By Paul Dobbyn
LONGREACH’s pesky goats are memories 100-year-old Sister Peggy Dolan has of her arrival in Australia as a young novice from Ireland in 1932.
“The goats sometimes ate our clothes off the line,” the sprightly Presentation Sister, who celebrated her centenary a couple of days earlier at Nudgee’s Emmaus Retirement Village, said.
“They even got into the classrooms and ate the charts off the wall.
“It was a real circus … and I’d never seen a goat in my life before.”
Sr Dolan also fondly recalled “the warm country welcome” she received on her arrival in Longreach.
“I was agreeably surprised to feel all this openness and welcome after all the stories I’d heard before I left Ireland … it was very homely,” she said.
”And it wasn’t as hot and fierce as I’d been told it would be either.
“I actually came to rather enjoy the heat.”
Sr Dolan, born in Claremorris, County Mayo, was only 18 when she arrived in Longreach.
She’d come from a faith-filled family of seven brothers and sisters, which included Rockhampton diocese priest, the late Fr Mick Dolan, at one time a military chaplain attached to Australia’s 8th division and incarcerated in the dreaded Changi Prison Camp.
Her only surviving sibling is youngest brother Fr Donal Dolan, now retired to Ireland after 68 years in Nigeria as a member of the Missionaries of St Patrick.
She’s hoping to catch up with her brother in a Skype session organised by her fellow Presentation Sisters.
What had drawn her to the Presentation order?
“The Lord – the Man above,” she.
“It was just a feeling within me.”
This “feeling”, so faithfully acted upon, led Sr Dolan to a life of service including 40 years of teaching around Queensland and years as an enrolled nurse, eventually visiting the sick and the lonely around Wavell Heights, Brisbane.
After her profession, Sr Dolan taught in Emerald and Murgon.
Schools where she taught in Brisbane included Wavell Heights and Herston and at St Rita’s College, Clayfield where she was in charge of the boarding school.
An impressive collection of birthday cards and various well wishes, shown by her friends Presentation Sisters Marita Coffey and Zita Power, attested to the lasting impact of her more than 80 years of ministry.
“Here’s some cards from my extended family in Ireland, including one from my niece Delia and one from another niece Bridie and her family,” Sr Dolan said.
Sr Coffey showed another card from a member of the class of 1952 at St Agatha’s School, Clayfield.
“The class member has written the names of 30 or so students in that year,” she said.
“Adrian Farrelly, now the archdiocesan chancellor, is among those names.”
Sr Dolan’s fellow Presentation Sisters pointed out a large brown card in the form of a book, proclaiming “Happy 100th Birthday” in a flourish of gold letters.
“All those present at Peggy’s party, held on her birthday Monday, October 6, wrote their best wishes on the card’s pages,” Sr Coffey said.
“The party was held at the back of the Emmaus chapel after the usual morning Mass.
“It was a wonderful gathering of more than 60, including about 30 Presentation Sisters.
“We were celebrating Peggy’s vibrant and outgoing character which has blessed us all over so many years.”
Sr Dolan’s associates were only too happy to share some of their cherished memories from their time in ministry together.
Sr Coffey described her as “a real fashion plate”.
“I always remember Peggy’s reaction to the news that the Presentation Sisters would no longer have to wear habits,” she said.
“She was delighted and couldn’t wait to wear civilian clothes.
“Peggy quickly showed a natural eye for fashion too.
“She didn’t wear anything ridiculous or outlandish, she just knew how to dress.”
Both Sr Coffey and Sr Power described the elegant figure their friend had cut at a 1980 Doomben race day meeting, which had a handicap event named in her honour.
“That was the year Peggy was awarded the OAM (Order of Australia Medal) for services to St Rita’s boarding school at Clayfield,” Sr Power said.
“Peggy was all dressed up and watched the races with Fathers Gary Russell (former parish priest Wavell Heights) and Ray Wilson (his associate).
“She looked wonderful.”
Yet, as Sr Power also recalled, her fellow Presentation Sister could roll up her sleeves and get down to work when the situation demanded.
“Not long after training at Prince Charles Hospital Chermside to become an enrolled nurse, Peggy had to leave because she’d turned 65,” she said.
“It wasn’t long, however, before she began working alongside the Brown Sisters (Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor) who were a nursing order based in New Farm.
“Later she would conduct house visits around Wavell Heights.
“Peggy was always known for her attentive kindness to those in need.”
“I wanted to help the sick and the lonely,” Sr Dolan said.
Ultimately though it’s her teaching years that return most fondly to the centenarian’s memory.
“I loved teaching … it was wonderful working with children; I just loved them,” she said.
