Welcome to IPCA Oceania
Contact the IPCA Representatives to the Steering Committee for more information. The iPCA OCeania website can be found here.
Chaplaincy Co-ordinator
NSW Department of Corrective Services
Sydney, Australia
Senior National Director
Prison Chaplaincy Service of Aotearoa
Turangi, New Zeeland
Emaii1
My journey into Prison Chaplaincy began in childhood. I grew up in a little seaside village called Kennedy Bay on the east coast of the Coromandel peninsula in Aotearoa, New Zealand. I was the youngest of a family of eleven children. Although none of my siblings were ever in prison I had a number of older cousins who seemed to be in and out of what was referred to as ‘the Rock College’ in those days. So my encounter with prisoners and subsequently their rehabilitation and reintegration began at a young age. My Father and Mother at that time were subsistence fishermen and farmed some run stock on the side to make ends meet. They had a very strong belief in God. I was sent to a Presbyterian boarding school although my Father was an Anglican Lay Reader and my Mother was a Catholic.
I experienced the usual turmoil of moving through the next 8 years or so of my life experiencing life to ‘the full.’ I met my wife Kathy in 1974 and this was to change my outlook on life dramatically. Here was an articulate young lady who was and still has a profound effect on my life. She is a wonderful spiritual partner who in later years we came to realise through another miracle when serving in a Parish that we were called to of how God brought us together in 1974.
By this time I was teaching and then took a radical drop in salary despite the fact that we had two lovely babies to work as Programmes Director at the YMCA in Hamilton. Although those years were difficult money wise they turned out to be the beginning of a whole new way of life for me and my family. I thoroughly enjoyed working at the YMCA. Not only did I start to like the ring of young men’s CHRISTIAN association it gave me the opportunity to delve into all manner of work experiences not to mention working with youth at risk, disadvantaged families and after experiencing a new relationship with Jesus while working there, I went on to work with pre release prisoners in a wilderness survival programme. I began my training for the priesthood in 1984 while at the YMCA.
I then moved from there to an elite independent boarding and day school called St Peters School Cambridge New Zealand as the head of Physical Education and Sport. During the 16 years that I was there I was also a Housemaster to 50 boys in a boarding house with my family, Outdoor education leader, Sports coach, Guidance counsellor, Sound design for major productions, member of Senior Management and after being ordained a deacon in 1986 and then ordained an Anglican Priest in 1987 while working there I accepted the role as Chaplain in 1989 for 12 the next years. This was another milestone in our ministry journey. When our two children had flown the coup Kathy and I were called out of St Peter’s into what is called in New Zealand a Cooperating Venture. This was a parish consisting of Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians. I was there for 5 ½ years before entering Tongariro Rangipo Prison as a Prison Chaplain. We thoroughly enjoyed that parish experience and the people we served there. While in the parish I became a Police Chaplain as well and continued to do that for the next 8 years alongside my parish and prison ministry.
After all that how did I get into prison ministry? Just like all my other calls by a miracle of God. Kathy my wife’s widowed father died suddenly and unexpectedly in his home town in the central north island of New Zealand called Turangi. After some deliberations and prayer Kathy and I decided that she needed to go back to Turangi and sort out the family affairs as she is the oldest in her family. So she did. 2 ½ years later before I resigned from the parish I made some enquiries as to what sort of ministries would be available in the central north Island. There were none that were advertised. However one of Kathy’s cousins who worked at Tongariro Rangipo Prison that is located just outside Turangi told her that there was a vacancy at the prison for a chaplain. She rang me and I contacted the Chaplaincy service and said that I might be interested in the position. They asked me to meet with them and as a result offered me the position and I accepted it. At the same time I was also offered a job in the local High School as well. I chose to go to prison and the rest is history.
I was Chaplain at Tongariro Rangipo Prison for 2 ½ years before accepting the role as Senior Prison Chaplain covering all the New Zealand Prisons. I worked two days a week in this role and continued for three days a week as a Chaplain on the floor. I then accepted my present role as National Director and started in February 2011 5 years after beginning as a Chaplain on the floor in 2006.
An addition to all this is that throughout my whole ministry journey i coached Representative Rugby and school and club rugby at a high level. I saw this as a vital part of my ministry journey as just like my Police Chaplaincy I was in touch with ‘real people’ if you like. This kept me grounded. Kathy and my children were my greatest help and support during those years.
I experienced the usual turmoil of moving through the next 8 years or so of my life experiencing life to ‘the full.’ I met my wife Kathy in 1974 and this was to change my outlook on life dramatically. Here was an articulate young lady who was and still has a profound effect on my life. She is a wonderful spiritual partner who in later years we came to realise through another miracle when serving in a Parish that we were called to of how God brought us together in 1974.
By this time I was teaching and then took a radical drop in salary despite the fact that we had two lovely babies to work as Programmes Director at the YMCA in Hamilton. Although those years were difficult money wise they turned out to be the beginning of a whole new way of life for me and my family. I thoroughly enjoyed working at the YMCA. Not only did I start to like the ring of young men’s CHRISTIAN association it gave me the opportunity to delve into all manner of work experiences not to mention working with youth at risk, disadvantaged families and after experiencing a new relationship with Jesus while working there, I went on to work with pre release prisoners in a wilderness survival programme. I began my training for the priesthood in 1984 while at the YMCA.
I then moved from there to an elite independent boarding and day school called St Peters School Cambridge New Zealand as the head of Physical Education and Sport. During the 16 years that I was there I was also a Housemaster to 50 boys in a boarding house with my family, Outdoor education leader, Sports coach, Guidance counsellor, Sound design for major productions, member of Senior Management and after being ordained a deacon in 1986 and then ordained an Anglican Priest in 1987 while working there I accepted the role as Chaplain in 1989 for 12 the next years. This was another milestone in our ministry journey. When our two children had flown the coup Kathy and I were called out of St Peter’s into what is called in New Zealand a Cooperating Venture. This was a parish consisting of Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians. I was there for 5 ½ years before entering Tongariro Rangipo Prison as a Prison Chaplain. We thoroughly enjoyed that parish experience and the people we served there. While in the parish I became a Police Chaplain as well and continued to do that for the next 8 years alongside my parish and prison ministry.
After all that how did I get into prison ministry? Just like all my other calls by a miracle of God. Kathy my wife’s widowed father died suddenly and unexpectedly in his home town in the central north island of New Zealand called Turangi. After some deliberations and prayer Kathy and I decided that she needed to go back to Turangi and sort out the family affairs as she is the oldest in her family. So she did. 2 ½ years later before I resigned from the parish I made some enquiries as to what sort of ministries would be available in the central north Island. There were none that were advertised. However one of Kathy’s cousins who worked at Tongariro Rangipo Prison that is located just outside Turangi told her that there was a vacancy at the prison for a chaplain. She rang me and I contacted the Chaplaincy service and said that I might be interested in the position. They asked me to meet with them and as a result offered me the position and I accepted it. At the same time I was also offered a job in the local High School as well. I chose to go to prison and the rest is history.
I was Chaplain at Tongariro Rangipo Prison for 2 ½ years before accepting the role as Senior Prison Chaplain covering all the New Zealand Prisons. I worked two days a week in this role and continued for three days a week as a Chaplain on the floor. I then accepted my present role as National Director and started in February 2011 5 years after beginning as a Chaplain on the floor in 2006.
An addition to all this is that throughout my whole ministry journey i coached Representative Rugby and school and club rugby at a high level. I saw this as a vital part of my ministry journey as just like my Police Chaplaincy I was in touch with ‘real people’ if you like. This kept me grounded. Kathy and my children were my greatest help and support during those years.