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Vale Br Tony Kelly
An inspirational educator with a passion for music and sport, Brother James Joseph (Tony) Kelly passed away on 12 June 2020 at the age of 99.
Born in Sydney in 1920, the former CBC Headmaster was one of seven children of Irish immigrant James Kelly and first generation Irish-Australian Rose Lynch, and his happy childhood was full of his two loves, singing and cricket. He attended the local parish primary school run by the Sisters of Mercy andin 1931 took the first step towards his future vocation when he was awarded a choir scholarship to attend the Christian Brothers’ school, St Mary’s Cathedral College.
Br Kelly was a dedicated scholar and at the age of 14 he entered the Brothers’ Training College in Strathfield where he graduated with distinction in English, Latin, Maths 1 and 2, Physics and Chemistry. Perhaps he could very well have become a doctor or another lay profession, but Br Kelly knew God had other plans for him. After his Leaving Certificate, he completed two years of religious training when he was given the name of Antoninus. He then taught in Launceston, before returning to the mainland to instruct at Christian Brothers’ schools in Middle Park and Parade College in Melbourne.
During this time the hardworking young Brother studied part time for a Bachelor of Arts degree, focusing on Latin, Australian History, Chemistry and Applied and Pure Mathematics. In 1954, Br Kelly travelled west to take up the position as Headmaster of CBC Fremantle where he stayed for five years before being appointed to CBC Perth on St George’s Terrace in 1960.
Br Kelly’s funeral.
Br Kelly aged 14
Founded in 1894, the physical limitations of the beautiful old Federation style school on the corner of the Terrace and Victoria Avenue was becoming apparent when Br Kelly arrived, and in 1959 Perth City Council purchased the land to make way for an international hotel and widening of the street pending the 1962 Commonwealth Games. Br Kelly astutely negotiated a far more salubrious location adjacent to the WACA, and in 1962 the canny administrator moved his team and students to the extensive new buildings on the 15-acre riverside site that became Trinity College, the lasting legacy of a man for others.
Br Kelly’s mission then took him to Rostrevor College in South Australia and two years later he returned to Perth when he was appointed a member of the Brother’s governing body of the newly formed WA Province. In the early years of the Council, he was involved in setting up Nulungu College for Indigenous students in Broome, and was also the Education Department’s Mathematics Moderator, travelling throughout the state to promote the new examination system and the Year 10 Achievement Certificate. In recognition of his service, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his commitment to education.
In 1978 Br Kelly returned to Trinity College, where he completed another six years as Headmaster. During this period, he initiated an extensive strategic plan which included building the PL Duffy Library and an administration centre with rooms for the performing arts, as well as installing a pipe organ in the chapel and purchasing land in Dwellingup for an outdoor education centre. But for all these visionary additions, the lifelong lover of music was most proud of the establishment of Trinity’s Pipes and Drums band.
Retirement beckoned Br Kelly, but God had not finished with his faithful servant yet. In 1980 fellow Christian Brother and Principal of Aranmore Catholic College in Leederville, Br Kevin Paull, was left without a Maths teacher due to a swift resignation, and asked Br Kelly if he could help out for a short period of time. Co-ed was a new endeavour for the experienced educator but it must have agreed with him because 14 years later, Br Kelly finally resigned from Aranmore and entered into a productive retirement.
Br Kelly was much loved at the schools in which he taught, and his passing prompted an outpouring of devotion and respect towards the man whose joy in his profession and service to God remained tangible to the end. At the final celebration of his life, his friend and colleague Br Paull quoted from Br Kelly’s own writing about his time as a Christian Brother:
Farewell, Br Tony Kelly, and thank you.
CBC Perth on St George’s Terrace
Br Kelly in his youth
