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We had the opportunity to meet Fr Foster during his recent visit to Sydney in October. Since Fr Foster is in charge of the care provided to Fr Deane by the Salesian Society in Dublin, our discussion naturally moved to the prospect of further enhancing the quality of life for Fr Deane.
Since Fr Deane's retirement to Dublin several old boys have visited Fr Deane at the nursing home. We knew from some of their reports that despite suffering from Parkinson's Fr Deane was always visibly happy to see them. Fr Foster said that Fr Deane brightened up every time old boys and Theresa Lee visited him. It is remarkable to see how much joy a simple visit from an old acquaintance could bring!
It has been observed by old boys and Trustee members visiting Fr Deane that as a Parkison's patient of his age, healthwise Fr Deane is in relatively good shape. Recently his alertness and humour have also returned – albeit intermittently. As a result, Fr became more aware of his loneliness and on more than one occasion he became very sad when his friends said goodbye.
It is apparent that we should aim at increasing the frequency of old boys and friends visiting Fr Deane. Since Dublin is on the other side of the world, we asked Fr Foster about the possibility of Fr Deane living in a similar nursing home in Hong Kong instead of in Dublin.
Fr Foster was concerned that Fr Deane might not be fit to travel but that is to be determined by his doctor when the time comes. He also confirmed that there are two places where Fr Deane can retire – Dublin and Hong Kong.
Australia is no longer in the equation due to the restrictions in immigration legislation.
The discussion ended just before midnight with Fr Foster leading us in a prayer for Fr Deane.
What the Trust aims to achieve
We are most encouraged by the information Fr Foster gave us in the discussion. Whether Fr Deane could move to Hong Kong and thus be closer to his old boys remains a remote possibility. And we fully appreciate the numerous hurdles and logistical problems yet to be overcome.
We wish to present this case to all St Louis old boys, especially those who know Fr Deane. With their support and God's blessing, maybe Fr Deane can live closer to his old boys and in a familiar environment he has lived most of his life. We wish his days can be filled with visits by old boys, laughter, memories of good old days and happiness instead of loneliness and sadness.
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