Rosemary Taylor AM - mother of a thousand children

Rosemary Taylor, the Adelaide woman responsible for evacuating more than 4000 orphans during the Vietnam War, died on New Year’s Eve aged 81. At her insistence, a simple funeral Mass was held at the Holy Spirit Church, Seacombe Gardens, but her life and death has touched people all over the world.

On human horror, human nobility and Rosemary Taylor

Of the thousands of Vietnamese children placed in adoption by Rosemary Taylor, few came to Australia due to her frustration with negative attitudes among the local immigration and welfare authorities. However, she made an exception in the case of one couple, Dr Brian and Susi McGowran, whom she agreed to meet on a visit to Adelaide in 1971. Rosemary arranged for them to adopt five girls. Dr McGowran wrote this tribute.