Sister Margaret Whiting

Margaret Mary Whiting was born in Wollongong on 13 December 1921. Her mother, Gertrude Turner, came from Keiraville and her father James Varley Whiting from Kiama. Margaret was the eldest of four children being followed by one sister, Thelma and two brothers Francis and Joseph. Margaret attended St Francis Xavier’s primary school, Wollongong and completed her secondary education at St Mary’s College, Wollongong.

After leaving school she worked for a short time in a stamp collector’s office and was left his whole collection when he died some few years later! She enjoyed swimming and basketball, as well as sewing, knitting and other kinds of handicrafts.

From a very early age Margaret had felt the call to religious life. Hence, after considering other options open to her, she entered the Good Samaritan Novitiate at Pennant Hills on 6 January 1940. She was given the name of Sister Mary Luke and made first profession of vows on 4 January 1943.

After completing studies at St Scholastica’s Teachers’ College, Margaret was first appointed to teach at St Kevin’s Primary School, Dee Why. From 1945 to 1958 she taught in Victoria at Koroit, Reservoir, Preston and East Reservoir at the same time upgrading her qualifications in Infant Teacher training.

In 1962 Margaret returned to New South Wales to be Superior of the Newtown community and Infants School Mistress. In 1968 she lectured at Catholic Teachers’ College at Mount Street, North Sydney and in 1974 was appointed to lecture at the Good Samaritan Teachers’ College, Glebe Point.

Margaret graduated Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England in 1979. She then undertook a tour overseas to gather information concerning various aspects of education especially school and community services for disadvantaged children and adults.

Margaret remained at St Scholastica’s as a lecturer at the Teachers’ College until the end of 1982 when the Glebe campus of the newly formed Catholic College of Education was closed. In 1983 she resided at Five Dock and lectured in Sub-primary education at the Strathfield campus.

In 1986 she finished her long association with teacher training and took up residence at Nowra as Superior. There she took a special interest in teaching catechetics in State schools, training the catechists and coordinating religious education in the parish. Meanwhile she continued her studies and was awarded Master of Educational Studies in Religion by the University of Adelaide in 1995.

When Margaret retired to the Marsfield community in 1997 she offered her services as a catechist and undertook visitation in the Marsfield parish and at Bethany Nursing Home. In 1999 she became ill and after some weeks in hospital moved to Bethany Nursing Home. Here she died on 6 August 2001.