Fr Edward Lyons June 1942 - December 1943 was an Irishman who had studied for the priesthood at the Vincentian College of Brignole-Sale in Genoa, Italy, and could speak Italian. He had been Spiritual Director of the Springwood Seminary and was well known as a missioner and had conducted retreats and missions at Marsfield before his appointment. Before ,' coming to Marsfield he had been a chaplain with the I Australian Army. He presided over a very poor Parish. People worked very hard and put up with the restrictions, shortages and rationing of the war years. Children walked the dusty roads to school past the market gardens and chook runs. More often than not the weekly school fee of sixpence wasn't tied up in the corner of their hankie. While parents were forever busy, life was great for children; the bush was their playground, there was fruit to steal, rabbits to trap and Brown's waterhole for a cool dip.