When and where were you born?

5th May 1964, St Margaret’s Hospital Darlinghurst, Sydney.

Memories of your childhood/family/upbringing/schooling?

My memories are of having fun playing with my brothers, sisters and the kids in the street until dark, looking forward to my Dad coming home from work after dark. My greatest memory was that everything was in its right place and OK. Our lives revolved around family, friends, church, school,  beach and they all fitted together and seemed to complement one another.

When/why did you decide to enter the seminary?

After school I started Pharmacy at Sydney University in 1982. I spent the following January studying for a post-examination, giving serious thought to whether I wanted to be a Pharmacist. I decided that I loved the pastoral side of Pharmacy, and that God did not want me to be a Pharmacist! I went to see Martin Prendergast,  my PP, who wisely guided me slowly towards Kerry Bayada and the seminary. I started at Manly College in 1984 when I was 19.

Memories of seminary life?

My memories of the seminary are mixed. It was a place of camaraderie, of emotional and spiritual growth with many twists and turns for all involved. It was a process in which many were hurt, and it seemed that all involved in formation at the time, students and staff, were looking for the way forward. I am not sure it was discovered in my time.

When and where were you ordained?

I was ordained in Our Lady Queen of Peace Cathedral, Broome on February 1st 1991, by John Jobst, (who on St Joseph’s Day celebrated his Episcopal Golden Jubilee). The ordination was neatly timed between two cyclones.

What areas of ministry have you worked in since ordination?

I have spent almost all of my priesthood working in remote indigenous communities, including a three year stint ‘on the road’ with a youth ministry team throughout the Kimberley. A six-month stint as Aboriginal Liaison Officer for WYD08 was an incredible opportunity to share faith with Indigenous people from other parts of Australia.

What have been the highlights of your ministry to date?

I have loved being a part of the communities in which I have lived. For seven years at La Grange Mission and eight at Balgo I was involved in every aspect of the life of the community, from the joyous times to those that left me near despair. It has been a real experience, and I have always felt that I was in the right place.

What challenges have you faced in your ministry and how have these been overcome (if at all)?

Sometimes the enormity of the issues we face with people has threatened to overwhelm me, and my energy levels have ebbed very low. At these times I felt the isolation in which I lived, particularly given the fact that when I was at Balgo, the nearest priest was 830km away. My other challenge has been to continually choose to be a priest, to live what I am with vigour and not just coast along. This questioning and re-commitment, which has been at times difficult, has borne great spiritual fruit.

What is the best advice you would pass on to future seminarians?

Listen to God, because he is calling you to some form of committed life: Take advice from wise people, be brave and pray! Glory be to God,whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine!

What are your personal hopes for the future?

Being a parish priest, living and working with people in the Kimberley, together building up the kingdom and coming closer to God.

What are your personal hopes for the future of the Church in Australia?

That we stay together in faith and trust, moving forward in the momentum generated by WYD, which is strong in even the very remote parts of our land.

Who has been the most influential person/people in your life?

My Mum and Dad

What was the last book you read or movie you saw?

I have just finished The Origins of Violence, by John Docker. Leunig’s Curly Pyjama Letters is beside my bed and I saw the a premiere of Australia in Kununurra last year.

Your favourite travel destination?

The Arctic. I have spent months on the coast of Arctic Canada and in Alaska.

What hobbies/pastimes are important to you?

Swimming and walking. I love walking pilgrimages, but of course up here you have to walk a long way!

A bit of fun – what would you like to the inscription on your headstone to read?

He was OK