Minute by the Lord Mayor
To Council:
I wish to inform Council of the passing of
Sister Margaret Gooley on 19 January 2025.
Born 28 August 1929, Margaret was the beloved
daughter of James and Alice (née Eves) Gooley and the sister of Allan, James,
William, Vincent, Anthony and Therese.
Raised in Leichhardt, Margaret joined the
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart at age 17.
In the late 1980s, Sister Margaret and her
fellow Sister Teresa Noon moved to Ultimo, living at St Joseph’s House on Bulwara Road.
At that time, the congregation at nearby St
Bedes in Pyrmont was very small, and the church did not have its own priest.
Sister Margaret and Sister Teresa conducted the services, welcoming everyone
and exercising some of the pastoral duties, including delivering communion.
For more than 30 years they cared for the
lonely, isolated and marginalised, without judgement. They provided support for
isolated, unwell and lonely people in Pyrmont and Ultimo through regular visits
and material, spiritual and emotional support. They were the eyes and ears of
the community, watching over those in need. Their home was a place of welcome
to everyone.
Sister Margaret was also renowned for her
work with prisoners from Parramatta and Long Bay Gaols, who she wrote to,
visited, brought books for and comforted in times of grief, at times waiting
outside the gaol for hours, sometimes in the rain.
The Sisters were also generous to a fault,
often giving away what little they had to those who needed it more, including
people experiencing homelessness.
Seeing how selfless the Sisters
were, the Ultimo community organised a weekly raffle at the Lord Wolseley Hotel
every Friday night. Money raised through the raffle was given to the Sisters to help local people in need and support other
important causes, including sending support for the people of East Timor during
the crisis of the late 1990s.
In 2009, as member for Bligh, I nominated
Sisters Margaret and Teresa for the Sydney Electorate Women of the Year in
recognition of their 25 years of service to the community. A few years later
they moved to Croydon, and then to Hunters Hill to live.
Family and friends gathered on 28 January
2025 to celebrate Sister Margaret at St Joseph’s in Baulkham Hills. Sister
Margaret was much loved and respected by the Ultimo and Pyrmont communities.
She will be dearly missed by locals and her family including her surviving
sister, Therese Roach, and nephew Michael Gooley and her many other nephews and
nieces.
COUNCILLOR
CLOVER MOORE AO
Lord Mayor
Moved by the Chair
(the Lord Mayor) –
It is resolved that:
(A)
all
persons attending this meeting of Council observe one minute's silence to
commemorate the life of Sister Margaret Gooley and her contribution to the
Ultimo and Pyrmont communities;
(B)
Council
express its condolences to Sister Margaret’s family
and many friends and the Ultimo and Pyrmont community; and
(C)
the
Lord Mayor convey Council's condolences to Sister Margaret Gooley's sister,
Therese Roach, her nephew Michael Gooley, her many other nephews and nieces,
and the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
Carried
unanimously.
S051491
Note – All Councillors, staff and members of the public present stood
in silence for one minute as a mark of respect to Sister Margaret Gooley.