18 May 1945 – 17 Oct 2009
Simon Carson died peacefully at St John of God Hospital Subiaco (Perth) on Saturday17 October, aged 64.
Simon was born in Nottingham England on 18 May 1945. When he was four his family moved to Australia and settled in Albany where his father opened his own practice as a GP.
He spent some time in England before returning to WA where he, his mother and sister, were received into the Catholic Church by Leo Leunig at Cottesloe.
Simon started his working career with Solomons, a manchester wholesaler in Fremantle, and then spent time as a jackeroo in the far north of WA, riding horseback (not four wheelers), repairing boundary fences and checking on wind powered water pumps.
Simon attended Albany primary and high schools, St Charles Seminary in Guildford and St Francis Xavier Seminary in Adelaide. He was ordained on 1 September, 1973 by Archbishop Goody.
After ordination he spent three months relieving at Kalgoorlie, followed by 20 months at Scarborough and four years at Northam, all as assistant. He was parish priest at Bruce Rock (1979-85) and then founded the parish of Ocean Reef (1985-1999) where he celebrated his silver jubilee of priesthood.
He was not interested in possessions of any sort, lived a rather austere life and appeared at times like a monk of the desert. He lived and died with very few material things. An obituary notice described him as a ‘rough diamond’ but inside – ‘a pure gem’. He was much loved by people, especially those who disliked any show of pomp or grandeur.
Simon was a photographer’s delight because he would always smile the moment a camera was pointed in his direction. Even in the last months of his life, he was not adverse to having his picture taken.
His greatest love of later years was his dog “Stixs”. He was an avid Eagles and Cricket follower.
He was very generous with his money, either supporting those in need or spending his money on parish projects. His ‘Magnum Opus’ was the establishment of a new parish – Ocean Reef – in the then outer northern limits of Perth’s suburban sprawl. It was in the days when house and land cost $60,000 and a church and hall cost less than $750,000. Simon kept busy baptising and marrying, and as he would say half jokingly, “being a river to his people”.
At his last parish at Mundaring (2000) he was well looked after by Dr Liz Wysoki, a parishioner and friend. He stayed with the Wysoki’s until suitable accommodation was found at the St John of God Villa but he did not have much time to enjoy it. In fact in the last few weeks of his life he had about six moves – from the Mundaring presbytery, to the Wysoki’s, to Castledare Priests Villa, to St John of God Villa, Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital, and finally back to St John of God Hospital where he entered Eternal Life.
