The Rev'd Canon Bruce Henzell was appointed LOCUM PRIEST IN CHARGE at St Mary's in September 2011.
Father Bruce writes:
I was born in 1942, the third of 4 children, in a happy and
stable family and knew faith and church involvement from the
earliest age. Ironside State School and Brisbane Grammar preceded a
Surveying degree at University of Queensland, graduating in
1964.
Apart from the Christian faith, sport featured strongly in my
interests, particularly gymnastics and tennis, but I was also
involved in rowing, football and cricket. These days it tends to be
golf.
It was at the end of the final exams for the Surveying degree that
I felt that God was saying, "I want you for something other than
surveying." This led to my offering for the priesthood in Papua New
Guinea and Bishop David Hand, in accepting me, asking me to first
help the diocese with a lot of surveying it needed. So for over a
year (1966-67) I was the 'Mission surveyor' and saw all but a few
of the mission stations and outstations, travelling most of the
time on foot. It was like a most amazing adventure with pocket
money - $12 per month.
I entered St Francis College in 1968 and Rhyl and I were married
at the end of the first year and lived in the College for the
next 3 years during which time our first child, Jennifer, was born,
I gained a B.Div and a Dip Ed from U of Q, and was ordained deacon
(1970) and then priest (1971). New Year's Day 1972 saw us join Fr
Bill Houghton at Sakarina, head station of the Managalas and Musa
district, in the Hydrographa Range in Papua's Northern District.
(Rhyl has written our memoirs of that Year, "Come for a walk in my
shoes.") During that year Rhyl and Jen had to fly to Brisbane for
the birth of our second daughter, Nicola.
The next 2 years were spent at Dogura, in the Milne Bay District,
where the Anglican Mission had its beginnings in 1887: I was
engaged as a lecturer at Newton Theological College. Students came
from all over Papua New Guinea and I had the joy of renewing
acquaintances with, and teaching men I had first met when
surveying.
Our third daughter, Kirsty, arrived as we started furlough at the
end of 1974 and then the children's educational needs unfortunately
meant we had to finish our stint in PNG. Thus I joined the staff of
Brisbane Diocese.
After a 9 month locum at St Lucia, I became assistant priest in of
Ipswich. Towards the end of our 3-and-a-bit years there, in 1978,
our fourth child - and son - Jonathan, was born. Three months later
I became rector of Charleville, a 50,000 square kilometer parish a
further 700km west. Properties are large and far flung and the
people were very hospitable. There was lots of driving - eg. 1800km
to cover Holy Week services.
It was here that I first became convinced about
'total/mutual/all-member ministry' as the essential nature of
Church ministry and thus the need to equip myself for, and involve
myself in, resourcing the laity. Because of this commitment to
adult christian education, I was invited to become Associate Priest
with Greg Ezzy in the Parish of Mt Gravatt, with the training and
empowering of the laity my main responsibility. So from early in
1983 we were involved for 20 years in team-ministry at Mt Gravatt,
firstly as Associate with Greg and then (1985) as Rector with other
full-time staff.
In pursuing competence as an enabler of all-member ministry, I
have been immensely blessed by the influence of some excellent
teachers in areas such as communication, conflict management and
resolution, consultancy, Bible, small groups, parenting, emotional
and spiritual intelligence, etc.
In 2003 I joined the newly formed Ministry Education Commission of
the Diocese where the bulk of my time was devoted to the
facilitating the discernment process for those offering for
ordained ministry. After 3 years the Commission was restructured
and my position was absorbed into others' roles. I took 'early'
retirement to focus on training events and consultancy.
Rhyl and I are now delighted parents-in-law and grandparents to 4,
shortly 5, littlies.
Thank you for your welcome: May God bless our time together.
Bruce
