Passing of Fr Bob

The family of Rev Father Robert J Maguire (Fr Bob) wish to advise that Fr Bob age 88 passed away at Cabrini Hospital this morning.

Fr Bob was a dear and much loved member of our family and will be sorely missed for his energy and good humour.  His physical and mental health had been deteriorating for some time but his preference was always to help others rather than consider his own situation.

Fr Bob was not just a much loved family member but was loved by all Australians for what he stood for.  He has fought bravely for the underprivileged and homeless all his life. He represented the highest of principles, and he fought to actively live those principles.

Despite his high profile in the media, he was always on the job, especially for the disadvantaged families and individuals for whom he had great love and compassion.  He wanted nobody to be left behind and always saw and believed in the good in people, but he knew that there were many whom he referred to as the unloved and unlovely.  These were his real passion.

The last few months have been very difficult for both the family and for those around Fr Bob as we managed his declining health.  We thank all the medical staff who have attended him in recent months and express our gratitude to them for their work and devotion.

We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time.

The family will make appropriate funeral arrangements in due course.

The Maguire Family

An Update

Statement by the Board of Father Bob Maguire Foundation

The Board wishes to take this opportunity to clarify the facts in relation to Fr Bob and the Foundation, given that there has been months of ill-informed, sometimes scurrilous and often stupid comments, opinions and suggestions especially on social media largely inspired by online conspiracy theorists. 

This has been a sensitive and difficult period because it relates to Fr Bob’s personal and private health conditions.  These matters belong with his family, not the Foundation, and family members have copped significant abuse in more recent times.  The issues at stake were thoroughly canvassed and considered at a recent VCAT Hearing in which Fr Bob participated.  The result of that hearing was that Fr Bob’s family were granted Guardianship in relation to where he lives and what care he gets.  VCAT does not make such decisions lightly. It relies on a number of medical views of Fr Bob’s physical and mental condition.

Of particular relevance is that the VCAT decision means that Fr Bob is no longer eligible to be a Board member (or Chairman) of the Foundation.  This is a legal dictate under the Guardianship and Administration Act 2019.

We have previously described this as Fr Bob ‘stepping down’. Comments on social media have been distressing for Fr Bob’s family, and it’s been disappointing that several people have participated and amplified this ill-informed commentary. Those people are known to us because of their history of threatening and aggressive emails and posts on social media.

There have been many grossly ill-informed and patently wrong assertions made, often by people who have never met him or worked with him saying that it’s all a conspiracy by the Board to get rid of Fr Bob.  

• Fr Bob was not sacked from the Board – he is no longer eligible to be on the Board.

• It’s been alleged that Fr Bob didn’t know he was no longer on the Board – he was present at the VCAT Hearing and he was told personally two weeks ago that he was no longer eligible to be on the Board

• Suggestions that the Board are just doing it for their own gain are just ridiculous – we are all volunteers who have been helping Fr Bob for decades.

• The staff were made redundant because there is no further work for them – we had been discussing this with them over recent months.

• The office in Albert Park will be closed – this, together with the action re staff, will save the Foundation hundreds of thousands of dollars which will be redirected to helping those in need

• Others have made claims that the Catholic Church got rid of Fr Bob – they are in fact providing him with all the necessary 24 hour care that he requires which is improving his physical health and which he is enjoying.

Those familiar with Fr Bob’s mental state are not surprised by recent comments attributed to him.  Fr Bob has always been someone who ‘comes out swinging’ in any context.  However, in recent times his opinions have taken on an eccentric flavour.  Despite that, the views he held for most of his life remain the inspiration behind the Foundation.  Fr Bob seems to have failed to understand the Board’s decision to reduce overheads, make administrative staff redundant and spend the $300,000 savings on works to benefit the disadvantaged.  The view of the Board is that in his prime this is exactly what Fr Bob would have promoted and supported.

The Board of Father Bob Maguire Foundation are making this public statement to try and stop the stress being caused to Fr Bob and his family.  We look forward to Fr Bob continuing to be the inspiration for the work that the Foundation does into the future.

Fr Bob Stepping Down

Statement from the Father Bob Maguire Foundation

The Board of the Father Bob Maguire Foundation wishes to advise that Fr Bob Maguire has stepped down from his role as Chairman and being a member of the Board.  Fr Bob will continue to be our inspiration and we expect that he will have on-going input into our programs and services to ensure that nobody will need to be left behind.

The Foundation will be continuing the work commenced by Fr Bob and in a way consistent with his lifelong commitment to the underprivileged, especially the unloved and the unlovely.  We are developing plans regarding our current activities and the expansion of those projects and activities which Fr Bob has championed over so many years.  This will be subject to on-going fund raising and current funding requests being successful.

As part of the restructuring, the existing administrative staff of the Foundation have been made redundant effective immediately.  We will also need to move from the current premises.  These two steps will provide significant savings for the Foundation and enable most of our resources to be spent on the people who need the help.

Fr Bob’s commitment to the “outsiders” as he calls them has been inspirational over many decades.  As well as the work he has done personally over all these years he has encouraged and supported many other individuals and organisations to take up similar roles.

His focus on those most disadvantaged and alienated in our society will be continued by the Foundation.  He has been and will continue to be our inspiration

The Board of the Father Bob Maguire Foundation

News on Fr Bob

Statement from Father Bob Maguire’s Family

Thursday 5 January, 2023

We are delighted that Father Bob’s doctors, at Melbourne’s Cabrini Hospital, have now reached the point where they believe he no longer needs hospital care. However, on the advice of his doctors, he will now transfer to a retirement home for respite care because he will still require 24-hour nursing care as he continues to recover.

Over the past fortnight, the medical staff at Cabrini have provided world-class treatment for Father Bob.  When he was admitted to hospital, Father Bob could not walk but he now has some limited mobility again with support.

All the doctors and nursing staff have been outstanding in their treatment and care. We cannot thank them enough.

As his family, we will always act in Father Bob’s best interests and continue to be guided by the advice of his GP and other health professionals.

There has been a lot of interest in Fr Bob’s dog Frankalina. It was with Fr Bob’s blessing that one of his nieces would care for the dog until she can be returned to his care. Fr Bob has been delighted to be shown photos of Franka and will be visited by her next week.  

We thank the hundreds of supporters of Father Bob for their outpouring of concern for his welfare.