A bishop's best friend
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Since taking on the role of Apostolic Administrator of the Adelaide Archdiocese eight months ago, Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ has travelled thousands of kilometres as he commutes between his episcopal seat of Port Pirie and Adelaide.
But he hasn’t been alone as he drives along the Augusta Highway and throughout the vast Diocese of Port Pirie.
Jezabel, an 11-year-old Kelpie Border Collie, has been his constant companion, watching over him from the back seat and offering the occasional bark to keep him alert.
“As any owner knows,” Bishop O’Kelly said, “a bonded dog can be a real companion.”
Jezabel was recently caught watching Songs of Praise on TV and Bishop O’Kelly said her tendency to bark when Port Power came on the screen was further evidence of her discerning nature.
But Jezabel’s biggest claim to fame is her involvement in a high-speed car chase, which made newspaper headlines in March. The dog was keeping cool in the air conditioning of the Bishop’s car during a visit to the Port Pirie Shopping Centre when the vehicle was stolen. The thief headed south on the highway at 170km/h before several police cars finally caught up with him at Redhill. The man was arrested and charged with drink driving and other offences.
The Port Pirie Diocese magazine The Witness published a photo of Jezabel in the police paddy wagon, with the caption ‘Jezabel by name, Jezabel by nature’.
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