KCP - Catholic Diocese of Broome

Obituary
Alberta McKenna – Bin Omar
Born: 5 August 1937
Entered Eternal Life: 2 April 2005

AWoman of Family and Faith

Alberta or Abbey, as she was affectionately known to family and friends, was born on the 5th August 1937 at Beagle Bay Mission. Her mother was Phillipena Dolby (nee Baird) a Bunuba woman from the Fitzroy Valley and her father was Aloysius Louie Dolby a Yawuru man from Goldwire. One of thirteen children, Alberta enjoyed a close and loving relationship with her siblings.

At a young age Mum Abbey and her sister Madge were taken and placed in the girls dormitory at Beagle Bay Mission. Her early years of schooling were spent at Sacred Heart School in Beagle Bay and St Mary's School in Broome.

Mum left St Mary's to work in the convent in Broome where her duties were to assist Sr Veronica McCarthy in the kitchen. Sr Veronica and Mum were to become good friends and they retained their friendship throughout her life.

Following the traditional customs of the Aboriginal people, Mum married her promised husband Ngupiny Jack McKenna on the 27th April 1957. The traditional ways were important to Mum and she encouraged all of her children to respect and maintain their culture.

Mum was very understanding and accepting of everyone and the door to the family home was always open. Her kind, compassionate and caring nature meant that no one was ever turned away. Despite their hardships, her Christian upbringing and traditional Aboriginal values ensured that everything she had was shared.

Food was a very important aspect of family life. Mum was renowned for her cooking ability. Her kind-hearted nature meant that she was forever volunteering her services to help others. Over the years she cooked for the Vietnamese refugees; supported her children and grandchildren in their fundraising efforts for St Mary's School at sports events, school fetes, family nights and for the Cultural Exchange Program; helped out with the Priests Retreats at Riddell Beach and cooked for parties, funerals and parish events.

In line with her strong sense of community, she was one of the five founding members of the Jarndu Yawuru Women's Resource Centre and during the celebrations of the 1998 Shinju Matsuri Festival, Mum was crowned Mother of Pearl for her devotion to family and community involvement. This recognition was very fitting for the women that she was, this was a very proud moment as all her children witnessed this beautiful presentation.

Sadly Uncle Mack died in Derby on the 10th September 1985. Two years after his death on the 5th August 1987 Mum remarried. She married Ahmat Bin Omar in the presence of her family. They had eight very happy years together until he too died on the 23rd July, 1995.

It was a devastating blow to the family when Mum was diagnosed with cancer early in 2004. But with her customary good humour, her ability to laugh at herself and to find humour in most situations, she faced her illness with courage and dignity despite at times incredible pain. The love of her family sustained her during these difficult times, as did her incredible faith and devotion to Our Lady. Not a day passed by when she was not engrossed in the Rosary, sometimes several times a day. Rosary beads of all shapes and sizes were a constant in her life.

Despite her passion for life and her determination to hang on to it, by late March it was clear that she was losing the battle. In Mum's eyes the race was on as she declared to her family "Me and the Pope is racing. I'm going to beat him there”. True to her word she did. Her last words, not long before she died, were ‘Lord Take Me'. Her final acceptance of her illness and ensuing death and the realisation of her faith. It is fitting that she died surrounded by the family she loved so much.

She is survived by ten children, sixty grandchildren and twentynine great grandchildren.

— MAY SHE REST IN PEACE.