Rt Reverend Gerald Beaumont
Meet the Beaumonts
Institution Service
Anglican Catholic Mary Walk
Rt Reverend Gerald Beaumont Meet the Beaumonts Institution Service Anglican Catholic Mary Walk |
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| Bp. Gerald Beaumont |
Our Vicar of St John's is Rt. Reverend Gerald Beaumont, formerly Assistant Bishop of Perth, Goldfields-Country Region, Western Australia. Bp. Gerald was consecrated on 8th May 1998 and was located in Kalgoorlie. His wife Lyn is a Doctor. Bp. Gerald was Priest in several Melbourne parishes including Hawksburn and Holy Trinity East Melbourne.
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| Bp. Gerald & Dr. Lyn Beaumont |
Gerald was born in Birmingham, England in 1940, the eldest in a family that came to number six in all, including a brother
and two sisters. His father was a peripatetic architect, and so wanderlust was formed at an early age.
The family migrated to Australia in 1952, and have enjoyed the vast benefits of the "lucky country" ever since.
Gerald would number a love of this country, in all its parts and moods, as one of his particular passions.
At the apex of his loving regard, however, is Lyn, his wife of 40 years, their two married daughters -
Carolyn and Alexandra - and their grandchildren and extended family, plus a few very special friends.
Other areas of particular interest are motorcycles and aircraft, literature and art. With regard to the last of these,
Gerald has a Degree in Fine Arts (Painting) from the RMIT. He has been a practicing, professional artist,
and painting workshop leader for over 20 years. He has also studied in the area of Art Therapy at Edith Cowan University in WA.
All of these things are set within the essential framework of his faith, and his abiding love of the Anglican Church and parish ministry.
Gerald was a Cathedral choirboy in England and Australia and, apart from the musical advantage these experiences offered,
he learned to appreciate the power and encouragement of community. This was further explored in his 5 years as an Associate
of the Society of the Sacred Mission, which provided his formal theological training, in the beautiful setting of the
monastery in the Adelaide hills.
His ministry experience has mostly been in Melbourne parishes at Brighton, Geelong, Mooroolbark, Armadale-Hawksburn,
Kooyong and East Melbourne. However, Gerald and his young family travelled to Normanton in Far North Queensland in 1974
where he worked for a year as a Priest/Pilot with the Carpentaria Aerial Mission.
In 1992 Gerald and Lyn moved to Perth, where he worked as Canon Pastor at St.George's Cathedral. This was followed by a
three-year appointment as Rector of Alice Springs, before he was appointed an Assistant Bishop in the Perth Diocese,
with responsibility for the Goldfields-Country Region, embracing some 300,000 sq kms of agricultural, fishing and mining
territory in rural Western Australia. Whilst resident in Kalgoorlie, Gerald traveled as much as 50,000 kms a year through 19 parishes
and over 60 worshipping centres, frequently accompanied by Lyn, when her work commitments permit.
Lyn is a General Practitioner with special training in, and a deep love of Palliative Care. Lyn completed a 3-year
Postgraduate Diploma in Medicine - Palliative Care at Edith Cowan University in WA. Trained at Melbourne University,
Lyn has practised medicine continuously since graduation, and is experienced in a wide range of work including Indigenous Health,
Aged Care, senior Hospital Administration and Women's Health. Lyn has also been deeply involved in Parish liturgical life as Server,
Pastoral Assistant, Eucharistic Minister, Reader, Intercessor and Preacher, as well as having been an elected member of Vestry
in several of the parishes in which Gerald has served. Lyn is thoroughly enjoying her newly acquired role as "Grandma", a
nd rejoices in the prospect of developing a closer and constant relationship with their grandchildren, on their return to Melbourne.
That is very much Gerald and Lyn's mutual and happy expectation.
Gerald and Lyn are much loved at St.John's where they minister to the Parish and the wider community.
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| Bp. Gerald & Dr. Lyn Beaumont |
In a service of great joy and celebration, the Rt. Reverend Gerald Beaumont,
was insitiuted as Incumbent Vicar on 19th February 2004. His wife Dr Lyn Beaumont
was also welcomed as part of the service and informally at a supper gathering in the Rutherford room at the conclusion.
The event was attended by over 400 parishioners, clergy from around the diocese.
It was also a delight to see so many of Bp Gerald and Lyn's friends and family come to see them enter this new
phase of their life and ministry together.
Bp Gerald said how please he and Lyn were to finally be in the Parish and, looking to the future
he quoted the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta "We may not be able to do great things, but we can do small things with great love".
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| From St Patrick's to St Paul's Archbishop Denis Hart and Bishop Gerald Beaumont set out on the Mary Walk |