THE LIFE OF JACK RYAN

1925 - 2004

(Jack was a long time member of the Pallottine Family in Geraldton & Tardun)

Jack began his life in Brisbane. He grew up in Breakfast Creek during the depression years. Many times he told stories of his mother, Maimie and his father, Vic and the long hours they had to work in their corner shop. His father, whom he idolized, died from TB when Jack was still in his early teens.

On completing his education with the Christian Brothers, at St Columban’s College, he served an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner, working on ships at South Brisbane docks until after the war. He then had a milk run in partnership with his brother until after his first marriage in 1947. Meanwhile he changed his occupation again, going into menswear, first on his own and then in partnership with his father in law. Again he often regaled us with stories of his co-workers and customers and their adventures at Chapman’s Corner.

Together he and Joan had six children: Mary, Elizabeth, Margaret, John, Catherine and Gerard. While she was still relatively young, Joan developed breast cancer with all its painful complications and consequences. As well as raising his children, caring for his wife and running his business, he found time to do welfare work with the St Vincent de Paul Society, becoming Queensland state president for a period of time. It was during this time that his close and enduring friendship with Terry Moynihan developed. Later they expanded their work for the poor, reaching out to other countries with Australian Catholic Relief.

When Joan became too ill, Jack moved out of his business and gave up his other interests to care for her and his children until Joan died. A short time after her death, he set up ‘Jack Ryan’s Menswear’. However, before he had a chance to get started, he lost most of his newly acquired and uninsured stock in a burglary. In spite of all these difficulties he managed to get going again and ran this business successfully until only Gerard was left at home.

Over the years he had read, studied and questioned in his search to understand more about God, the meaning of life and Jesus’ message in the Gospels. In his quest for this deeper understanding, he decided to sell his business and pursue full-time theological studies. About this time he also met a young lady called Margaret (Marnie) Graham. They both moved to Sydney; one to study, the other to teach. Although Jack’s studies did not work out the way he had planned, he was able to do some study and spend a lot of time with Father Ted Kennedy, the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Aboriginal people in Redfern. He also took a job for a time with Transrail, a company constructing demountable buildings.

This year, 1980, proved to be a turning point in his life. As well as getting married on August 23rd in St Vincent’s Church, Redfern, towards the end of the year he and Marnie moved to central Queensland hoping to work with Aboriginal people there. Again this did not work out the way they had planned. However, in 1983, after the birth of Simone, they answered an add in the ‘Catholic Leader’ and came to work with the Pallottines at Tardun. Here he was truly a ‘Jack of all trades’! During the four years spent here, he did maintenance work, drove the school bus, dug drains, fixed septic systems, baked bread and much more. It was also while they were working at Tardun that Luke was born. At the end of 1986 they moved to Geraldton to continue working with the Pallottines in the ministry to Aboriginal people. It was not long before he began his work visiting Greenough Regional Prison and driving the bus for Church on Sundays and funerals on other days..

He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1989. At first he had surgery, followed by further treatments, including chemo therapy which held the disease under control until only three years ago. A few days before Christmas 2001, the doctors discovered cancer had spread to his prostate, then eighteen months later to his bones. This last phase of his illness was the most painful and debilitating, but in spite of it all, he continued his chaplaincy work at the prison until only a couple of months before his death.

During his life Jack did many things; working in the docks, driving a milk truck, selling menswear, running a motel, building and maintenance, driving buses and many other things and there were many facets of his personality. He loved music and singing, and was a pretty good actor. He could always speak from the heart and do it with a touch of Irish charm. Some say he kissed the Blarney stone. He had a sharp intellect that was always questioning and searching for the true meaning of life. He was passionate in his belief in Jesus and determined to give his life in service to those who had been badly treated and marginalized in society. However, none of this really expresses who and what he was as well as a letter he received recently. This letter came from a lady he got to know during her stay in Greenough Regional Prison. She writes:

Another woman who met Jack at Greenough Prison, also speaks of the fact that Jack touched more people than he knew.

2001 is not just the Centenary of Federation for Australia, for the Pallottine Priest and Brothers it marks their 100^th Anniversary of coming to this country, and as such this year is a year of celebrations for them. In January, after their triennial Assembly in Millgrove, Victoria, a new book telling of their story in Australia: "Nothing is wasted in the Household of God" by Sr Brigida Nailon CSB, was launched. The title was taken from one of the favourite sayings of one of the early Pallottine pioneers of this country, Bishop Raible, and it underlines perhaps the spirit with which those early missionaries works in ministering to the aboriginal people of this land.

On the 11^th of February, celebrations started in earnest with a gala day at Rossmoyne, Perth; marking the day the Pallottines first set foot on Australian soil, landing in Fremantle. As an offshoot of that, Fr Norbert Hannappel, the German Pallottine Provincial, and Fr Alexander Holzbach, editor of the German Pallottine magazine, are visiting Australia and the many places those early missionaries established over the last 100 years. (Though an Italian order, it was the members in Germany who first responded to the Australian Bishops call for help). The 14^th of February saw the German Delegation (with Fr Michael McMahon, the Australian Regional Superior) at Wandalgu, Tardun, where the children there gave them a taste of aboriginal culture in an evening concert.

The 15^th saw them arriving in Geraldton to be greeted by Bishop Justin and to meet the local clergy over a beautiful meal in the Australian tradition prepared by Jillian. That evening the celebrations continued at Jack and Marnie Ryan’s place at Moresby with a Mass "For the Spreading of the Gospel", followed by a bring and share by the Beachlands community, to which Bishop Justin was able to join in. In his homily, Fr Kelvin cited the example of St Vincent Pallotti’s celebration of the Epiphany octave, in which he drew together the various traditions in Rome for celebrating the Lord’s birth. This he claimed put those first missionaries in good stead to look for the buds of faith in–"those whose faith is known to you alone" (EP IV) the aboriginal people they came to evangelise. The same sentiments are echoed in the prayer said every Sunday at Beachlands church taken from the Papal visit to Alice Springs: "You have spoken to us through our beliefs. You then made your love clear to us in the person of Jesus".

After Mass a great evening was had by all, with Phil Canny playing on his squeeze box and Margaret Neville trying hard to whip up a sing along. One wonders what sort of impression the whole event made on the German visitors.

FR KELVIN CELEBRATES  - 25 YEARS IN THE PRIESTHOOD