Doris Ruth DILLON

DILLON, DORIS RUTH (née PERCIVAL) (b. Randwick, NSW, 6 April 1896; d. Castle Hill, NSW, July 1977). Matron of the BCA hospital at Ceduna, SA.

Doris Percival was the daughter of the Rev W E H Percival. Both her brothers became clergymen. She was closely associated with St Jude's, Randwick under Canon Hough and Canon Cakebread, growing up as a committed Christian. She trained as a nurse at Royal Prince Alfred and Royal North Shore Hospitals, then offered herself to CMS. While working as a ward sister she was invited by S J Kirkby (q.v.) of BCA to establish a BCA hospital at Ceduna SA.

She set up her seven-bed hospital in a small cottage on a farm in 1926. Her bedroom, built of galvanised iron, was freezing in winter and oven-like in summer. Her salary was £2 a week. The nearest doctor was 200 miles away. Within a short time the hospital was extended and a small operating theatre and extra accommodation was added. Proper maternity care was a boon for outback mothers and the hospital soon gained a reputation for first-class nursing. The hospital was registered as a 10 bed hospital and within the first year had 10 hospital beds and four bassinettes. Many patients remembered with gratitude the early days even though there was no electricity and limited water.

After two years of pioneering work at Ceduna, Doris Percival married the new BCA missioner at Ceduna, the Rev Fred Dillon (q.v.) in 1928, where they worked until the end of 1929. There followed a succession of parish appointments for Fred Dillon, in all of which Mrs Dillon offered him vigorous support. They remained active supporters of BCA wherever they served. She ministered at summer schools, revealing a breadth of vision and a grasp of affairs both spiritual and practical. Childless, and widowed in 1959, Mrs Dillon continued a ministry of encouragement and activity in many causes, including CMS, BCA, and St Andrews Cathedral, maintaining consistent committee attendance and a regular sustained prayer life. She died at the Goodwin Village.

HELEN CATERER