The legacy of Baroness Susan (Sue) Ryder of Warsaw (1924-2000) and Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC (1917-1992) lives on at a student residential hall at Campion College, Sydney, with the official naming of the Ryder-Cheshire Hall at Campion College on 5 October 2023. Campion College is Australia’s first tertiary education liberal arts college.
The keynote address was given by General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK AC (Mil) CV MC (Retd), who spoke with great warmth of his connection with Leonard Cheshire, his relationship with Ryder-Cheshire Australia (RCA), and his connection to Klibur Domin in Timor-Leste. General Cosgrove also spoke of the profound compassion demonstrated by ‘these great humanitarians (Sue Ryder and Leonard Cheshire) and the ongoing legacy of their work.’
Fr Francis (Ted) Burns PE, RFD., B.A., Dip.Ed., M.Ed., MACE also spoke. It is thanks to his generosity that Ryder-Cheshire Hall is so named. Fr Francis Burns spoke of his memories of Sue Ryder and Leonard Cheshire and their influence on his long relationship with Klibur Domin in Timor-Leste. Fr Burns also discussed what it means to genuinely ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ and the ethos of ‘small is beautiful’ as it relates to the work of RCA and Klibur Domin.
I put together a small display for students living in Ryder-Cheshire Hall which includes books by and about Sue Ryder and Leonard Cheshire; information about the beautiful portrait of the couple painted by Sr Josephine Marie; information about Ryder-Cheshire Australia’s support for homes in Australia, Timor-Leste and India; and photos of Campion College alumni who have volunteered at Klibur Domin through Ryder-Cheshire Australia.
It was a great privilege and blessing to be part of the naming ceremony of the Ryder-Cheshire Hall, and I have no doubt that students and alumni of Campion College will continue to be inspired by Sue Ryder and Leonard Cheshire’s remarkable legacy. To quote Leonard Cheshire, ‘We will find that it is in going out to help someone whose need is greater than ours that we solve our own problems and become fulfilled as a person more fully the unique masterpiece that God wills us ultimately to be.’
Siobhan Reeves
Siobhan Reeves is an alumni of Campion College, Toongabbie NSW (Class of 2011), has volunteered at Klibur Domin on several occasions, and is a member of Ryder-Cheshire Australia.