BROTHER (GILBERT) SAMUEL EATHORNE

Brother Samuel was born on 25 January 1933 in Greymouth on the West Coast, which had already supplied many vocations to the Marist Brothers. After completing his secondary studies at Marist Brothers Primary School in Greymouth, he went on to follow his vocation at the Juniorate in Tuakau where he completed his New Zealand School Certificate in 1950.

He never looked back and went on to the Novitiate under John Schaab at Claremont. He took the name Gilbert, which he later dropped and reverted to his baptismal name.
His primary teaching career began after a short preparation at the Scholasticate in Auckland (now part of Marcellin College). His talents soon became obvious and after a few years in Marist primary schools in Thorndon (Wellington), Vermont St (Auckland), Napier, Miramar (Wellington), he became head of the Primary at Marist Palmerston North at the tender age of 26 years.

His career as administrator was paralleled by his very successful coaching of sports teams. He had the knack of motivating youngsters to strive for success in all aspects of life. He moved on from Palmerston North to be in charge of the Primary at Sacred Heart College (Auckland), St Bernard's College (Lower Hutt), and finally Vermont St in 1971, where he was also community leader.

In 1972 he came to Fiji and spent two years as community leader and headmaster at Marist Primary Vatuwaqa, in Suva. There another talent came to light. He took an interest in planting dalo (taro), the staple food crop of Fiji. He found the newly acquired Rifle Range property ideal, being low-lying and, at that time, well-drained. Unfortunately much of his fine crop disappeared during the Brothers' holiday time.

Having been introduced to the Fijian language and culture, Sam was ready for greater things. He was the founding leader (in 1974) of the new community at Napuka and the Principal of the new Napuka Junior Secondary School on Vanua Levu, at the end of the road to the north-east. His time there was interrupted for some months by the Second Novitiate experience (Fribourg, Switzerland) and by formal language studies in Suva. While in Suva he could not keep away from his beloved sports and he helped the Red Fire boys of Marist Brothers High School to success on the athletics track.

Sam's initial introduction to spirituality in his youngest years had taken firm root. In 1980 he followed the course in Ignatian spirituality at Pymble (Sydney, Australia), including the thirty day retreat. This was a good preparation for his new task with the newly professed Brothers at Desvoeux Rd, that very "different" community that had been started in 1976. It was also time for the new man to identify himself as "Brother Sam", no longer the old "Gilbert".

Besides mentoring the young men, Sam was busy with vocation promotion and with Religious Education at Marist Brothers High School and Cathedral Secondary School. The Brothers in Suva were now seeing more of Sam and his talents, and he was chosen as the Superior of the Brothers in the District of Fiji, following Brother Eugene Flaherty. He moved to Suva St in 1982 and that year he also was called to Rome to the General Conference of Provincial and District Superiors.

After his term as Superior he moved back to Napuka for a year before joining the community at Savarekareka as their leader and in charge of the boys' boarding section.
Sam followed further renewal courses in 1988 (Vocational Anthropology, CPE, Spiritual Direction), which prepared him for his five years of formation work in the Postulancy at Gabirieli House, Vatuwaqa. After a year in the post-novitiate (Champagnat House) and the Third Age renewal at Manziana (Italy) he returned to Savarekareka for two years.

Then in 2000 he began perhaps his most important task as assistant novice master at Lomeri. This work involved the vocational accompaniment and spiritual direction of novices from around the Pacific, helping them to discern the truth of their call and preparing them for the profession of their first vows in the Marist Brothers. During this time he became one of the leaders of the Christian Meditation movement (John Main OSB), based at the Nazareth Prayer Centre. This centre had been built as a novitiate for the Marist Sisters and later the prayer and retreat centre became a combined project of the four Marist congregations. While at Lomeri Sam was also able to continue his gardening activities, and he master-minded some extensive transformations to the dalo plantations.