Fr Denis W. Martin, Priests of 1928, Brisbane, 2003, pp 164-165:
Max Irvine

An outstanding sportsman and good all-rounder, Max Irvine was Captain of Nudgee College in 1915 at the age of 20. Vince Cleary was in the same senior class and both left the next year to go to Springwood.

Maxwell William Irvine was born in Warwick but did his primary schooling at Thargomindah State School, then in 1909 went to board at Nudgee College where he distinguished himself.

Having completed studies at Manly, Max, Vince Cleary and John O'Brien returned to Brisbane to be ordained by Archbishop Duhig in All Hallows Convent Chapel. The reason for this was because work was in progress on the new transepts and sanctuary at St Stephen's Cathedral.

Max's appointments were Oakey, Bulimba, Wooloowin, Maryborough in 1936, East Brisbane, Parish Priest of Bardon in 1937, and finally North Ipswich as Parish Priest from 1938 to 1967. At the latter, with the help of willing parishioners, he moved the Church from down in Liverpool St to a new site on the very crest of Raymond's Hill.

Some tales have lingered. Money was very scarce, so to raise more at the school fetes, Fr Max would 'regretfully' have to raffle the parish piano. It was strange how often his friend, the local Anglican clergyman, won the raffle and would generously donate it back to the Parish!

And heaven help any stray dog that wandered into the Church during one of Fr Irvine's Masses or ceremonies. Vases of flowers from one of the altars would be used as missiles. If they missed their target, the very noise was sufficient to frighten any animal to kingdom come!

In later years, Max bought a VW Kombi van, equipped for camping. It was not unusual for him to go 'walkabout', so that morning Mass-goers might turn up sometimes to find that 'Father must be away'. Or he would frequently go up to the hotel at Marburg to have a few beers, although he always avoided the police tests for drink-driving by neutralising the effects with lavish inhalations of citronella, the mosquito repellent. One old gossip in the parish thought he must be an alcoholic because of the way he smacked his lips together after drinking from the chalice!

One of his great strengths was instructing converts. Fr Alan Brown recalls others: 'Two outstanding characteristics of Fr Max were his compassion and his charity. No-one came to him for consolation, advice or help but went away with a lighter heart and, many times, a heavier pocket. He was a most erudite and engrossing conversationalist, yet never once did I hear him pass an uncharitable or malicious remark about anyone. Especially, he was always loyal to the Church and its leaders.'

Fr Irvine retired in 1967. He went to live at Redcliffe where the end came on 27th May 1969. After the Requiem Mass at St Stephen's he was buried at Nudgee Cemetery.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Martin.)

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Prayer Calendar: Deceased Priests who have ministered the Catholic Faith throughout Toowoomba and districts, 1864–2025, Compiled by Annie Carrett, Diocesan Archivist, 2001, Updated by Gabrielle Saide, Diocesan Archivist, 2023:
Rev Maxwell (Max) Irvine, died 27 May 1969

Died aged 74 years and is buried in the Nudgee Cemetery.

Reproduced by permission of Bishop Ken Howell.