Jean Wilkinson, Monaghan NCBI

After 25 years as the North East regional representative on NCBI’s Board, Jean Wilkinson retired in December 2008. Frank Callery recalls the person and her great service to NCBI.

It has been a long time. She closes her eyes to aid memory but it is hard to recall exactly when she started with NCBI. Then, like us all, she comes at it from a different angle. Yes, that was the time; she had just taken early retirement from teaching at the Monaghan Collegiate School, an establishment long accustomed to the onus of service to its place and its people — it has been in existence since 1570 and its motto speaks volumes “Working together so that we may flourish as individuals”.

Years of Service

She had come there after her years in the Preparatory College in Kildare Street; her Sisarship at Trinity College where she took her degree. Her mother before her had been a teacher and Jean was followed by her son Raymond, who has since retired. The Wilkinsons were good at giving years of service; whether to church or charity, to neighbour or friend, it was what you did.

So it was 1984 or thereabouts when she first came up to 10 Hatch Street to represent her region on the NCBI Board. They were the days when parking was not an issue; the days just before a new order, when NCBI was in the throws of finding a new permanent home and would finally settle on the old Drumcondra Hospital. That was a little nearer to Monaghan. Jean was there for the opening day, organised by NCBI’s Des Murphy and Inspector Paddy Murray of An Garda Siochana. She had enjoyed it and reported that fact back to a meeting of her fellow volunteers in Monaghan who were impressed, but summarily moved on to organising church gate collections, transport for this body or that, and the constant burden of finding the funds for their home teacher’s salary.

Jean has given over a third of her 84 years to a commitment she made on that night when Mr. McKenna, the Monaghan branch chairman had asked her to come onto the committee. Those were different times, when a huge generosity prevailed. Lucy Cooper with her brother and sister, Sir Tyrone and Lady Judith Guthrie, the Rev. Holmes, Laura McMahon, Dr. Rory O’Hanlon and the good people of Monaghan rowing in to do their bit for blind welfare. And yet, they were not so different. Still today, in Clones, Ballybay, Carrickmacross and Castleblaney and in the town of Monagan, Jean finds the same good stock ready to row in. The thought evokes names from around the county, the Macklins, the Smith family who have owned The Northern Standard since Adam was a boy. The Rotarians, the Lions. Her beloved ICA and Mr. McGaughey in Clones, doing the circulars free of charge; the little covey of reliables recording The Northern Standard for distribution to its network of eager vision impaired listeners.

Des Kenny, NCBI’s chief executive, speaks fondly of Jean: ‘She typifies all those good people who have put service before self, who have been an enormous help and influence on NCBI and the people we serve”.

At the NCBI Board’s Christmas lunch, chairman Margaret McDowell presented Jean with a silver necklace. It was a gesture of NCBI’s grateful thanks in a meaningful way. No doubt in time Jean’s two great grand-daughters will be taken by its glitter; and no doubt they too will have learned the value and the calling of giving service to their community.