Australian Anglican

This account is currently taking a break from regular posting.

23 September 1966: the General Synod of the Church of England in Australia passes Canon 6 (1966) "The Diocese of the Northern Territory Formation Canon of 1966," (copy attached) with the new diocese to be carved out of the Diocese of Carpentaria. #anglican #59years

Remembering today Mr Felix Cecil Cowle, "pioneer of the goldfields" who died on 23 September 1951, aged 86. Back in 1914 he was Bishop Cyril Golding-Bird's pick as first Chancellor of the Diocese of Kalgoorlie. Not sure when he retired; still in office in 1939. #anglican #74years

23 September 1938: Archbishop J. W. C. Wand opens the third and final portion of St Francis' Theological College, Brisbane. #anglican #87years "The buildings are of pleasing design in semi-Tudor style." stfran.qld.edu.au

23 September 1879: the Rt Revd George Stanton (+North QLD) lays the foundation stone of a new St Paul's Church, Rockhampton, assisted by the Rt Revd Mathew Hale (+Brisbane), in whose diocese it lies. #anglican #146years Since 1892, Cathedral of the Diocese of Rockhampton.

23 September 1838: "a gentlemen named Hadfield" is made deacon in St James' King Street (Sydney) by Bishop Broughton. Octavius Hadfield would go on to be the first priest ordained in New Zealand (6 January 1839); Bishop of Wellington 1870-1893 (Primate of New Zealand 1890).

22 September 1919: installation of John Stephen Hart (1866-1952), Warden and Chaplain of St John's College, at St Paul's Cathedral, to be fifth Dean of Melbourne (a self-funded position!). #anglican #106years He stayed in that role until 1927, when he became Bishop of Wangaratta.

22 September 1897: The Anglican Communion gains three new Archbishops, as the Lambeth Conference agrees that the title of "Archbishop" should be held by all Metropolitans. The new title was conferred on the Bishops of Calcutta, Cape Town, and Sydney (the Most Revd William Saumarez Smith). #128years

22 September 1891: opening of the fifth Session of the General Synod of the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, in Sydney. This was the first General Synod chaired by William Saumarez Smith, the new Bishop of Sydney. #anglican #134years

For the record, this photo was taken on a formal occasion, and is not representative of how the bishop usually dressed when travelling around the top end!

22 September 1883: birth (Waters Upton, Shropshire) of Stephen Harris Davies, third Bishop of Carpentaria 1922-1949, a record length of time for that diocese. Davies earned his remote experience serving as a Bush Brother out the back of Charleville (QLD) 1912-1922. #anglican #142years

Notice how a portion of the Province was still called the "Diocese of New Zealand" - it only came to be known as the "Diocese of Auckland" at a later date.

22 September 1858: publication of Letters Patent reforming the Diocese of New Zealand, appointing +George Selwyn Metropolitan over Christchurch and new dioceses of Wellington, Nelson, and Waiapu. #anglican Happy Birthday NZ Anglicans #167years

21 September 2018: the Rt Revd William James Ray retires after 11 years as 10th Bishop of North Queensland. #anglican #7years A native of Victoria (Yarram; serving in Melbourne 2001-2007), but otherwise active across QLD dioceses (and retired in QLD). Photo from Cairns, April 2018.

21 September 1993: double consecration at St Andrew's Cathedral of Assistant Bishops for the Diocese of Sydney - Brian Franklin Vernon King (1938-2006), for the Western Sydney Region; Reginald John Piper, for the Wollongong Region. #anglican #32years Nos.232-233 in the Australian episcopate.

Congratulations to Bishop George Browning on today's special anniversary - 40 years in episcopal orders. We have just nine bishops alive today who have achieved this record. Consecrated in St John's Cathedral Brisbane on St Matthew's Day, 21 September 1985.

21 September 1985: consecration of the Rev. George Victor Browning, Rector of Woy Woy (NSW), at St John's Cathedral, to be Assistant Bishop in Brisbane (second Bishop of the Northern Region). #anglican #40years No.208 in the Australian episcopate. Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn 1993-2008.

21 September 1967: consecration of the Ven Robert George Porter (1924-2001), Archdeacon of Ballarat, at St Paul's Cathedral Melbourne, to be Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Ballarat. A former PNG missionary, later first Bishop of The Murray. #anglican #58years No.155 in the Australian episcopate.

21 September 1966: the Most Rev. Sir Philip Nigel Warrington Strong CMG (1899-1983), Archbishop of Brisbane (1963), elected 8th Primate of the Church of England in Australia. Elected directly by General Synod, at that time still to finalise a process for electing Primates. #anglican #59years

21 September 1965: consecration of the Rev. Canon Cecil Allan Warren (1924-2019), at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney, to be Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. #anglican #60years No.149 in the Australian episcopate. Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn 1972-1983.

I've been looking for a good photo of +Donald Redding for years; it was an unexpected surprise to stumble across this one in the vestry of St Mary's Church in Burra (SA, Diocese of Willochra).

21 September 1951: The consecration was in the morning, with the enthronement scheduled for 7:20pm, allowing plenty of time to transport the new bishop from Perth to Bunbury. #anglican #74years

21 September 1951: consecration (St George's Cathedral, Perth) and enthronement (St Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Bunbury) of the Rev. Donald Llewellyn Redding MBE (1898-1969), Vicar of St Andrew's Brighton, to be fourth Bishop of Bunbury. #anglican #74years No.118 in the Australian episcopate.

21 September 1950: consecration of (Wilfrid) John Hudson (1904-1981), a former (Dubbo-based) Bush Brother, at St John's Cathedral Brisbane, to succeed +Stephen Davies as fourth Bishop of Carpentaria. #anglican #75years No.113 in the Australian episcopate.

Danson had to travel back to the UK for consecration. It's 1917 so he doubled as Chaplain on a troop ship. During the voyage he met and fell in love with an Australian nurse (Ada Harvey, they married in 1918). #108years No.6 in the South East Asian #Anglican episcopate.

21 September 1917: consecration of Ernest Denny Logie Danson (1880-1946), at Lambeth Palace Chapel, to succeed W R Mounsey as fifth Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak. He had been working as a missionary priest in the diocese since 1906. There is an Australian connection...

21 September 1915: double consecration at St John's Cathedral Brisbane; Henry Frewen Le Fanu (1870-1946) to be Assistant Bishop in Brisbane, and Henry Newton (1866-1947) to succeed +Gilbert White as second Bishop of Carpentaria. #anglican #110years Nos. 62-63 in the Australian episcopate.

21 September 1914: consecration of Reginald Stephen (1860-1956), previously Dean of Melbourne, at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney, to succeed John Mercer as sixth Bishop of Tasmania. #anglican #111years E S Hughes of St Peter's Eastern Hill (Melbourne) preached. Our fourth bishop born in Australia.

21 September 1899: birth (Bruthen VIC) of Charles Herbert Murray, fourth (and first Australian-born) Bishop of Riverina 1944-1950. #anglican #126years A victim of the Amana plane disaster in 1950. Along with +Bill Ray, one of only two of our bishops born in the Diocese of Gippsland.

"Very little is known of the Rev. James Bain." I attach, for completeness, a note from George Mackaness, and a single mention of Bain from a letter of Richard Johnson. These two posts thus bring together virtually everything known about him.