Rev. Richards was also collated the Archdeacon of the Diocese of the Riverina.
A priest at Applecross in Perth for four years, he was then priest at Kempsey NSW for 10 years before moving to Corowa.
“I actually knew the bishop who phoned me to tell me he was looking for a senior priest to take on the position at Corowa,” Rev. Richards told The Free Press.
“I needed to come back into the country. I absolutely like it here. Country people are much more honest.”
Born in Sri Lanka (Ceylon at the time) in 1957, Rev. Richards successfully completed a Masters in Medical Science in Johannesburg South Africa, specialising in microscopy. He spent 20 years as a scientist with the CSIR at the University of Cape Town and the University of Pretoria.
Feeling “stymied” in his job regarding progress, he felt she needed a change. “In those days I smoked a pipe and I said to my wife, ‘I think I’ve had a call’. ‘Who from?’ she asked. I said ‘God’ to which she asked ‘What have you been smoking?’.” In 2002, Rev. Richards was ordained into the priesthood in Pretoria. He moved to Australia in 2005.
Sadly, Rev. Richards lost his wife Penelope several years ago. She was an educator in the medical field. He is left with two daughters, Guinevere, 21 and 17-year-old Abbyghail.
“My main hobby is reading ecology. I’m studying a Ph.D from Notre Dame University Fremantle,” Rev.Richards, who turned 63-years-of-age, last Sunday, said. “I like bushwalking, exploring wildlife, fauna and flora.”
A younger Rev. Richards “played all the sports” but “was an average player” in rugby union and squash, and as a rower.
While in Kempsey, he was a Rotarian and had a stint as Rotary President.
St John’s Anglican Church Corowa leader is liking his new environment and looks forward to meeting as many people as possible, in the country.
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