Junko Hirakawa was a formidable colleague and a truly remarkable human being. I never expected to see her go so soon. She had so much to contribute; the world is certainly poorer without her.
Junko had a long career with the United Nations, she came to the AQMT in 2016, and brought us lots of fond memories. Her curiosity and insight had no boundaries -she invited debate, questioned assumptions and motivated us to delve deeper in our thinking. Junko always took the time to listen and showed compassion and care for others. She also showed us how we could approach work - and life - with more patience, grace and, always, good humour.
Junko was the first within the Team who tried the golden tea my sister brought to me, she complained the bad taste of the “golden tea” chocolate, and at the same time read carefully the few Chinese characters she learned before, “though it is good for digestion”.
Junko will forever inspire me.
