A long-time resident of one of Anglicare’s Canberra-based retirement villages, 78-year-old Sister Jane Keogh was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on Monday as part of the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours, for her dedication to human rights.
Sister Jane, a member of the one of the Brigidine Founding Orders, spent 30 years in education, 26 of those as a school principal. Upon retiring from her role at a school in Mount Druitt, she returned to Canberra to care for her mother who suffered from Alzheimer’s. It was then that Sister Jane joined the Refugee Action Committee.
“I don’t know where it came from, but I have a strong need to stand up against unfairness and injustice”, she said. “A lot of people get involved with refugees out of compassion, but I’m not driven by compassion. I’m not a hand holder, I too much of a doer.”
This desire to act led Sister Jane to become involved in vigils and protests on behalf of refugee rights and to make multiple visits to various detention centres.
Through her years of advocating for the vulnerable, Sister Jane’s perspective has changed some. “I woke up one day and I think I accepted that I may not make much of a difference. I accepted that all we can do is look at how we treat the people we meet in the day, and I’ve become much more attentive to that.”
This doesn’t mean that Sister Jane is ready to give up, or that she thinks others should. Rather, she believes we all have a role to play in making change. “Search your own heart and ask what contribution you can make to make the world a better place”, she said. “It could be visiting the person next to you in your centre, it could be joining your local singing group and adding your voice. I think we’ve all got a calling. We need to look to what difference we can make, and it doesn’t have to be big.”
Another thing close to Sister Jane’s heart are her dogs. When looking for a place to live, following her mother’s passing, Jane dismissed any option that wouldn’t allow for pets. “A friend of mine told me about Anglicare’s retirement village here and said that dogs were allowed. Right then and there I asked her to mind my dogs and I walked all the way here, knocked on the manager’s door and asked if it was true!” Nearly nine years later and she is still enjoying her Anglicare-run unit, alongside her furry companions.
When Sister Jane was first informed that she had received the AM, she says she was confused. “I thought, why me? There are so many people doing the same thing”. She then thought of her own father, who received the MBE for services to the Commonwealth. “He would be very pleased”, she said, “and my family will treasure this for that reason. I also hope that people that are working for refugees and for vulnerable people will feel good about it and encouraged.”
We congratulate Sister Jane on this impressive honour and celebrate her commitment to advocating for the vulnerable.
