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News & Photos

Father Julian Tenison Woods 150th Anniversary Celebrations

Celebrants in Blanche Cave
Celebrants in Blanche Cave
Bishop Gregory O'Kelly SJ, Christopher Goudey, Lorraine Goudey and Margaret Muller with The Goudey Collection
Bishop Gregory O'Kelly SJ, Christopher Goudey, Lorraine Goudey and Margaret Muller with The Goudey Collection
Dr Elery Hamilton-Smith and Margaret Muller in Blanche Cave
Dr Elery Hamilton-Smith and Margaret Muller in Blanche Cave
MMPC Committee in the Centre
MMPC Committee in the Interpretive Centre

The 150th anniversary of Father Julian Tenison Woods' arrival at Penola in March 1857 was most successfully and joyfully commemorated over the weekend of 23-25 March 2007 by St Joseph's Parish and the Mary MacKillop Penola Centre.

Sisters of St Joseph came from New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia for the celebrations, as did Sisters of Perpetual
Adoration from Queensland. Members of
the scientific community and descendants of Woods' brother, James, also attended.

Speakers included Father Paul Gardiner SJ on Woods as a mission priest, and Dr Elery Hamilton-Smith AM on Woods' contribution to science, in particular his pioneering geological work on the world heritage listed Naracoorte Caves, a visit to which was enjoyed by all.

Bishop Gregory O'Kelly SJ attended the Anniversary Dinner at Heyward's Royal Oak and concelebrated Sunday Mass with Father Paul and Father Vinh-Quang Tran.

A highlight of this memorable weekend was the opening by Dr Hamilton-Smith of a unique collection of fossils and recent species named by Woods that was donated to the Mary MacKillop Penola Centre by Christopher and Lorraine Goudey of Lara, Victoria, and is now a feature of the Woods exhibition.