Justine Jones

Key takeaways

Justine Jones belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Justine Jones to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Justine Jones from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Dr. Justine McKay (also Jones)1 is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who appeared in numerous stints from 2005 to 2009. She was portrayed by Laurie Foell in 2005 for a guest stint before returning in 2006 as a regular character. In 2007 the role was controversially recast, with Lucy Wigmore taking over. She played the role through to 2008 and again in a guest stint in 2009. Originally a rival of high standing surgeon - Chris Warner (Michael Galvin), the character of Justine was soon expanded into the matriarch of a new family unit, the McKays. Her husband, Callum (Peter Mochrie) and children Hunter (Lee Donoghue) and Sophie (Kimberley Crossman) arrived in late-2006. Justine started an affair with her ex rival, Chris and ended up briefly separating from Callum she starred in a hugely high profile storyline in 2008, where Justine faked her death and entered witness protection to escape hired thugs. She returned in 2009 for a special appearance to start off the Winter season, where she testified against the thugs and separated from Callum. The character's feisty no nonsense personality saw her maintain several stable friendships with; Sarah Potts (Amanda Billing) and Luke Durville (Gerald Urquhart). She also developed notable feuds, mainly with Toni Warner (Laura Hill). The character was largely popular, being asked to return after both her departures in 2008 and 2009. The decision to recast Justine proved largely controversial but following audiences eventual acceptance, Wigmore's performance proved hugely favourable.

Creation and casting The name 'Justine Jones' had been mentioned in dialogue for several weeks before it was announced in September 2005 that Home and Away star, Laurie Foell would be arriving to the show to portray the character in a short term stint. The following year Foell was offered to reprise the role with the intention of expanding the character so as to introduce a family unit. Foell was happy to return to the role, "It was a great experience being on Shortland Street. It can be a nerve-wracking going into a new show but everyone was really very welcoming and warm. I thought the writing was excellent and it was great working with the other actors." The character's return saw the introduction of her family: husband Callum McKay (Peter Mochrie) and children, Hunter (Lee Donoghue) and Sophie (Kimberley Crossman). In late-2006 Foell decided to leave the role and quit, returning to her home country of Australia. Her departure was reportedly a "mutual decision by the actor and the producers". The producers were faced with a difficult decision that they had never faced in the show's 14-year run, in that an actress had quit prematurely with the character still yet to undergo storylines. They considered writing her out but instead decided to recast. There was immense speculation amongst fans and the media that Foell was in fact fired, though the actresses agent did not release a statement. Lucy Wigmore had previously auditioned for another role and producers contacted her and offered the role of Justine, something which she had hesitations about, "Signing up for a year contract is slightly daunting plus exciting so it’s a bit of a catch 22 situation. It's fabulous to have work for a year and know that’s I’ll be paid. But on the other hand you're signing off for other projects. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into so there was a bit of trepidation." Wigmore accepted the role after confirming with producers that she would not be replicating Foell's interpretation of Justine. Despite playing the role of a middle aged mother, Wigmore was only 29 when she was cast, just 6 years older than her onscreen son Lee Donoghue. Wigmore quit the role in 2008 to travel overseas, she stated, "it was sad to say goodbye, to a lot of people on Shortland Street, I’ll be sad to say goodbye to a regular job too. The show’s been incredible and has given me so much experience as an actress. But a couple of years working there is about right for me." Following her departure from the soap on 11 September 2008, the media began to speculate that Justine would return to finish off "loose-ends". The following year, Wigmore's agent was contacted by producers of the show, inquiring if Wigmore was able to return in a guest stint. Wigmore was happy to return, "I couldn't wait to catch up with all of the cast and crew. Everyone is such fun to work with. It's strange though, now that I'm back, it feels like I only left yesterday!" Producer, Steven Zanoski was pleased Justine was back, "Justine's storyline left audiences with lots of unanswered questions, so it's brilliant to have her back to tie up those loose ends."

Storylines Justine arrived to Shortland Street as a surgeon replacing Chris Warner (Michael Galvin), who was on stress leave. She instantly clashed with Dr. Li Mei Chen (Li Ming Hu) and ended up using Chris' anxiety condition to take a lucrative surgery position from underneath his nose and return to Australia. She returned the following year and started an affair with Mark Weston (Tim Foley) before she revealed new doctor, Callum McKay (Peter Mochrie), was her husband. Her children Hunter (Lee Donoghue) and Sophie (Kimberley Crossman) arrived and Justine won the head of surgery position. As the year ended, she and Chris started a steamy affair. Callum discovered the affair and the two separated. He soon forgave Justine and they rekindled. Justine joined Craig Valentine (Renato Bartolomei) in investigating dodgy pharmaceutical company, Scott Spear. They discovered shocking evidence and Craig ended up getting murdered, Justine discovered she was being hunted and faked her death, joining witness protection in Australia to wait for the trial. She returned and the McKays decided to leave for Australia after the trial, however Justine realized Callum had fallen in love with Brooke Freeman (Beth Allen) in her absence and after she testified, left to Australia alone. Hunter stated that Justine was studying in Sydney and was potentially up for a Nobel Prize. Later, Callum acknowledged that he and Justine were divorced. The following year Callum did not inform Justine of Hunter's drug addiction so as not to worry her.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Justine Jones

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Justine Jones claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Justine Jones before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Justine Jones ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Justine Jones

In research: Justine Jones appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Justine Jones in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Justine Jones is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fictional surgeons, New Zealand female characters in soap operas, Shortland Street characters, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Justine Jones outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Justine Jones in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Justine Jones means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Justine Jones out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Justine Jones in simple terms?

Dr. Justine McKay (also Jones)1 is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who appeared in numerous stints from 2005 to 2009.

Why does Justine Jones matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Justine Jones?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Justine Jones.