Sister Peter Damian McKinlay

Gweneth McKinlay was born on 6 July 1916, the second of four children, at Gowrie Junction in Queensland. Her first home was on a dairy farm where she loved everything outdoors from harvesting crops and building haystacks to feeding pigs. She attributed her vocation to the strong devotional witness of her maternal grandmother who lived with the family until her death in 1926, after which the family moved to Sydney. Here she completed her primary schooling at St Mary’s, Manly, where she developed a love of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, especially Sr Vincentia McGrath, her first teacher there.

In 1929 she won a state bursary to St Scholastica’s where she ‘gained a lasting impression of the wonder and loveliness of the Sisters and their gracious and hospitable manners’. After completing her Leaving Examination she was invited to assist the sisters in Kerang where she ‘grew in maturity, helping look after the little boarders, working in the parish with the Children of Mary, learning book-keeping, shorthand and typing, playing tennis with the young people and making many friends.’ This prepared her for her entry into Good Samaritan life in 1936. After profession she began her ministry of teaching and study in Charters Towers. In 1947 she was appointed to St Scholastica’s College and was also a part-time lecturer in St Scholastica’s Teacher Training College. In 1950 she completed her Dip. Ed. at the University of Melbourne and then returned to Glebe until the end of 1956. After short periods of teaching at Marrickville and Coragulac, she was appointed Mistress of Postulants in 1959 and then Mistress of Novices. After a time as superior at Forest Lodge and Supervisor of Good Samaritan Secondary Schools, she continued her teaching career at Rosebank, Wollongong and Pennant Hills, and then was superior at Arncliffe. In 1985 she became a member of the Marriage Tribunal in the Wollongong Diocese. After two years at New Norcia, WA, she returned to Forest Lodge where she did not spare herself in visiting the sick and elderly. Ill health brought her to Polding Villa at the end of 1995.

She was always aware of her many God-given talents and shared them unstintingly throughout her life. These included her activities as teacher, linguist and translator (Latin, French, Italian and Spanish), dressmaker, cook, artist, academic.

In her own words: ‘My life as a Sister of the Good Samaritan has been a great joy and satisfaction to me. I could find many things that I would wish to have done better, but I have set great store on perseverance. This I understand to be God’s gift to me, and I appreciate it and trust in Him.”
After a brief time in hospital Peter Damian died peacefully on April 28.