Gillian Hilda Christina Harris was born on 27 September 1939 in Brisbane, the youngest of five children. Long before she became a Sister, she was many other things: an artist, a scholar, an explorer. She felt the call to the religious life early on and seriously considered joining a religious order after she left school. Instead, she studied Agricultural Science at University and went on to teach science. Sr Gillian married her husband John Gardiner and travelled to England with him for his work. They had 3 children, who like to note that they were born in three different countries: the UK, Australia and New Guinea.

Stories of Gillian as a mother to three small children paint quite a different picture of her from the wise and steady Sister that most of us came to know. Her children remember her as fearless, with a great love of literature, a lifelong interest in permaculture, and dubious taste in sandwiches (vegemite and lettuce is a combination I have not encountered before).

Following the ending of her marriage, Sr Gillian joined the SSA in 1992 at a time when the Community was still flourishing, although vocations to the Order were becoming less common. She was professed in 1995, on the Feast of Mary Magdalene, and lived out the remainder of her days in Community. That community changed significantly over those years and Sr Gillian was part of the courageous decisions to hand over governance of the schools to a Trust, and to shift the SSA from a gathered to a dispersed religious community. Both of these decisions enabled the schools and the Order to continue to flourish in times of great change.

Sr Gillian took on a leadership role in the Community on two occasions, in 2006-2007, when Mother Eunice was unwell, and then in 2017 when Mother Eunice moved into care. As Leader, she was courageous and prayerful, and her quiet authority is greatly missed. As well as attending to matters of governance and planning, Sr Gillian always cared for her Sisters, and their dogs, especially as Sr Sandra and Sr Eunice became frailer. She also encouraged and inspired the new members and companions as we journeyed into the ethos and life of the SSA.

We will remember Sr Gillian as a woman of faith, prayer, intelligence and courage. She did not always regard her own gifts, but we do, and we will continue to miss them, and her.

Rest eternal grant to her O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her.

Sr Gillian Moses SSA

Sr Jan Crombie SSA