class people in her community, we should reflect on her life and all she did by demanding decent pay and conditions for all those she fought alongside. Thank you [Rosemary] for all you did.”

Rosemary worked at Richard Cloudesley School as a teaching assistant for children with additional needs.

Headteacher Francis González said: “Rosemary was a really kind and genuine person who spent her life looking out for, and standing up for, others.

“They don’t make people like Rosemary any more and she will be missed by everyone who knew her. I know I certainly will.”

Rosemary died on August 14 after a battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband Peter, daughter Joann, her two sons Jay and Gary, her grandchildren Kyle, Ellie, Chloe, and Teddy, and her great-grandchildren Aaron and Mia.