Sisters of Mercy

Born in 1942 at the height of World War 2, Patricia completed her primary education at Yorketown Area School followed by Mercedes College. Then in 1960, it was teacher training at Wattle Park Teachers College and a teaching career beginning with a Year 4 class at Kingston Area School, South Australia.

In 1963, Patricia entered the Sisters of Mercy, Angas Street, Adelaide, enabling her to teach a Year 3 class at nearby St Raphael’s Primary School, Parkside. From this beginning with Mercy schools, Sr Patricia continued to teach Years 1 to 4, predominantly at Mercedes College. Her role later expanded to pastoral leadership, overseeing the junior boarders and subsequently serving as second-in-charge of the senior boarders at Mercedes during the early 1970s.

Sr Patricia has made an outstanding contribution to education through her work with the Sisters of Mercy, the South Australian Education Department and the Adelaide Archdiocese. Over many decades, she developed extensive expertise through further study and experience, particularly in the education of children with disabilities, early childhood education in both city and rural South Australia and the development of child-centred catechesis for young children.

Alongside her many professional responsibilities, Sr Patricia generously volunteered in a range of ministries. She helped run children’s holiday programs at Davenport Aboriginal Reserve in Port Augusta, served as cook for missionaries and priests at Balgo Mission in Western Australia and supported principals and teachers in establishing new child-parent early childhood centres across both city and rural South Australia.