Introduction

With a name like Bruce Roy you could be forgiven for assuming a Scottish heritage. You are partly right. My father came from Larne, Northern Ireland, and it is assumed that somewhere in the past story of Ulster and the Roys, they migrated there from Scotland - but that link is yet to be found.

I was born and grew up in Cairns, North Queensland. That's my home in the 1940's at 102 Cairns Street, Cairns North - still standing today though now elevated even further and built in to create a two story house.

Boarded for three years (1956-1958) at Thornburgh College, Charters Towers, after my mother died (1951) and my grandmother was no longer able to care for me and my brother and sister.

I graduated from the University of Queensland (BA in Philosophy - 1962) and the Presbyterian Theological Hall, and in December 1964 was ordained and inducted into the Maranoa parish at Roma (Queensland - though mail did occasionally arrive via Italy!). I moved to Maryborough North parish for 18 months before accepting an appointment as an Army Chaplain.

I then spent most of my time in ministry as an Army Chaplain. A surprise, really, because I had never seen myself as a military chaplain in spite of being a Cadet Under Officer in the school cadet unit. Following two years in the Army Reserve - it was called the Citizens Military Forces (CMF) then - I served in the Australian Regular Army (ARA) in Townsville QLD (2 RAR), South Viet Nam (2 RAR/NZ), Puckapunyal VIC (Service Corps Centre that became Transport Centre - a training establishment, then HQ Puckapunyal Area), Kapooka NSW (Recruit Training Battalion - by this time = Major), Brisbane (HQ 1 Division [Senior Chaplain] and 1 Military Hospital), Sydney (Randwick area, Victoria Barracks [Staff Chaplain = Lieutenant Colonel] and Training Command [Senior Chaplain = Colonel]) and Canberra (Army Office). I ended my time as part-time Protestant Denominations Principal Chaplain (equivalent to Brigadier).

During this time I also pursued academic studies towards a University of London Bachelor of Divinity (BD - 1972) externally through Wolsey Hall Oxford. I did five years of (part-time) Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) while in Brisbane. I subsequently completed a Doctor of Ministry (DMin - 1991) through San Francisco Theological Seminary, of which the United Theological College in Sydney is an adjunct faculty. My dissertation was on the training of Chaplains to operate in staff and senior environments in the Army, the idea being that we should have a different take on such training based on our pastoral and theological point of view and our clergy rôle, rather than merely complete the regular officer staff training. I believe that clergy need to expand the paradigm for "pastoral care" from the traditional one-to-one personal relationship to one in which the institutions within which we live and work also need "pastoral care". This is based on a perception that Jesus ministered primarily to his society of which individual stories of healing are an example ("sign" as John's gospel describes them) but not the "core focus".

I have now lived in Sydney for nearly 30 years - the longest I have lived in any one city. Since marrying Bev, I have now lived in the same home (as illustrated top right of this and all pages) for over 20 years - the previous record was my first ten years of life in North Cairns. Such is Church and Army life! Funny thing though - I see myself as an expatriate Queenslander. But Queenslanders will understand that!

The other pages in this section will take you into my areas of interest.

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