Blessed with a full life
Obituaries
James Gerard Dwyer (born February 19 1931, died August 31 2024).
James (Jim) Dwyer was born in Perth, WA, the second of six children to Leo and Mary (nee Quinn).
Leo Dwyer worked as a clerk for the WA Railways and the family moved to country towns in south west WA as he sought promotion, finally settling in Perth in 1938.
Most of Jim’s schooling was at schools run by the Christian Brothers whose care, diligence and grounding for a love of learning and a deep spiritual basis for life were highly valued and appreciated.
Just before his 15th birthday Jim enrolled in the Christian Brothers Training College at Strathfield, NSW, where he completed his schooling and undertook teacher training and religious education as a Christian Brother.
In 1950 he began his teaching career of eight years in Melbourne and Hobart but did not continue to religious profession as he came to realise that monastic life was not his calling.
He returned to Perth and joined the Commonwealth public service to continue his university studies part-time, completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959.
In the meantime, he met and courted the love of his life Shirley Mary Riley and the couple was married on April 12 1958. Their daughter Catherine was born in May 1959.
In early 1960 Jim applied for and was accepted for a cadetship at the National Library of Australia in Canberra. He completed his librarian qualifications and in 1963 transferred as deputy chief librarian of the Canberra Public Library Service. While in Canberra, two sons, Tony and Gregory, were born in 1960 and 1962.
In June 1964 the family moved to Adelaide where Christopher was born in September of that year. Jim took up the position of Superintendent of Curriculum (Libraries) in the Education Department of SA. At the time there were no libraries in Government primary schools while only two high schools had libraries and library staff.
Jim remained in that position for 25 years, establishing a State-wide library system for all schools in SA.
It was gratifying for him to see the school library become an integral part of the education of all young people in schools throughout the State.
In 1989 he was appointed as executive director of the SA Institute for Catholic Teacher Education, working in association with the Catholic Education Office, the University of South Australia and the Australian Catholic University in Sydney. Through the establishment of an extended campus of ACU in Adelaide, he helped provide Bachelor of Education (Religion Studies), Master of Education (Administration) and Master of Education (Religious Education) degrees. Jim retired in 1997 when these courses were thriving.
In 1971 he had received a Fullbright scholarship, which involved travelling extensively in the USA and UK. His special interest was computer generated systems (then in their infancy). On his return he was instrumental in establishing an automated cataloguing scheme for all schools in SA, which later formed the basis of the Australia Schools Catalogue Information Service.
In 1981 he was appointed the inaugural chair of the Australian Bibliographic Network Committee, the cooperative data sharing system for all major library services in Australia based at the National Library in Canberra.
He held other positions in professional associations and advisory bodies, and in 1987 he won the HCL Anderson Award for service to libraries and librarianship.
Jim’s commitment to volunteering included 50 years of home visiting for the St Vincent de Paul Society and more than 30 years as sacristan at St Martin’s Church, Greenacres, as well as being commentator, reader and lay minister of the Eucharist there. Other roles included acting as chief timekeeper for the Athletics Association of South Australia, tour guide at the Adelaide Oval for 18 years and Justice of the Peace at local council offices and retirement villages for 25 years.
In his 20 years of retirement he also welcomed the opportunity to care for and relate to his grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as pursue his interests in classical music and reading. As part of this he was able to spend more time studying theology, spirituality and meditative practices. This led to a better acceptance and understanding of the true meaning of life, our life on this earth, and as preparation for life to come.
On retirement he planned to spend more time on family and voluntary activities but in late 1999 he was stricken with cancer of the esophagus and stomach. Following major surgery he was desperately ill for 18 months and he and Shirley moved into a retirement village. With Shirley’s loving care he recovered much of his health and was able to resume some of his volunteering.
Sadly, as Jim’s health improved Shirley’s declined through degenerative emphysema and after 18 months of nursing home care she died on April 1 2017.
A few years ago Jim was asked if he felt blessed. His response: “With such a full and satisfying life, with so many examples of a life well lived, having a loving wife for 59 years, the joy of four children, eight grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild, and the certain knowledge of being loved by a loving God…how could I not feel blessed?”
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