Again when Ursula was six, she remembered how her mum was kind to an aging bush ranger Jack Bradshaw after he finished his 20 year prison sentence. Jack had no family so Florence would have him in for meals and she would bathe his legs where the chains had been. These acts probably set the scene for a life of wanting to serve God and the poor.

Jack taught Ursula to sing Whisky in the jar. Monsignor O’Horan would get her to sing it to his Irish friends at lunch time at school. When Sister Rosalie overheard her singing she told Ursula that that next time she was to sing ‘Biscuits in a Jar.’ Monsignor knew what happened and roared with laughter.

During their childhood Ursula and Bill would wash up in the evening. Bill said he would only wash up because Ursula took too long as she always sang. She loved singing and was very talented.

Ursula wanted to be a nun and could not wait until she was able to enter the convent (where she was known as Sr Philippine).  This was her wish from a young age. She loved teaching and when we visited as little children her she would always have unusual educational toys. We loved going into her classroom to play and it was considered a treat. She always had the daintiest afternoon tea and we were under strict instructions to only have one cake. There were eight of us so we would have devoured the tasty treats in no time without Mum’s restrictions.

When Sr Philippine was teaching in the hall at Darlinghurst, a man ran in and pleaded, “Sister hide me!” She hid him in the broom cupboard and told the children to look at her.

Other men followed quickly and asked his whereabouts. She said, “Stop it, you are upsetting the children!” Those men ran down Victoria Street so she sent the first man down Darlinghurst Road. He thanked her and threw her 10 shillings.

Aunty Ursula was a great inspiration to all her family. She was a quiet achiever, never making a fuss. Her most wonderful gift to us was her unwavering devotion to God, her faith and her community of the Sisters of Charity. She was humble, unpretentious and kind.

Having spent all her school life at two Sisters of Charity Schools, it is not surprising that when she began thinking of Religious Life, she chose to join the Sisters of Charity.

In 1940, she entered the Novitiate at Bethania Potts Point.  However, this was during World War 11, so for security reasons the Novitiate was moved first to Mt St Mary’s Katoomba, while the boarders were on holidays. When the boarders returned, the novitiate was moved to a residence called Villers Bret in Lurline Street, Katoomba. This was not a very spacious building so life there for the novices was not easy – they lived in very cramped conditions.  The novice mistress at the time was Mother Carmela.

Sr Philippine was professed in 1942 at Villers Bret and her group was the first to be professed outside a religious house.

Philippine’s first appointment was to Liverpool to teach the Infants.  She realised very soon that she absolutely loved teaching Infants.  Hence her future in teaching was mostly with the Infant classes.  Once she was asked to teach Grade 6 but after one year of that she begged Mother General to allow her to go back to the Infants.  Realising her love for Infant teaching, she was sent to Melbourne to do the Infant Teaching Certificate which was a four-year Course.

During the rest of her teaching career, Philippine taught at Brighton Le Sands; Edgecliff; Lewisham; Paddington;  Katoomba ; and St Vincent’s at Ashfield; and in Melbourne, both at Clifton Hill and Carlton.

Philippine loved music and had a talent for singing.  So she taught singing at just about every school she was assigned to.

Later in life, when she felt teaching was beyond her, she was asked to do Parish work at Concord West.   She loved being there and found that work very fulfilling.

Finally, Philippine was asked to live at St Joseph’s Village here at Auburn, and to teach craft to the children at St John’s School. I’m not sure how many years she taught the craft at the school, but she then continued to live at the Village for 27 years.

Each year Philippine put on wonderful craft stalls – the proceeds of which went to the Village.  She herself would have made hundreds of beautiful shawls, scarves, crocheted hand towels, sets of tea towels as well as lovely soap and lavender bags.

She always thought St Joseph’s Village – St Vincent’s Care Services as it is now known – to be a wonderful place and very dear to the heart of Mary Aikenhead.

As well, Philippine has been a woman of constant prayer.  She didn’t ever want to miss Mass and had a great love for the Rosary. I wouldn’t know how many Rosaries she said during the day and night.  She loved her Congregational crucifix and wore it every day. She prayed constantly for the Congregation and for each Sister of Charity.