Sister Marie Therese Doolan 1938-2024
During the recent holidays, the College learnt of the passing of Sister Marie Therese Doolan RSM, a former member of staff at the College.
In looking at the College archives, we found that Sr Marie was a member of staff at the College in 1965 and then later from 1984-1986. In her first year here at the College, Sr Marie was in charge of the Boarding School, she taught Grades 5 and 6 and also Dressmaking to Year 9 and 10 students and she was also the Sports Mistress. In 1984, Sr Marie returned to the College, where she was a Special Education teacher, taught Maths, Religious Education, Textiles and she was a homeroom teacher.
Sr Marie was very creative and before she entered the Sisters of Mercy she completed Dressmaking courses at the Gordon Institute in Geelong. Her particular passion in this area was design. Sr Marie then completed her teacher training at Ascot Vale and taught at a number of Mercy schools, both St Aloysius College in North Melbourne as well as Sacred Heart College in Geelong. For over 20 years St Marie also taught in primary schools in Melbourne, Geelong, West Warrnambool and Wodonga where she was Principal at the latter two schools.
Sr Marie had lymphedema and to help herself with this she made compression garments. Doctors soon heard about what she was doing and then began referring burns victims to her. In the Geelong Advertiser newspaper in 2017, Sr Marie features in an article and states “Being a designer, I could create things in any shape or size so I thought that was the best way I could help”.
This help led her overseas to Bangladesh and Cambodia where she worked with a lot of acid burn victims. It was in 2003 that Sr Marie was awarded an Order of Australia for her efforts in this area.
Sr Marie was well known for her bubbly personality, was outgoing, and a very happy person. Her cousin Pat Lloyd (nee Doolan) says Sr Marie had a special giggle. Sr Nancy Freddi RSM, said “Marie was a warm, compassionate, hospitable and dedicated woman of Mercy who demonstrated during her life love in action“.
Sr Marie in 1986.
