Born: 02 December 1904, Brisbane, Australia
Entered: 05 April 1923, Loyola Greenwich, Australia (HIB)
Ordained 24 August 1938, Leuven, Belgium
Final vows: 02 February 1942
Died: 26 September 1992, St Joseph, Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia - Australiae Province (ASL)

Transcribed HIB to ASL : 05 April 1931

by 1930 at Granada, Spain (BAE) studying

◆ David Strong SJ “The Australian Dictionary of Jesuit Biography 1848-2015”, 2nd Edition, Halstead Press, Ultimo NSW, Australia, 2017 - ISBN : 9781925043280
Austin Ryan was educated at St Joseph's College, Sydney, and entered the Society in Sydney, 5 April 1923. His Jesuit training was wholly overseas, including philosophy in Spain. He gained a BA in classics from the University of Ireland, and a Licentiate in theology from Louvain. He was ordained, 24 August 1938, and later professed of the four vows. He retained his ability to read Spanish for the rest of his life. His story about scholastics having to don swim wear under the shower and being provided with a spoon to tuck in their shirts while dressing amused more modern scholastics.
After a few years of teaching at Riverview, 1941-42, Ryan was appointed professor of church history and oriental questions at the theologate, Canisius College, Pymble, 1943-46. He returned to Riverview teaching classics from 1947-52, followed by a year of pastoral ministry at St Ignatius' Church, Richmond. He spent some years between 1954-59 teaching experimental psychology to the scholastics at Loyola College, Watsonia, and was the prefect of studies and minister of juniors. He also edited the province periodicals “Hazaribagh” and “Province News”.
From 1960-69 Ryan was a brilliant and inspiring teacher of Latin, Greek, Italian and Hebrew at Corpus Christi College, Werribee, and was a wise and understanding spiritual father to the students. His integrity and unfeigned sincerity won him the respect of his students.
His next appointment was teaching Latin and Greek to the novices at Loyola College, Watsonia, 1970-72. He was far from happy here, and even talked about leaving the Society. One of the Fathers, believing that he was being helpful, continually reminded Ryan of his rubrical failures at Mass. From 1976-81 he returned to Riverview teaching Latin, Greek, French and German. This also was not a success, he was still very unhappy.
Apart from short postings at Campion College, Kew, and the provincial residence, from 1982-92, he remained at Campion College praying for the Society and tutoring in Greek, Latin, Italian and German.
Ryan was a truly international Jesuit, a gifted linguist and scholar, and a fine raconteur. He was lively at recreation with an inexhaustible fund of anecdotes. He worked hard all his life, and was always an available confessor. He suffered depression especially when he felt he could not cope with his work. The province was indebted to him for recording the 'curriculum vitae' of many deceased Jesuits.

Note from Frank Dennett Entry
He enjoyed the work as a Province Archivist, as it gave scope to his historical scholarship and precision. With the assistance of Austin Ryan he compiled a short biography of every Jesuit who had lived and worked in Australia.

Born: 04 April 1839, Port Lincoln, South Australia
Entered: 05 June 1888, Xavier, Melbourne, Australia (HIB)
Ordained: 1893, Milltown Park, Dublin
Final Vows: 02 February 1902
Died: 07 February 1919, St Ignatius College, Manresa, Norwood, Adelaide, Australia

by 1894 at Castres France (TOLO) making Tertianship
by 1894 returned to Australia

◆ HIB Menologies SJ :
He had been a Protestant Minister and on the death of his wife he became a Catholic.

Made his Noviceship in Australia under Luigi Sturzo.
He was Ordained at Milltown.
After Ordination he returned to Australia, and most of his life was as procurator at Xavier College, Kew.
A short time before his death he was sent for health reasons to Norwood, and he died there 07 February 1919

◆ David Strong SJ “The Australian Dictionary of Jesuit Biography 1848-2015”, 2nd Edition, Halstead Press, Ultimo NSW, Australia, 2017 - ISBN : 9781925043280
Hugh Pidcock was educated at Winchester and Cambridge, England, where he received his BA. He was ordained into the Anglican ministry about 1860, and worked first in England and then in Western Australia. It is said that he paid a visit to New Norcia in 1878 with the Anglican bishop of Perth, from which resulted his conversion to the Catholic Church. He went to Sydney, where his wife died, and he was a teacher for some years at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, before offering himself to the Society at the age of 49.
He entered the Society 5 June 1888, at Xavier College, and in 1891 left Australia for Milltown Park for two years of theology studies. This was followed by tertianship at Castres, France, 1893-94, and a return to Australia and Xavier College, 1894-1916.
During this time he was in charge music and the choir, as well as procurator, and a house consultor. The choir was even able to produce a “Missa Cantata” from time to time. He produced the first act of Gilbert and Sullivan's opera, “HMS Pinafore” - the first time at Xavier. He gave up teaching in 1909 and the choir in 1913. For his recreation he played the piano, especially pieces from Beethoven and Chopin. He was not really interested in sport. His occasional sermons were quaint homilies rather than anything approaching set discourses. He would give truths, illustrate them from life and finally wind up with an apt quotation from scripture. His piety was simple and sincere, with plenty of common sense.
His final years, 1916-19, were spent in parish ministry at Norwood, SA. in his last months he was unable to say Mass.
Most Jesuits knew very little about Pidcock's early life as an Anglican. It was said by contemporaries that he was “a general friend of all”.

◆ James B Stephenson SJ Menologies 1973

Father Hugo Pidcock SJ 1829-1919
Hugo Pidcock was an Australian born on April 14th 1839 in the Protestant faith. He became a parson, and on the death of his wife he entered the Catholic Church.

He was received into the Society in 1888 and then made his noviceship at Milltown Park. In community life he used cause a certain amusement by referring to “the late Mrs Pidcock”.

After his ordination he returned to Australia where he spent the greater part of his remaining years as Oeconomus in St Francis Xavier, Kew. He had only retired a short time from his work when he died at Norwood on February 7th 1919, almost 80 years old.

◆ The Xaverian, Xavier College, Melbourne, Australia, 1919

Obituary

Father Hugh Pidcock SJ
(Born April 4th, 1839; died February 7th 1919.)

“Poor old Father Pidcock gone and what an amount of goodness, kindness and innocent fun gone with him!” Thus wrote one who had known the kindly old man for the thirty-years that preceded his happy death which took place at the Jesuit Residence of St Ignatius, Norwood, Adelaide, in February last. They are words which will be re-echoed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing Father Hugh.