Foster mum & mentor: HOUSEHOLD JO'S OF LOVE

Opening her home to children in need has been a lifetime of fulfilment, she shares

-  Kasia De Vydt-Jillings

In the past 40 years, Jo Duston has cared for at least 200 children, each leaving a mark on her heart and reminding her why being a foster carer is so important.

“They’re all my children,” enthuses Jo, who was recently honoured by the Governor-General at the Excellence in Foster Care awards for going above and beyond to provide safe and healing homes to kids in care.

Reflecting on her remarkable tenure, the retired Westport South School principal says she always wanted a big family. But in her earlier years, it looked like that wouldn’t be possible when she was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. The rare endocrine disorder causes the adrenal glands to produce too much cortisol, which can cause reproductive issues.

“When I was 13, doctors wanted to do a hysterectomy and radiate my pituitary gland, and thought I might only live to 45,” recalls Jo, who opted not to undergo the procedures. “Now I’m 68. I'd always wanted 12 kids and to be told I couldn’t have any was devastating.”

So Jo and her now-late-husband Pete were “over the moon” when they unexpectedly found out they were pregnant with their first child, Benjamin, now 46. They also went on to have a daughter, Jennie-Leah, 45.