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Sister Angela Mary Doyle has been honoured for her lifetime of compassionate service to Queenslanders with Mater’s highest award, the Catherine McAuley Medallion.
The award celebrates the enduring legacy of Catherine McAuley – who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin in 1831 – and is awarded to those who have made an extraordinary contribution to Mater and its Mission in the community.
The honour was announced at this year’s Mater People Awards in Brisbane on Friday 31 October.
Sister Angela Mary, who celebrated her 100th birthday in August, said she was “deeply humbled” to receive the medallion.
“To be acknowledged in Catherine’s name, a woman whose compassion and courage have guided my own life and shaped the heart of Mater, is something I will treasure always,” she said.
“I look back over 100 years with immense gratitude and with every confidence that Mater’s future will be as bright and hope-filled as its past.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to receive this beautiful acknowledgement – but, even more so, how proud I am of all of Mater’s people and to call myself a Mater person.”
Sister Angela Mary took vows with the Sisters of Mercy in her native Ireland before travelling to Brisbane in 1947 and training as a nurse at Mater in South Brisbane.
As Sister Administrator of Mater Mothers’ Hospital, Mater Children’s Hospital and Mater Adult Hospital, she expanded and launched new medical services for Brisbane families, such as the Mater Mothers’ Neonatal Critical Care Unit.
She was a leading campaigner for the introduction of Medibank and in the 1980s defied the Queensland Government to secretly provide palliative care to Australia’s first HIV-AIDS victims.
Mater Board Chair Patrick Brady paid tribute to Sister Angela Mary, who was unable to attend the awards evening, describing her as a visionary leader who had transformed healthcare for generations of Queenslanders.
“As Mater’s Hospital Administrator, she pioneered world-class care, stood up for those living with HIV/AIDS, and championed mental health, First Nations health, and refugee support,” he said.
“Even at 100, she’s still fundraising, advocating and serving. She is a true Mater legend.”
The Catherine McAuley Medallion was the most prestigious of 17 Mater People Awards presented at the Glo House, in Brisbane’s Roma Street Parklands.
The awards recognise excellence across Mater’s hospitals in Brisbane, Springfield, the Redlands, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton and Bundaberg, as well as the Mater Research, Mater Education and Mater Foundation subsidiaries.
The recipients of this year’s awards for clinical excellence included Dr Martin Wood (Mater Private Hospital Brisbane), Dr Luke Reid (Mater Private Hospital Mackay), Clinical Nurse Consultant Bronwyn Jennings (Mater Hospital Brisbane), Liji Pullookaran (Project Lead – Clinical Planning, Mater Hospital Springfield) and the Patient Care Unit 1 team at Mater Private Hospital Redland.
Professor Aileen McGonigal, of Mater Hospital Brisbane and Mater Research, received the Research Excellence Award for her translational research into epilepsy.
Mater People Awards 2025 Winners
Catherine McAuley Medallion Sister Angela Mary Doyle
Mercy in Action – Individual Madonna Mary Davitt – Mater Private Hospital Bundaberg
Mercy in Action – Team Oncology Team – Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton
Consumer Experience Maddie Power – Mater Mothers’ Hospitals & Mark Cathcart and Renee Washington – Mater Private Hospital Townsville
Volunteer of the Year Linda Veurman – Mission, Mater Private Hospital Mackay
Support Service Excellence Scott Hawkins – Digital Technology and Information & Mel Pavey – Mater Hospital Brisbane, Mater Private Hospital Brisbane
Fundraising Supporter of the Year Professor Brian Gabrielli – Mater Research
Early Career Excellence Bec Simic – Health Integration and Community Care
Innovator of the Year Mater Advocacy and Protection Unit Project - Health Integration and Community Care
Quality and Safety Excellence Leah McIntosh – Clinical Education
Contribution to Clinical Excellence – Individual Bronwyn Jennings – Mater Hospital Brisbane & Liji Pullookaran – Mater Private Hospital Springfield
Contribution to Clinical Excellence
Dr Martin Wood – Mater Private Hospital Brisbane & Dr Luke Reid – Mater Private Hospital Mackay
Contribution to Clinical Excellence – Team Patient Care Unit 1 – Mater Private Hospital Redland
Teaching Excellence Mel Sutton – Mater Education
Research Excellence Professor Aileen McGonigal – Mater Hospital Brisbane
Leadership – Emerging Georgia Strydom – Mater Private Hospital Mackay & Tiffany Church – Mater Private Hospital Townsville
Leadership – Excellence Emily Bailey – Mater Research
