Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Falconer, Ian

Teacher; born Penang, Straits Settlements, Malaya, 5 September 1916; died Melbourne, 9 December 2004, aged 88.

Victor Ian Ezechiel (Falconer) had Jewish and Irish origins. He changed his name to Falconer, with the rest of his family, in 1940, when there was every likelihood of a German invasion of the British Isles. In these circumstances the name Ezechiel was thought to be subject to extra danger. In addition, Falconer rarely used the name Victor, apart from official documents. Falconer's father had been a civil servant in Penang, and he had three sisters and one brother. He was educated successively at St Dominic's School at Bognor, St Mary's Lodge at St Leonards, and Mount St Mary's College, Sheffield. His favoured subjects were Latin, Greek and English, which remained with him all his life. One particular memory of his time at the Mount was a school trip to Rome in 1934, where the party met Mussolini, the Jesuit general Ledochowski and the pope. His desire to be a priest followed the suggestion of a religious sister in his earlier years, and a Jesuit during his education at the Mount. He was particularly drawn to the missionary ideal of the Society.

Falconer entered the Society at Roehampton, England, 7 September 1934, and completed his juniorate at the same place, 1936-7, taking the London University Intermediate Examination. After philosophy at Heythrop College, Oxford, 1937-40, he proceeded to Oxford University and Campion Hall to read 'Greats'. He was also a fine singer who had a great love of classical music. He played the violin, and the classical guitar, as well as taking part in plays and concerts.

He enjoyed regency at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, 1944-47, mainly teaching classics and coaching cricket and rugby. But he was also involved with melodramatic plays and taught elocution and dancing. Theology followed at Heythrop College, 1947-51, and tertianship at St Andrä im Lavanttal, Austria. During that year he spent some time as chaplain to a Yorkshire regiment.

He returned to Stonyhurst again teaching classics, coaching cricket, and acting as choirmaster and third division prefect, 1953-60, before going to St George's College, Salisbury, Rhodesia, 1962-66, to teach the same. From 1967-81 he was based at Prestage House, opposite the inchoate university in Salisbury, now Harare, teaching classics at the university and being involved with radio work. He was also appointed the first 'Public Orator' at the university for State occasions. He supplied at convents, and was involved with other spiritual activities as time allowed.

He was remembered as a good player of cricket and rugby, and a good coach while at Stonyhurst. His contemporaries praised his reliability, and believed that he was a friendly and caring man.

During 1981 Falconer made a visit to Perth, Western Australia, to visit friends who had migrated from Rhodesia. He so enjoyed his visit, and had begun to have difficulty with the changing social conditions in Zimbabwe, that he requested a transfer to Perth. Fr Bill Uren accepted that he live at St Thomas More College where he tutored in classics. He arrived in Perth in May 1982 and became involved with some pastoral work, giving talks on the university radio station, and organising a choir to sing at an occasional Latin Mass in the College chapel. He was theologically conservative and began writing a critique of the Jerome Biblical Commentary, which did not please visiting scripture scholars.

He moved into hospital chaplaincy at Geelong, Victoria, 1988-89, and also became involved in the local parish, taking part in choirs and giving talks to groups. He then became part of the Provincial Residence community, where he performed some pastoral work, especially being a regular celebrant at East Kew of the traditional Latin Mass. He joined the Australian Province in 1991.

In 1999 he retired to Campion House, Kew, and acted as chaplain to St Raphael’s Hostel, as well as generously agreeing to translate from Latin, sections of the Acta Pekinense, the Beijing papers of the Chinese missionary, Kilian Stempf. He was still engaged in this task until shortly before his death while living in the nursing home, Nazareth House, Camberwell.

Falconer was a traditional person in every way, gracious and charming, generous and hard working, and entertaining with his stories. He remained the cultured English gentleman. However, it was wise not to engage him in conversation about modern scriptural or theological developments, nor about social and cultural problems in Africa. At the end he died a peaceful man, e-mailing his friends to thank them for their friendship and love. To the end he was grateful for his rich and varied life on four continents.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)