Presentation Sisters - Sr. Oliver is Offaly Person of the Year 2006

Sr Oliver is awarded Offaly Person of the Year !

In early March 2007 Sister Oliver Wrafter from Rahan was given the Offaly Person of the Year Award for 2006. The ceremony took place at the Golden Jubilee Dinner of the Offaly Association in the presence of 450 guests, including the Taoiseach and Offaly politicians of every hue! The venue was the Regency Hotel in Dublin.

Sr Oliver was born Ita Brigid Wrafter in Dublin in 1923, the third of four children. Her parents were Joseph Wrafter of Ballyduff and Brigit Wrafter (nee Cooke) of Ballinagar. Following the death of her mother in 1925, Sr Oliver ended up starting school at the age of two. When her father died eleven years later in 1936, the family moved to Tullamore. Sr. Oliver she attended the Sacred Heart School where she sat her Leaving Cert in 1940.

Conscious that she was called to the religious life, she joined Killina Presentation Convent in Rahan. She began her teaching career there in 1944, a career that spanned 44 years until she retired in 1988.

Over that time she served as principal of both the primary and secondary schools.

The years between 1972 ans 1977 were very challenging. Sr. OLiver and Sr. Patrick fought a decision by the Department of Education that the school in Killina would no longer be allowed to prepare students for the Leaving Certificate. It took much hard work and great perseverance over a five year period to persuade the Department to change its mind. The school has never looked back and is hugely popular to this day.

Sr Oliver has also always had a love of history and it was she who initiated the heritage centre in Rahan. After her retirement in 1988, Sr. Oliver continued her involvement in the secondary school for many years through her work on the Board of Management. She has also worked as a sacristan in Killina Parish Church for over 30 years.