'Field day' for sisters: six on list

Sydney
3 February 2002

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'Field day' for sisters: six on list

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Si! What happens if no Juan takes any notice!

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Sydney schools across the generations

inspirations: Camp for kids deserves a prize, too

'Field day' for sisters: six on list

By Marilyn Kerjean and Kathleen Carmody

"It's a field day for the religious!" said Sr Wilma Geary upon hearing she was one of six religious sisters to be honoured with Australia Day awards this year.

Each saw her award as a personal honour but also a token of appreciation for the work of others in her field.

"I'm completely dedicated to it and I love it"… Armidale spiritual director Sr Eleanor Dawson

Sr Eleanor Dawson, a Josephite, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community, through her work as a spiritual director for the past 14 years; first as the leader of a team that began a spirituality centre in Launceston then at the Emmanuel Armidale Diocesan Pastoral and Spirituality Centre where she still works.

She is involved in running retreats, communications courses, enneagram workshops and scripture seminars and teaches others to become spiritual directors as well.

"I'm completely dedicated to it and I love it," she says.

"It makes me very happy to think that someone has affirmed my ministry but has also affirmed the ministry of so many other people who are doing the same thing."

Sr Eleanor was "shocked, surprised, in one sense overjoyed" to learn of the honour, particularly as she is the third person in her family to receive one. Her two brothers who have since died received the same award for community activities.

"I feel such pride for my own family … pride for the Josephite order and a real sense of pride that one of the Josephites (received an) award," she said. "I accepted the award on behalf of my family and … on behalf of my Josephite family."

Sr WILMA GEARY's first feeling on reading her letter of notification was one of embarrassment "because there were two of us who did the work and it was the other one's dream more than mine".

She received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community, particularly in establishing safe houses for women and children at risk from domestic violence.

She and a fellow Sister of Mercy, Sr Sheila Hayward, set up crisis accommodation in Victoria in 1989 for women and children after working in conjunction with a 24-hour women's domestic crisis line.

Sr Sheila was 70 at the time and Sr Wilma was crippled by arthritis and a leaking heart valve, but they worked 24 hours a day in a little terrace house, living on their pensions and with no government subsidy.

"We had a lot of people who were good to us. They gave us both monetary support and helped us with food and clothing," Sr Wilma said.

"Many, many calls came during the night at two, three o'clock. We led a fairly normal life (but) when the call came we got up and opened up.

"We always felt that meeting that woman at the door was, for us, just like meeting Christ himself. It was truly God's work, truly a work of mercy.

"I always found it very humbling."

In 10 years, at least 6000 women and children had been through the "little house".

The work continues, but is now staffed by volunteers. Sr Wilma says she misses it "terribly".

"These women are so brave," she said. "I have great respect and admiration for these women. I've got the poor in my blood and I need to be out there helping them."

Sr JUDITH SIPPEL represents another area of the Church's work. She has been made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service as a leader, mentor and administrator in Catholic education.

A Josephite, she is the principal of Mary MacKillop College, Wakeley, in Sydney's southwest, where she has worked for 11 years.

"I'm really so ordinary. I was overwhelmed and, to be quite honest, I thought it must be a mistake," she said.

"My contribution is very ordinary and no more than what most people working in education do. It's nice if we can have an Australia Day award for a person, for doing something ordinary and doing it well," she says.

"I have a great love for my country and for the Church and winning the award is very humbling for me.

"I'm really happy to receive it if it highlights the role of education and the formation of our young people as one of the critical tasks of society."

Sr Judith is encouraged by the reports of an increasing number of young people applying to study education at university this year.

She thinks one reason is that many young people are reassessing their priorities in the light of last year's traumatic world events.

"Young people are realising life is not only about HSC results and making a lot of money but … having to create communities in this world (by devoting) time, effort and energy into forming our people," she said. "I think a lot of young people can see this very acutely."

"I nearly died of shock"… St Aloysius principal Sr Judith Redden

Sr JUDITH REDDEN "nearly died of shock" when she learnt of her award.

"I was stunned," she said. "It's a thrill for me personally but I'm really delighted that education is being valued and recognised."

The Sister of Mercy - St Aloysius College, Adelaide, principal since 1983 - has been made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to education, particularly through the promotion of educational opportunities for girls, children from refugee families and students from low socio-economic backgrounds, and for encouraging teachers' professional development.

In 1994 Sr Redden initiated the establishment of the Adelaide Language Centre for the teaching of English to international students.

She is proud of her establishment of scholarships, particularly for Aboriginal students and for children from Vietnam, El Salvador and Chile refugee families.

"A constant thread (of my career) has been working to improve educational outcomes of students from low socio-economic backgrounds. And students at the margins of society," she said.

"That has been really exciting for me. That's been my abiding passion."

Sr MARY TRAINOR, chaplain for Bloomfield Psychiatric Hospital and Riverside Centre in Orange, and the Orange Base Hospital, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the communities of central western NSW, particularly people with disabilities through her chaplaincy.

"It's certainly a great honour, personally, as a woman, as a Sister of Mercy and I suppose, too, an honour for chaplaincy," she said.

"I think people say 'Oh, a chaplain, what does a chaplain do?' particularly (if you say you are) with the mental health services.

"But it's a very worthwhile ministry and one that's very close to the heart of the Sisters of Mercy. We try to be the hands, feet and heart of Jesus, so there's very fertile ground for that in this ministry."

Sr Mary was instrumental in establishing the western branch of NSW Chapter of Australian Health and Welfare Chaplains' Association.

She works with the Mid West, Macquarie and Far West Health Areas, NSW Civil Chaplains' Advisory Committee and Mental Health Service.

Sr Mary, author of Lighting a Candle, which discusses the pastoral needs of people with mental illness or intellectual disabilities, as well as their family, friends and carers, says "being a chaplain is somehow being a sign of God's presence ... being a friend to people who are a bit short of friends".

"I've been 20 years in chaplaincy and almost 50 years a professed Sister of Mercy and I can't think of anything I would rather do at the moment," she says.

Sr CHRISTINA CULLEN received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for 20 years of service to education as a teacher and role model for students.

A Brigidine, she began her teaching career in 1932, serving as teacher and/or principal at a number of schools until 1953 including Brigidine Convent, Randwick, St Raphael's College, Cowra, Brigidine High, Maroubra and Brigidine Convent, Indooroopilly.