Mary Gertrude

For other people named Mary Gertrude, see Mary Gertrude (disambiguation).

Mother Mary Gertrude
Title	Provincial superior
Personal life
Born	Anne Greene 1884 Killard, Clare, Ireland
Died	(1965-02-20)20 February 1965 (aged 94) Broome, Western Australia, Australia
Nationality	Irish/Australian
Parent(s)	Thomas and Bridget Greene
Known for	establishing hospital for leprosy patients
Religious life
Religion	Catholic
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Order	Sisters of St. John of God

Mary Gertrude MBE (born Anne Greene, 1884–1965), was an Australian nurse and provincial superior, and a member of the Sisters of St. John of God.

Early life

Born in Killard, County Clare, Ireland, she settled in Australia around 1905.

Vocation

She worked as a nurse in hospitals run by her order in Western Australia. In 1929, she began serving at the order's mission in north Western Australia, where she was influential in securing a hospital for Aboriginal Australian patients with leprosy. She cared for patients in the hospital for ten years.[1][2]

Mother Mary Gertrude was appointed provincial superior of her order in the North-West in 1947, and served two six-year terms. She became a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1948.[3] After her service as provincial superior, she was appointed superior of the Sisters of St. John of God convent in Derby.

Death

She died as the result of a car accident in Broome, on 20 February 1965. She is buried in the Broome cemetery.[1]

References

1. Clement, Cathie, "Anne Greene", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 24 July 2021
2. Robson, Charmaine (2022). Missionary Women, Leprosy and Indigenous Australians. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 72–116. ISBN 9783031057953.
3. Melbourne, National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of. "Greene, Anne - Woman - The Australian Women's Register". www.womenaustralia.info. Retrieved 5 February 2021.