Sister Eileen Heath

Sister Eileen Heath (29 November 1905 – 22 October 2011) was an Anglican deaconess who worked as the superintendent of St. Mary's Hostel in Alice Springs from 1946 to 1955 and was a tireless campaigner for Aboriginal welfare who took a stand against her own church in the 1940s.

Early life

Heath was the daughter of John and Susan Heath and was born in Fremantle, Western Australia and she attended school at St. Joeseph's Convent before moving, in 1914, to the East Fremantle State School. Heath joined the Australian Board of Missions as a teenager and, ultimately, deciding to become a deaconess. Before coming to the Northern Territory, where Heath spent most of her career, she worked at the Moore River Native Settlement between 1935 and 1944. She was disgusted by conditions there where many Aboriginal people were forced to live and 'half-caste' children, and often their mothers, were forced to live in overcrowded and insufficient conditions. In 1935 the settlement was "at crisis point" and, despite the compound being designed for 200 people, had 300 people living there (mostly children) and the area surrounding it was surrounded by people living in tin, bag and brush humpies: From 1970 -1975 she returned to St. Mary's, which became St Mary's Children's Village in 1972, as a social worker.

Later life

Heath retired to live in Western Australia in 1992 and died on 22 October 2011; at age 105.

Honours

Received a MBE for community service in 1968. Received an Order of Merit from the Girl Guides Association in 1970. Was made an honorary Lady Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Darwin, in 1982. Was named 'Centralian of the Year; with co-recipient Sue Ride in 1992.