A life dedicated to the Sisters of Mercy: Sr Mavis Dick

After dedicating almost 83 years of her life to the Sisters of Mercy, Sr Mavis Dick, left this world peacefully on October 4, just a month short of her 99th birthday.

Known as Sr Mary Vianney during her ministry as a teacher in Gunnedah, Sr Mavis entered the Sisters of Mercy Gunnedah Congregation on February 2, 1942, as World War II was still raging.

Born on October 24, 1925, the seventh of eight children of John and Frances Dick, Mavis was a child of the Depression but her resolve to become a nun was strong. When she completed her education at Mt Isa, her aunt in the Gunnedah congregation helped her to begin the process of entering the convent with the support of her parents at the tender age of 16.

For 41 years between 1946 and 1967, Sr Mavis carried out her ministry in education and became a teacher of note, mainly in primary schools where she spent many years educating children throughout the Armidale Diocese and Malabar in Sydney. She had a reputation as “being strict but also fair” and in her later years she sometimes wondered if she had been too strict but with classes in some cases of up to 45 children, it was a huge task to educate every pupil in such a busy environment.

Over the years Sr Mavis taught at Narrabri, Moree, Walcha, Inverell, Deepwater, Malabar, Mungindi, and Gunnedah where she was also principal of St Xavier’s.

In the Words of Remembrance at the farewell Mass in St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Sutherland, on October 15, Sr Gaye Lennon said she could only imagine the changes Sr Mavis had experienced in classroom practice over those 41 years.

“I am sure her quiet presence and piercing blue gaze were enough to quieten most classrooms,” Sr Gaye said.

“One of her significant feats was the number of children she worked with each Saturday so they could sit for a bursary and continue their education. Sr Mavis was renowned for having a noteworthy number of students being recipients of bursaries – no doubt many of them are now grateful for her dedication but I wonder how they felt at the time when they had to give up their Saturday mornings.”

Asked to write a resident’s profile for Stella Maris Hostel, Cronulla, where she spent her final years, Sr Mavis said her deepest joy had been in teaching, helping the slower pupils to reach their potential and the brighter group to grasp all and to see joy in their achievements.

“Principalship came my way, not relished, but accepted,” she wrote.

“Once grammar was removed from the curriculum I was devastated because it was such a loss, so I thought it was time for me to give up teaching.”

After retiring from education Sr Mavis enjoyed being a presence for various spirituality groups at St Joseph’s Baulkham Hills and Marymount, Castle Hill.

“They were very fruitful times,” she wrote.

Sr Gaye Lennon recalled the struggles and challenges faced by her fellow Sister of Mercy after retiring from teaching.

“This was a painful time for Mavis, her search for something more untimely led her to a rich spiritual life,” Sr Gaye said.

“Mavis had a droll wit and enjoyed a laugh, she loved animals, especially dogs and they loved her in return. When she was living at Heathcote, she would ask me to sneak my dog Solly in to see her and naturally they enjoyed each other’s company,” Sr Gaye recalled.

“Mavis was kind and thoughtful and in recent years she stayed with and prayed for ailing Sisters. She was a great communicator and managed technology in a way that many younger than she could not. She loved her religious Sisters and stayed connected.”

In 2011 as the Sisters approached the formation of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Sr Mavis wrote of her excitement of belonging to such a large institute but also her ‘fear of risk taking as the unknown approached’.

“Time marches on and the reality of our new institute is almost upon us. Only God knows what lies beyond but only good can come from such a gracious God and the prayer and support those who have facilitated the corridors of change with us, I must admit that there is a streak of excitement in anticipation but the change will be gradual. All that is required of me now is to deepen my friendship with the one who has lavished me with such abundant blessings.”

The Mass of Thanksgiving for the life of Sister Mavis Dick was followed by interment at Woronora Memorial Park, Linden St, Sutherland.

Sr Mavis was predeceased by her parents John and Frances Dick, siblings Desmond, Clieve, Mae, Leo, Cecilia, and John and is survived by her younger sister Florence and her fellow Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea.