Australian Dictionary of Biography entry: https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hayes-edward-leo-10463

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Fr Denis W. Martin, Priests of 1928, Brisbane, 2003, pp 111-114:
Archdeacon Leo Hayes, MA

Schoolgirls tittered irreverently and mourners in general were curious to know who it was, that comical and unkempt little priest who walked with the clergy in Archbishop Duhig's funeral procession. He was the size of a dwarf with a shock of grey hair, bushy eyebrows wearing a shabby old coat and enormous boots that had never been cleaned and were laced with string. It was Archdeacon Edward Leo Hayes, MA.

Leo Hayes was born at Frederickton on the Macleay River near Kempsey in Northern New South Wales in 1889. His father was headmaster of the public school and that is where Leo was set on the road to learning. Between 1908 and 1911, he worked as a clerk at the Downs Co-operative Association in Toowoomba. The local priests fostered his vocation and paved the way for him to go to Springwood and Manly. A formative influence on his whole future was the fact that he was librarian at St Patrick's College, Manly where he had access to one of the best book collections in Australia and got to know the booksellers of Sydney. In November of 1918 he was ordained in St Mary's Cathedral.

His first appointment was Ipswich and by then his curiosity and eccentricity was apparent. He had a motor bike, and if he was going about his clerical duties and saw a rare type of butterfly in bushes at the edge of the road, he simply let the bike go on until it fell over while he pursued the butterfly, using his handkerchief as a net. Butterflies and moths were pinned up in picture frames, snakes and other reptiles were caught and preserved in methylated spirits in jars, and birds' eggs and nests were sources of great interest. The one subject he studied more scientifically was geology.

But anything and everything aroused his interest. There was said to be a ghost that haunted the church at Woodford. It was so real that no priest would go there to stay in the sacristy before the Sunday Mass. Archbishop Duhig gave every encouragement to Leo when he volunteered to go up and carry out investigations. He sealed doors and windows with wax, tied string across the aisle, sprinkled powder on the floor, etc. then settled down to wait. Sure enough, at midnight there was knocking, and other noises. Leo looked down the church and distinctly saw a man. Nothing was spoken and none of the seals was broken. Some days later as he went visiting in the district he saw a familiar face in a family photo. It was 'the ghost's face'. He made enquiries of the family then quietly offered a Mass in the Church for the repose of the soul. That was the end of the Woodford ghost, but he would never reveal the man's identity. The church was later destroyed in a bushfire.

Fr Hayes worked in Kilcoy, Taroom, Laidley and Chinchilla in the 1920s. He built the church at Maleny where 'his window' may still be seen. It was his design and incorporated the Australian emblems of a boomerang and a Waratah flower.

During these years, his collection of books and other Australiana continued to grow. Being well in advance of fashion, he was able quite readily to procure first editions, manuscripts, maps and explorers' charts, and letters of Australian writers. Bookshops throughout the continent were on the look out for this willing buyer.

In 1929, he elected to stay in the Toowoomba Diocese where he was made Parish Priest of Crow's Nest until 1951. Because of his knowledge of geology, he was asked in 1937 to lead the Royal Geographical Society's first expedition into the Carnarvon Ranges. These expeditions were repeated in 1938 and 1940. For these achievements he was awarded the Thomson Medal.

It so happened that he arrived at the Toowoomba clergy retreat burdened with two heavy old ports that were breaking apart from the stress. The other priests knew it wouldn't be clothes in the ports. He was assisted to his allotted room where it was soon discovered what was inside: he had filled them with rocks and other geological specimens so that he could do a little scientific work during the retreat!

Between 1951 and 1967, Leo was Parish Priest of Oakey. The move was a task of gigantic proportions for he had accumulated books and artefacts by the thousands. Even the bathtub was full of books. By this time his scholarship was renowned. Professors and researchers sought accommodation at Oakey so they could access his rare and priceless collections. He was guest speaker on many occasions at local functions and institutions such as Downlands College and Banyo Seminary. He was the subject of the Bulletin's famous 'Red Page' on one occasion.

Above all else, Fr Hayes remained a simple, humble priest whose spirituality was based on awe and wonder of the Creator. In truth, he was in so many ways almost child like. It was rare for him to miss a movie at the town's theatre even though he might have sat through it the night before and the night before that. His pockets were full of strange objects but there were always lollies for the children. His curate at Oakey counted that he had received over 600 cards for Christmas.

When he was getting on, he decided to present his entire collection to the University of Queensland. All 25,000 books or 25 tons of Australiana found a willing home in the Fryer Memorial Library. In appreciation, the University conferred on Fr Hayes an honorary Master of Arts degree.

Obviously ailing, he was admitted to St Vincent's hospital in Toowoomba where he died on 17th November 1967. He was buried in Toowoomba.

In one of the many tributes written at the time, it was stated that 'he was a good priest, simple in the sense of being completely unpretentious, possessed of an enquiring mind, and a friend to everyone he met, professor, poet, parishioner, or pauper'.

(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:
Very Rev Archdeacon Edward Leo (Leo) Hayes, died 17 Nov 1967

Born 23rd November, 1889 at Frederickton, Kempsey, NSW, to Edward Martin and Bridget Mary Hayes (nee Flannery). He attended the Frederickton, Palmer's Island and Gunnedah Public Schools and did his seminary training at Springwood and Manly. He was ordained in Sydney on 30th November, 1918, by Archbishop Cattaneo. His first appointment was as Curate at Ipswich from 1919-1922, he was then appointed PP of Kilcoy from 1922-24, Taroom from 1924-28, ADM of Laidley 1928-29, PP of Chinchilla 1929-30, Crows Nest 1930-51 and Oakey in 1951. He was appointed Diocesan Archivist, by Bishop Roper, in 1940, and in 1961 received the office of Venerable Archdeacon. Although his basic education was only primary, he never ceased to study. He was granted an honorary M.A. and his range and depth of knowledge in terms of history and ethnology were vast. After his death, the Queensland University received the one-man collection of Fr Leo Hayes. Noted for his profound knowledge of literature, entomology and anthropology, his collection contained 25,000 books and 30,000 manuscripts. Other items included collections of weaponry, maps, stamps, bells, geological specimens and many Aboriginal artifacts. He is buried in the Toowoomba/Drayton Cemetery.
(Ref. Clerical CV and Archives)

Reproduced by permission of Bishop Ken Howell.