Mgr Michael L Dunne

Bishop Francis Murphy, who came to Adelaide in 1840, was born in the town of Navan, County Meath, Ireland and the last diocesan priest for Adelaide from that town was ordained some 86 years later in 1926. This was Father Michael Leonard Dunne.

Early History

James and Margaret Dunne lived in Navan and were the proud parents of Hugh, Michael and Marie Dunne. Michael was born on November 11, 1901. Later, the family were to move to the historic town of Kells.

Michael's two siblings were prominent in the diocese of Meath. His brother, Father Hugh (Doc) Dunne, was for many years parish priest in Empor. His sister Marie, was a qualified school teacher, spending most of her teaching life in the National School at Carnisle.

Michael was educated at St Finian's College, Mullingar, and studied for the priesthood at All Hallows Seminary in Dublin, where he was ordained on the June 20, 1926.

At the end of October 1926, he arrived by ship at Outer Harbour, staying at West Terrace, and perhaps it was in the dining room there, that his command of English was noticed!  A week later, Michael was appointed assistant priest at Thebarton, and while there studied for a Bachelor of Arts Degree at the National University.

First appointments

By Australia Day 1928, Father Michael would have his first taste of life in the bush, when he headed to the South East town of Naracoorte, which at that time extended as far South as Penola and to Bordertown in the North. Without a motorcar and in view of the distances to be travelled, it is hard to imagine Fr Michael on a horse or push bike! Those were the days of travel by train or motorbike!

A year later, Fr Michael would have no need for a horse, as now he was preaching in the Church of Our Lady of Victories at Glenelg and for the next five years was assistant priest at that seaside parish.

Editor of The Southern Cross

"He came into his own" when on February 1, 1934 he was appointed Editor of The Southern Cross, the weekly Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese. For 30 years Frederick Martin Koerner had been editor of that publication. The editorial of February 9, 1934 says: "Today Mr Koerner's successor enters office" as "the Editor makes his bow to readers of The Southern Cross".

In addition, Fr Dunne was chaplain of the rapidly expanding Christian Brothers College at Rostrevor.
As editor of The Southern Cross for the next 10 years, he wrote extensively on matters such as the Depression which affected Australian life in the early 30's, the evils of Communism, and the outbreak of World War II. He wrote about matters of parish interest as well as articles about "News of the Outer Catholic World".  He attended a Catholic Press Exhibition in Rome in 1936 and 'squeezed in' a trip to see his family in Kells, County Meath. A trip to 'kiss the Blarney stone' to acquire the gift of eloquence would of course have been unnecessary.

Then it was back to "the Bay".

Ringing the changes

At the end of WWII Fr Michael was appointed Administrator at Glenelg, but on June 1, 1948, he would take over the seaside parish of Victor Harbour, which up till then was under the care of the parish priest at Strathalbyn. He visited Rome and Ireland during the Holy Year, 1950.

In February 1956, he was brought back to the city and appointed parish priest at Kurralta Park, on the corner of Main South Road and Anzac Highway. Within three months he was appointed a Judge of the Matrimonial Court. From May to November 1958, he visited his family in Ireland. 

Of churches and accommodation

The accommodation for the priests at Kurralta Park was meagre, but in this rapidly expanding parish, high-density flats and housing along the Anzac Highway were going up at an alarming rate. With so few family cars and an archdiocesan policy that ”there should be a church within walking distance”, plans were soon in place for three churches to be erected.

St Joseph's Church at Kurralta Park was opened at March 19, 1961, the feast of St Joseph. St James’ Church was built at Netley and St John the Baptist on Anzac Highway at Plympton. Within 40 years St James would be demolished and St Joseph's had to make way for the widening of the underpass at the South Road and Anzac Highway intersection to accommodate the huge increase in family car ownership and the volume of traffic generally. The hindsight of history provides wonderful ironies.

Appointed a Diocesan Consultor and a Monsignor in July 1960, as well as being elected to the Senate of Priests, Monsignor Michael Dunne continued to live "in the tumbledown shack" at Kurralta Park.

Regaling his assistant priests

His assistant priests could expect topics from Evolution, Counter Revolution, Abortion, to Population Explosion to be on the menu for breakfast, dinner and tea. They were thrice blessed that Defragmentation had not been invented.

During his 50 years of active service, at one stage there were nine priests from County Meath working with Fr Dunne and five were from the parish of Kells: namely, Frs Edward O’Connell, Richard Farrelly, Patrick Carolan, Philip Smith, and Andrew Tuite.

Globetrotting retirement

In 1971, Mgr Dunne attended the Catholic Press Exhibition in Rome and afterwards visited his family. He was getting to be a globe-trotter as he was back in Ireland in 1975. He retired from active ministry on October 31, 1975.

The Mons then moved to the Flora McDonald Lodge until August 1976 and from there to Villa Beovich, where he remained, except for his overseas trips, until 1992, after which he moved to the Lourdes Valley Nursing Home.

Celebrating life and death

He had ample time to prepare to meet his Maker and to prepare the hymns, readings, reflections for his Requiem Mass booklet, having given 60 years of faithful ministry to the people of Adelaide.

He "shuffled off this mortal coil" on September 26, 1994 and was buried from the church that was his pride and joy, St John the Baptist Church, Anzac Highway, on his feast day – September 29, 1994.

As the song says: "He was a mighty, mighty man; We shall not hear his likes again!”