Irish birth record, https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1898/02059/1787365.pdf: "Superintendent Registrar's District Dungarvan, Registrar's District Dungarvan. Births Registered in the District of Dungarvan in the Union of Dungarvan in the County of Waterford. No. 34. On 14 November 1898 at Rices Street, Dungarvan, birth of David, male, father Thomas Dee of Dungarvan, Relieving Officer, mother Maryanne Dee formerly Foley; informant: Thomas Dee, father, of Dungarvan; 16 November 1898; John W. Williams, Registrar."

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Fr Denis W. Martin, Priests of 1928, Brisbane, 2003, pp 206-207:
Mons. David Dee

Is the story true that, on a visit to Wynberg, he was caught listening at a keyhole? We will never know now.

The 'he' was David Aloysius Dee, another of those Irishmen born in the late 1890s and of course all known to each other. 'Davey' was born in 1898 at Dungarvan in Co Waterford. He went to the local Christian Brothers school, followed by Mt Melleray and in 1918 progressed to All Hallows. Here he was ordained in 1922 and arrived in Brisbane the following year.

His first three years were put in at the Cathedral. He apparently had some flair, for he served in 1927 as Inspector of Schools, then moved into the editorial chair of Archbishop Duhig's paper The Age. The Age was languishing, with stiff competition from the pro-Irish Catholic Advocate. Archbishop Duhig wanted a 'diocesan voice', so took over The Age, put Davy Dee in as Editor and then changed the name to The Catholic Leader. With episcopal patronage, and money, it survived.

At this time, 1929, Martin Haley first met Davey at the Leader Office: 'Fr Dee heard my sonnet who thought it attractive but added, 'no money in poetry. We publish little original verse and don't pay for any. If you'd care to do some essays for us, you might fare better." In the English Catholic literary renascence of those decades, Fr Dee was well read, but soon felt the pastoral call had priorities for his energies.'

The pastoral call was answered at Gympie briefly, then Dutton Park and as Parish Priest of Holland Park between 1938 and 1951. He went to Gympie until 1960, and in 1953 was made a Domestic Prelate and Monsignor. Then he went to live at Wynberg as Parish Priest of New Farm. Here he was sprung one day for a second time: Little Davy Dee was caught with one of Archbishop Duhig's secretaries sitting on his knee.' There was nothing amiss in his behaviour - he was just consoling her over some little matter. He was not always so tender to his curates who found him a real little autocrat.

Another of Davey's chores was to sing as either Deacon or Sub-Deacon at many of the Requiem Masses in the Cathedral. It is said that his voice gradually failed in quality as the Mass progressed. He was struggling through the final part of Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, etc. at one priest's funeral and so shaky was the performance that Jim Cullen provided one of those memorable impromptu comments 'under his breath', just loud enough to be heard by the clergy - 'I'm going to have a codicil added to my will .-: Davey Dee is not to sing at my funeral.'

In 1963, Mons. Dee was appointed Parish Priest of Corinda. He never made it. He suffered a heart attack and was recuperating at Madonna House, Scarborough when he died on 5th February 1964.

His death was the first news that Archbishop O'Donnell received on his arrival back in Brisbane from a session of Vatican II in Rome. He said at the Requiem Mass at St Stephen's, 'His death was a sad and bitter homecoming for me. Our friendship dates from our boyhood in Ireland. His saintly parents brought up their family on sacred soil near the cell of St Declan who had preceded St Patrick. Mons. Dee had the heart and soul of a true priest of God, a man of prayer.'

Mons. Dee was buried at Nudgee.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Martin.)