|
Anticipating June 18th, Anne Gardiner OLSH, 90. And 70 years of profession From Malcolm Fyfe MSC, Vicar General, Diocese of Darwin.
When I asked her about her health and longevity, Sister said that apart from some weakness in her legs, she still enjoyed good health and that she attributed this to the life she led during her early days on Bathurst when normal food supplies were in short supply and she had to go bush with the Tiwi and eat very nutritious bush tucker. Sister was full of praise for the Tiwi people who she says have been very loyal to her even on occasions when she may have made a boo-boo or two. So on Friday 18th June there will be a great celebration of the oldest person on Bathurst Island.
Friends from near and far will be joining with Sister in a Mass of Thanksgiving at 11am. (This will accommodate people who will arrive by ferry from both Darwin and Melville Island.) Mass will be followed by a Community BBQ hosted by the Traditional Owners and Tiwi Enterprise, Then there will be some entertainment and the chance for all sorts of complimentary things (well-earned I may add) to be said about Sister. At night, the Convent will light up and many Tiwi as well as non-Tiwi will continue celebrating. |
But the celebrations will not end there, because on July 2nd Sister will celebrate 70 years as a Daughter of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. This commemorates the day in 1951 when Sister pronounced her First Religious Vows.
But to take our story line back to the time of her decision to join the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, it should be noted that the youthful Anne Gardiner had the privilege of being presented with the religious habit by Bishop Francis Xavier Gsell msc on Reception Day, i.e. the beginning of the Novitiate year. Sister recalls that when she asked the Bishop about Bathurst Island and how to relate with the Tiwi people, Bishop Gsell’s concise reply was: “What you must do is ‘Love them’”
Seventy years later, Sister Anne can say: “Through all my ups and downs I have tried to do this.”
On a historical note, it was in 1906 that the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart were asked to undertake the administration of the diocese of Port Victoria and Palmerston (as it was then called) and Father Francis Xavier Gsell MSC, on arriving in the Territory as Apostolic Administrator, made Bathurst Island his base from 1906 right up to 1938, the year he was appointed Bishop of the newly named Diocese of Darwin.
But back to Sister Anne’s life story, it was on November 23rd, 1953 that she first set foot on Bathurst Island. The following year, on July 2nd, Sister made her final Profession as a Daughter of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the old St Mary's Convent, Darwin.
In view of her later fame, readers may be forgiven for thinking that Sister Anne’s ministry was limited to Bathurst Island. Actually, her impact in the diocese and elsewhere has been far-reaching.
Sister taught at St Mary's Primary School from 1966 and 1967, at the Daly River School in 1969, returning to Bathurst Island for 1970-71.
There followed a 7-year period during which Sister lived far away from the NT, teaching in the Catholic Primary School on the island of Nauru in the Central Pacific. But 1979 saw Sister return to the Top End and she spent a year teaching at St. John's College, Darwin.
Then from 1980 to 1997 Sister was back on Bathurst Island as School Principal, where she was instrumental in handing the school over to a local Tiwi Principal.
During the period 1998 to 2000 Sister worked part time at the Catholic Education Office, with duties that included mentoring Miriam Rose as Principal of the Daly River School and guiding the local Deputy Principal at Santa Teresa
Sister has spent the last 20 years back on Bathurst Island.
Throughout her time on the Island, Sister has supported Tiwi culture and community. forming community groups such as mother’s clubs, athletics clubs, prayer groups, setting up of an opportunity shop and a coffee shop. She has also worked for nearly four decades to establish the Patakajiyali Museum where Tiwi history, culture and language are preserved for future generations.
As regards Awards, Sister Anne received the Lyn Powierza Scholarship in 1993 for her contribution to education in the Northern Territory.
She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1996, the presentation of which was made on Bathurst Island. Of the experience she says "everyone cried and cried with happiness for me. They are beautiful people to work and live with."
Then of course in 2017, she was named the Senior Australian of the Year. In accepting that honour, Sister stressed the importance of living in the present and that nothing is real unless "you live out your faith".
Congratulations, Sister Anne, in anticipation of what will be colourful and momentous celebrations.
The diocese of Darwin and the Tiwi people have so much to thank you for.
