105 and counting: Sr Josephine’s story

12 July 2023

12 Jul 2023

It’s not everyday you turn 105 years old!

Born in 1918, Sr Josephine dedicated her life to serving God and the community, joining the convent when she was just sixteen.

In 1937 she began teaching, a career that extended over fifty years.

In honour of her 105th birthday, we sat down with Sr Josephine and asked her all about her incredible life.

Tell us about your childhood.

I was born near Norfolk in Tasmania and grew up in Hobart. When I was five, I started school in Norfolk. When the depression hit in the 1920s, no one had any money. My grandfather had to find work, so he started up a blacksmith and motor repairs business. There were only four motor businesses in Norfolk at the time.

Norfolk had the only psychiatric hospital in the Southern hemisphere, and that’s where most people worked. The women were trained as nurses and the men were trained in both nursing and working on the farm that surrounded the hospital.

My darling grandfather was the Chief Superintendent. He’d worked his way up from being a warden. One he was elected, he said ‘Now, the patients will be treated as human beings.’ He was beautiful.

I was close with my family. We were a very happy family. If I had a new friend, they’d always want to meet them and find out who they were.

What about your teenage years?

Well, I was in a dancing group. I did ballroom dancing from the time I was fourteen until I was sixteen.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was going through one boyfriend after the other. I was always bringing a different boy home. I was sitting around wasting my time at home. I wanted to leave school and become a dressmaker, but my mum wanted me to stay.

I knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t know how I was going to get there. There was a girl I knew from the same church. After she did all the training to become a teacher, she went off to the country and married a farmer. I remember thinking ‘Hmm. I could do that! I’ll go and teach in the country and I’ll find a Catholic farmer to marry’. My thing was, I must marry a Catholic, because my mother and father were both Catholic.

I ended up joining the convent when I was sixteen.

Why did you decide to enter the convent?

When I was in Year 10, a group of us from school toured the local convent. The head nun, Sr Eileen, was on duty that day. As I was coming out to go home, she asked if my mother was coming to the feast of St Joseph that was to be held the next day. She wanted to see her. I said to mum “Sr Eileen wants to see you; I don’t know what I’ve done!”

Mum met with Sr Eileen, and later said to me “The Sister’s think you have a vocation. Do you think you have?”

I said, “Yes mum.”.

I was fifteen when I joined and moved to New South Wales. I didn’t see my dad for ten years after that. My mother came over for some visits.

Tell us about your career as a teacher.

When I was younger, I had to write an essay on ‘What do you intend to do in your future life?’ I wrote down all the big words that I could think of and finished it with ‘I want to become a teacher.’

I began teaching in 1937. I started off teaching one lesson a day to the students at St Vincent’s College in Pott’s Point. Eventually I taught infants, primary school students and the senior school.

I was a teacher for around 50 years. From 1937 to 1957, I didn’t stop teaching. Overall, I’ve taught in twelve schools. For one term I even taught at two schools at the same time.

After a bit of a break, I started teaching at St Columbus in Essendon. I was given a class of year 7s. When I looked at the list of students, half of their names were ticked. I asked why that was, and it turns out I’d taught their mother or father in primary school.

I had a wonderful time teaching.

Turning 105 is an incredible milestone – what’s your secret?

I never did anything stupid. I looked after myself. I ate sensibly, physically I always did things to keep my body moving. Touching your toes every morning, that sort of thing. Now and again, I might have a white wine, but only a little drop. I never smoked, I never even thought about it. I couldn’t stand the smell!

I’ve never had a crowd around me. I’ve always had a few friends that would come to me, I didn’t go to them.

Another thing – My grandmother lived until she was 90 and I believe my great grandfather lived until he was 104. So, there might be something there.

Is there anything else you’d like to achieve in your lifetime?

I’d like to keep going for another three years. I’m 88 years a Sister of Charity now. I’ve got four framed Papal Blessings from Popes, one for 50 years, 60 years, 70 years and 80 years. In two and half years’ time, I hope to get another one to make it five!

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105 and counting: Sr Josephine’s story

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Acknowledgement of Country

We here at VMCH respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we gather, and we would like to take a moment to honour the fact that we live on the lands of the oldest civilisation in the world. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.