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

Teacher, pastor; born Melbourne, Victoria, 6 June 1930; died Brisbane, Queensland, 10 May 2009, aged 78.

Norbert Olsen was one of the more colourful members of the Australian province. He was a generous Jesuit noted for his inquiring mind, wide reading and keen wit. His sudden death was the occasion of many expressions of sadness at the loss of a respected colleague, whose company gave life to those around him.

Olsen began his education at the Sacred Heart Primary School, Newport, 1935-43, completed his secondary education at the Jesuit-run St Patrick's College, East Melbourne, 1944-48, and joined the Society at Loyola College, Watsonia, 1 February 1949. After philosophy studies, his regency was spent at Kostka Hall, Brighton, where he was remembered as a knowledgeable and skilled teacher of English and history, but a 'bamboozling' football coach. The boys loved him because they believed he was always on their side.

He completed an arts degree at the University of Melbourne, 1958-59, having previously begun these studies in 1951, majoring in Latin and history. Theology studies followed, 1960-63, with ordination at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne. Tertianship was at S Andrä im Lavantaal, Austria, 1964-65, a time during which his appreciation of German literature grew.

Olsen was a successful and admired teacher for 36 years, working in many Jesuit schools. His own schooldays prepared him well to deal with challenging situations, for there were few schoolboy tricks that he hadn't tried himself.

His first assignment was to St Patrick's College, 1966-68, where he taught English, history and religion. He was also minister for two of these years. At the end of 1968 the school closed and the community dispersed.

He was sent to St Louis School, Perth, in 1969 where he taught the same subjects and edited the school magazine. One notable experience he had was being mentor to a team in a national schools quiz competition, 'It's Academic', in 1972. The team came third behind NSW and South Australia. That year the school ceased to be a Jesuit school, and once again most of the community were re-assigned, Olsen being sent to St Ignatius' College, Athelstone, where he remained until 1987.

At Athelstone he was Year 10 and Year 12 Form Master, taught English and religion, and was, for a time, head of the English department where he regularly challenged his staff with creative and innovative ideas. His artistic talent, particularly expressed through photography, prompted him to edit the school magazine for a few years. He was also appointed headmaster in 1982.

During all these years Olsen showed himself to be a keen educationalist, entertaining and engaging his classes with his sharp insights, broad knowledge and scholarship. Despite this reputation, he claimed that he was 'never particularly enamoured of teaching. I found classroom teaching far from congenial, in fact artificial, and administration the continuous cranking of wheels which fluttered paper aimlessly into the future'. His main interest was personal, spiritual development. He believed that the world was in need of space, time, peace and communing. He lived this philosophy by showing how much he enjoyed the company of people, while they, in turn, enjoyed his friendly, easy-going, humorous, non-threatening personality. He was frequently the centre of much mirth at parties, and was usually one of the last to leave. Driving home with him after one of these nights out was a perilous occasion, as his driving skills were charismatic.

His pastoral care and concern for others earned him the respect of all. Sport did not generally interest him, but when the girls' netball team was first formed he volunteered as coach. He delighted in being the only male attending the combined schools' coaches meetings, assisting with deliberations of such matters as the girls' uniform. He also appeared in a staff performance of 'A Man for All Seasons' as the Common Man, upstaging all other actors, and unfazed by late entry into a scene, much to the amusement of all. As headmaster he shunned the superficial trappings of office, held grand visions, but was short on executing the details. He facilitated the building of the Xavier Wing at the Senior School together with extensive additions and renovations to the administration building.

Olsen moved to Xavier College, 1987-91, where he again taught English and religion, but with his hearing failing, he found classroom teaching more difficult. This was also a time that he developed a great interest in cooking, especially Asian cuisine, which he had come to appreciate while associating with Asian students. He and the community benefited from this newly acquired art.

After retiring from the classroom, Olsen was sent to St Leo's College at the University of Queensland as chaplain for a year. He pastured the students spiritually and tutored them in the art of essay writing. They found in him a priest to whom they could relate.

In 1993, because of the shortage of personnel, Olsen was asked to go back into the classroom at the diocesan school, Loyola College, Mt Druitt, Sydney, a co-educational senior school, whose students were multi-cultural. It was a further opportunity for Olsen to help students who found senior secondary education difficult. He set about the task of teaching them how to work and write essays. He did a survey and found that in the whole school there was only one pupil whose home had any reading material coming into it. He spotted talent and did all he could to liberate it. They responded superbly, their results improved, and some went to a university. As elsewhere, his students loved him, they crowed around him, sharing his wit and good humour. After the school day, he returned to the community and cooked the dinner four nights every week until he left at the end of 1995.

Olsen returned to St Leo's College, Queensland, for the next four years as chaplain to both the college and the university, continuing the work he began in 1992, until yet another work in which he was engaged ceased to be a Jesuit ministry, and he was assigned to the Jesuit parish of Toowong. Here his pastoral skills flourished. He returned to the study of scripture that enlivened his preaching the Word, and he enjoyed baptising and celebrating the sacrament of marriage, through which he made many good friends. His homilies were published on his website and in The Catholic Leader. In one homily he said insightfully, to 'touch the humanity of Jesus you touch the divine'.

His 'quirky' sense of humour and eccentricities were always found to be endearing. He was described as 'a man of infinite jest, he entertained with food and fun'. Colleagues remember being with him on planes or in restaurants where he engaged hostesses or waitresses in personal, and usually embarrassing, conversations. This was Olsen being himself, desiring to be friendly and engaging with all he met.

He collapsed outside his bedroom in the presbytery at Toowong and never regained consciousness. The doctors diagnosed a massive stroke. He was remembered as a great gift to people, a humble, self-depreciating learned man of faith, a good friend and a much-appreciated member of a Jesuit community.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)