Margaret Ann Short was born in New Lambton on 6 January 1934, the seventh child of her parents Laurence and Mary.

Margaret’s primary school years were spent at St Joseph’s Merewether.  Her Secondary Education took her into family territory – her mother had been educated by the Dominican Sisters in Tamworth, and both her parents were staunch lay Dominicans.  From 1946-1948 Margaret attended Star of the Sea, Newcastle and then transferred to St Mary’s Maitland as a boarder and completed the Leaving Certificate there.

On leaving school Margaret did her nursing training at the Mater Hospital, Waratah, after which on 2 February 1954, she entered the Dominican Community at Maitland.  She was professed at Berith Park, Wahroonga in 1956, as Sr M. Thaddeus.  That year Sr M. Thaddeus did Midwifery nursing training in preparation for work in the Solomon Islands.  Unfortunately a medical condition prevented her from carrying this dream further.

She trained as a teacher, and taught primary classes at St Martha’s Strathfield, and Star of the Sea, Newcastle.  In 1961 Margaret moved to Prouille community Wahroonga to take charge of the newly arrived St Lucy’s boarders, who were blind and partially sighted.  She undertook training now as a teacher of vision impaired students by distance learning, and soon Margaret was both Principal of St Lucy's School and Mistress of the Boarders.

Between 1974-1976 Margaret was called to be Prioress of St Dominic’s Tamworth, but returned again to St Lucy’s.  In 1979 she was at last able to go to the Solomon Islands, to assist some indigenous blind students.   From 1981, she spent some years back in mainstream teaching in Maitland and Melbourne, after which followed a term as prioress of the Waratah Rest Home Community. 

In 1988 Margaret took on a new dimension in her association with education of children with vision impairment.  She was employed by NSW State Department of Education as teacher of Mobility and Orientation throughout Sydney, and in 1990 she took up a similar position in the Hunter Region.  She also completed her BA from Deakin University in that year.

Margaret retired from this work in 1992, and became a carer for our senior Sisters at St Martin de Porres Hostel and St Catherine of Siena Nursing Home.  She took this ministry very seriously, and completed a Diploma in Aged Care from ACU in 1996. 

She continued her love for those with impaired sight by reading books and periodicals onto tape for them through the Royal Blind Society/Vision Australia for many years, and kept up with the lives of many of her former pupils.

Margaret enjoyed life, and was a woman of many and varied interests and talents.  Her love of Irish and Scottish dancing, Tap Dancing, and Line Dancing were legendary.

Most of all Margaret was a most loving member of her birth family and her Dominican Family.  She was a woman of courage and common sense, whose religious dedication to her ministry assisted and inspired many.

Margaret died after a long illness, on 17 February 2011, supported on this last journey by her family and her community.  May she rest in peace.