Pauline Margaret O'Regan DCNZM CBE (28 June 1922 – 2 May 2019) was a New Zealand school teacher, community worker and writer.
Pauline O'Regan | |
|---|---|
| Principal of Villa Maria College | |
| In office 1950–1966 | |
| Principal of Mercy College, Timaru | |
| In office 1967–1968 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Pauline Margaret O'Regan 28 June 1922 Reefton, New Zealand |
| Died | 2 May 2019 (aged 96) Christchurch, New Zealand |
Biography
editBorn in Reefton on 28 June 1922, O'Regan was the daughter of Margaret Mary O'Regan (née Barry) and John Joseph O'Regan.[1] She was educated at St Mary's High School in Greymouth, and entered the religious order of the Sisters of Mercy Ngā Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa in Christchurch in 1942.[1] She professed as a Sister of Mercy two years later, in 1944.[1] O'Regan graduated from Canterbury University College with a Master of Arts in history in 1954.[1]
Between 1950 and 1966, O'Regan was principal of Villa Maria College in Christchurch.[1] During her tenure, the school roll increased from 48 to 450 students, academic standards rose, and she oversaw the building programme required to accommodate the roll growth.[2] She then served as principal of Mercy College, Timaru from 1967 to 1968, and was a staff member at Aranui High School, Christchurch, from 1973 to 1977.[1]
From 1973, O'Regan lived in the Aranui Community of Sisters of Mercy, to work in the community and train local women to become community leaders.[1][3] In 1979, she was a Churchill Fellow, travelling to the United States and Britain to study community development, and from 1986 to 1991 she was a board member of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust in New Zealand.[1]
O'Regan began writing in the early 1980s, and published books on subjects including community development and her views of the Catholic church.[3] She died in Christchurch on 2 May 2019.[4]
Honours
editIn the 1990 New Year Honours, O'Regan was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to education and the community.[5] In the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, also for services to education and the community.[6] Following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government in 2009, O'Regan declined redesignation as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.[7]
Publications
editBooks written by O'Regan include:
- O'Regan, Pauline (1986). A changing order. Port Nicholson Press.
- O'Regan, Pauline; O'Connor, Teresa (1989). Community: give it a go!. Allen & Unwin.
- O'Regan, Pauline (1991). Aunts and windmills. Bridget Williams Books. ISBN 0908912013.
- O'Regan, Pauline (1995). There is hope for a tree. Bridget Williams Books. ISBN 1869401328.
- O'Regan, Pauline (2004). Miles to go: a book to make you laugh out loud. Penguin. ISBN 9780143007821.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Lambert, Max, ed. (1991). Who's Who in New Zealand (12th ed.). Reed Books. p. 480. ISBN 0-7900-0130-6.
- ^ "Vale Sister Pauline O'Regan". Villa Maria College. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Pauline O'Regan". Bridget William Books. 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Pauline O'Regan death notice". New Zealand Herald. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "No. 51982". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 30 December 1989. p. 30.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2001". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 4 June 2001. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Reinstating titular honours – what the honourees are saying". New Zealand Herald. 8 March 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2019.