Dominic Fursey Bodkin

Dominic Fursey Bodkin (23 July 1843 – 20 February 1929) was a Christian Brother and a Catholic educator in Australia and New Zealand.

Early life Bodkin was born near Tuam, County Galway, Ireland in 1843. He attended the Christian Brothers school in Tuam. In 1869 they established their first school at the rear of St Francis Church in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. Their monastery and second school, Parade College, was established in Victoria Parade, East Melbourne.

On 24 April 1876, Bodkin opened a school in Rattray Street, Dunedin, New Zealand, becoming its first principal. In 1989 this school merged with other Catholic schools in Dunedin to become Trinity Catholic College (formerly Kavanagh College).

Bodkin was the first principal of St Joseph's College, Nudgee in Brisbane, Queensland, which opened in 1891.

He returned to Dunedin and then about 1904 moved to Western Australia where he worked with orphans on farm schools.

Later life Aged 85 years, Bodkin died on 20 February 1929 at Clontarf Orphanage, Western Australia.