Joe Kearney was born in Essendon, Melbourne in 1921 and moved to Hepburn Springs in 1928 where his family ran a guest house. He commenced his schooling at St. Monica's Moonee Ponds and completed his primary school with the Presentation Sisters at Daylesford.

Joe attended St Patrick's College Ballarat as a boarder and completed his secondary education at the college.

In February 1940 he joined the Pallottines at Kew and was ordained a Priest in July 1946.

Joe has worked in many parishes both in Victoria and Western Australia and from 1969 -75 he serves as Regional Superior of the Pallottines, followed by a term as Regional Secretary and Bursar.

In celebration his 80^th year Joe continues to minister to his people; enjoys attending Art classes and has taken time to reflect on his journey. These 'ramblings' as he called them, are the result of this reflective time.

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The author is deeply indebted to Bishop J Jobst both for his personal communications and for access to the archives of the Diocese of Broome, also for asking Archbishop Goody for access to the Archdiocesan Perth Archives in the early 1980's, and to the Archivist Sr F Stibi, for access in 2000. Thanks is expressed to Bishop C Saunders for permission to access the Broome Archives in 2000, and to the Archivist, Fr L Finke. Also to Br TA Hall, Sydney Archdiocesan Archivist, and his staff.

The author would like to thank Sue Beverley and the managers of information from the Aboriginal Affairs Department in Western Australia, Jenny Carter, Team Leader of original research material at the State Archives, the Librarians of the State Records Office of Western Australia, and Anna Haebich of the Museum for their assistance.

For those who did the proof reading and who made suggestions about placement of material, Michael McMahon, Francis McMahon, Laurence and Carmen McMahon, Ian Stoddart, and Richard Whitman, and also to Chris Gibson of Emerald Park Stud at Violet Town, who allowed us to email drafts through his facility, I am most grateful.

History should never be dull. It tells us of the real struggles of real people -their prejudices, heroism and attempts to relate to one another, to their respective groupings and the wider world.

Despite the enormous changes we have seen since 1901, the basic questions of relations still remain pivotal to all our endeavours. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

People who attempt to write history must return to primary sources, the interactions of people at the time in question. This publication is a process, a reflection of what was and, hopefully a questioning of what can be. In this time of jubilee we can also reflect, as the Holy Father suggests, as to what might have been or should have been. We can celebrate the heroism of those who went before us and learn from their successes and failures. That is the story of both our communal and personal life.

It is my hope that this work will lead us here in Australia to a more faithful commitment to Vincent and his ideals.

I wish to express gratitude to Sr Brigida for the eighteen months she has spent researching and writing. No one knows the primary sources of Australian Pallottine history better. She has made available much of her research in this book. We are all the beneficiaries.

Fr M. McMahon, SAC (Regional),
Rossmoyne, W A.

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A hundred years is a long time. Many people come and go in that length of time. Very few people five to hundred. Some organizations do. The Pallottines have been in Australia for that time. It is just over 100 years since the first Brothers and Priests arrived at Fremantle on the 11th of February 1901. A few months later they took up their task in the Kimberley.

We have written about many of these men in our recently published history, Nothing is Wasted in the Household of God. It was our intention to do a corresponding book about all the wonderful local people who made the Church happen in the Kimberley. The idea was great. The execution was more involved. In the end we ran out of time. Maybe the idea will come to birth at a later time.

The Pallottines still keenly want to honour the people with whom they have worked over the years. Ten years ago a book was compiled by Father Francis and Sister Brigida. It tells the stories of many of the people so important in the life of the Church, in their own words. This is Your Place sold quickly and for a long time was out of print.

The Pallottines decided to re-issue this book as a tribute to the people who are the very substance of Church, who have made Church happen. The people whose stories are told here are people who mean much to us. There are others whose stories are told in other places. There are some who are very important but whose stories remain untold. The effects of their fives are still strong in the community. Maybe one day their stories will be written. At least their glory is in their long-term influence on their families, friends and neighbours.

I hope the people who have urged us to reprint this book enjoy it. We certainly enjoy reading and re-reading these pages, with their additional store of photographs. We all know that though these are important stories they are far from the whole story. The complete picture lies in the community of the people, the Church. It is in honour of all these people that we the Pallottines have re-published this book.

Thanks to Sr Joan Mansfield and the St John of God Sisters, Bishop Chris Saunders, Fr Larry Finke and the Battye Library, for assistance with photographs and to Jane Lodge for a completely new design. I also want to pay special thanks to Peter Bibby. He took on this task and brought it to completion.

Mike McMahon, SAC (Regional)