Page 5337 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 15 November 2011
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With sadness … we witnessed the passing away of John Eddy, SJ. Father Eddy had served as the director of the Australian Institute of Jesuit Studies in Canberra and as a consultant to Georgetown University. In fact, without Father Eddy the Centre for Australian and New Zealand Studies would not exist.
Together with Jeffrey von Arx, he worked tirelessly to support Australian studies in the US. One Washington colleague wrote of him:
He’s the one who did battle with the 2 embassies here and their Parliaments back home to secure the initial funding and the long-time support.
And she added that Father Eddy:
… adored Georgetown and loved both US and Aussie politics, and knew many of the major players on both sides. He had an amazing wit and zest for life, and will be missed by many who enjoyed his company.
Father Frank Brennan, who led the obsequies for Father Eddy on Remembrance Day, gave a lengthy eulogy. He spoke about his teaching career, his career as a priest, and he said, amongst other things:
This priestly Australian historian whose father, William, had fought in both wars would well be pleased that we had gathered in prayer as the clock moves towards 11 am on 11/11/11.
And he went on to talk about his great role as a Jesuit scholar and as a priest. He spoke affectionately of how Father Eddy stepped up, on the premature death of his brother-in-law, John Traill, and took over, essentially, fatherly responsibilities for his many nieces and nephews.
Those who have known Father Eddy over the years will know that he was a great conversationalist, a great controversialist, but was well loved in many circles. And Father Frank Brennan said that he would be missed in the halls of power, the halls of academe and the coffee houses around Canberra.
On behalf of the Canberra Liberals, I express my sympathy to Father Eddy’s family, to his sister, Margot; his nieces and nephews, Mary Anne and Justin Fennel, Kate Traill and Doug Carlson, Pauline and Martin Duncan, Rosemary Traill, John and Miko Traill, Geraldine and Ian Hadwen; and his great nieces and nephews, Caitlin, Alex, Lizzie, Jack, Matt, Nikki, Tom, Bill, Genevieve, Amelia, Michael, Charlie and Natalie.
And I say, Father John Eddy SJ, requiescat in pace.
Tuggeranong Evening VIEW Club
Deepavali 2011
Canberra Tamil Association
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (5.49): On 26 October I had the pleasure of speaking at the Tuggeranong Evening VIEW Club and I would like to thank President Rae Lorenz
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