Fr Denis W. Martin, Priests of 1928, Brisbane, 2003, pp 96-99:
Mons. Cornelius Roberts, DD

'Starch' or 'The Dragon' were about the most charitable names given by Seminary students to the Rector Cornelius Roberts.

'Con' was born in Charleville, educated in Brisbane at St James, Gregory Terrace and Nudgee before going to Springwood and Manly. He was chosen to go to Rome, to Propaganda Seminary (or 'Prop') to further his studies before ordination at St John Lateran in March, 1924. He obtained his Doctorate in Divinity, then returned to Australia in 1926.

For the next 15 years he was on the staff with fellow Queenslander, Dr Jimmy Madden, at St Patrick's College Manly, where he taught Theology. In 1942, he was transferred to Pius XII Seminary at Banyo to become Vice-Rector, and Rector from 1954-1964.

At first, he was Professor of Metaphysics, Philosophy and English but such was his intellectual grasp that over the years he was able to take classes in any subject - Latin, Greek or Etiquette. To spell it out, he ranged from New Testament to classical Greek to demonstrating how an orange was to be eaten with a knife and fork! Needles to say, new students were always highly amused by the latter but it had to be discreet as levity had no place in Con's make-up.

Demonstrations did however. At one time he decided he would buy a Lambretta Motor Scooter as he did not drive or own a car - it was always taxis or arranging drives for Con. However, when he felt he had sufficient grasp of balancing on the scooter after practising around the Seminary grounds, he decided he would call an open air assembly and give a lesson on driving, road rules, etc. It was something of an anti-climax when he fell off!

But that was an in-house affair. A far worse embarrassment followed soon after. The Governor, Sir Henry Abel Smith and his Lady visited the Seminary for a tour and morning tea. The ornamental sterling silver teapot always kept in the front room had been polished, but the kitchen staff had forgotten to rinse it out. The first cup was being poured for Sir Henry when out floated a cockroach!

The Seminary owed much to Con. He did a great deal to beautify the grounds with landscaping and tree planting. He took a great interest in the content of the library, in particular the art section, the acquisition of paintings for the refectory and assembly hall, and arranged for experts in various fields to address the students. Priests had to be gentlemen first of all. With regard to the art books for the library, the puritanical approach was adopted - plates such as Titian's Venus were excised.

Art, however, was Con's passion. He built up a carefully chosen personal collection of paintings, cultivated the friendship of other collectors and patronised certain artists. After considerable historical research, he arranged for Peter Elliot to paint a portrait of Bishop Quinn for the Seminary. He also wanted a portrait of himself hung there but there was a humble way of going about it. He arranged for Graeme Inson to provide a portrait of the first Rector, Mons. Cleary. This accomplished, how was Mons. Cleary to repay the gesture? Simply by arranging for the same artist to paint one of Con.

It seems to have been when he was made Rector at Banyo that he was given the Monsignorate. It was in 1966 that he became Parish Priest of Hendra. The story is that he was summoned to see Archbishop O'Donnell, was given a letter and told not to open it until he got home. So off he went in the taxi. He called to visit another priest on the way, perhaps Gabe Nolan at Nundah, but quickly the story got about that Con had been made a bishop! Soon it had to be corrected: Con had been axed as Rector.

Parish life seemed to suit him, or at least he mellowed at Hendra. It was also put about that it was there he performed his first Baptism ever, which is quite possible considering he had spent his whole priestly life in academic circles.

Mons. Roberts retired in 1976 to live at his private residence at Scarborough. He spent about ten years there, for he died on 25th December 1986. He was found dead in bed by Barney Wilson who had had to make a forced entry.

At his Requiem Mass, Archbishop Francis Rush said, 'Former colleagues and disciples would describe Mgr. Roberts as one of the finest lecturers they ever had. His intelligence, curiosity and delight in truth, beauty and goodness never diminished and were combined with precision of thought and clarity of expression. All were subordinated to a consuming interest in God, Christ, the Church, the Eucharist and the ordained priesthood ... His family knew the tender side of his nature which he revealed only sparingly to others.'

Burial followed at Nudgee. Mons. Roberts was the brother of Fr Vic Roberts. Their headstones are identical in design.

In his will, Con had his last opportunity to exercise his discerning 'good taste'. He left a sum of money to be used for the refurbishment of the Cathedral, but only on condition that the Altar of St Theresa was not put back.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Martin.)