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-==Roland Tyrwhitt St John MBE==
-Roland Tyrwhitt St John (1914-1991) was Registrar of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane from 1946 to 1974.  As its 'business manager' he restored the finances and improved the administration of the diocese, which comprised some 300 churches and covered an area of half a million square kilometres, reaching north to Bundaberg and south and west to the State borders. His influence reached beyond the diocese and he was a leading Anglican layman.
-===Early Life===
-Born at Boggabri NSW on 16 December 1914, 'Roley' was one of eight children of the Revd Canon F de P St John, a Church of England parish priest in rural NSW.  Roland's uncle Revd H B St John was also a Church of England parish priest.  Roland's younger brother was [[Edward St John]].  Their grandfather Henry St John was a pioneer of Rawdon Islands NSW and a nephew of Revd Ambrose St John, who converted to Roman Catholicism with his close friend and colleague Cardinal [[John Henry Newman]].
-Educated at Armidale High School, Roland gained the degrees of BEc (Syd) and BA (Qld) by part-time studies and was an Associate of the Australian Society of Accountants.  After working at Bank of NSW branches in several country towns he was transferred to the Bank's head office in Sydney.
-At the outbreak of war in 1939 he enlisted in the University Regiment. When the war extended to the Pacific in 1941 he saw service with the 2nd AIF in Irian Jaya and New Britain and reached the rank of Captain before returning to civilian life in 1946.
-===Career===
-At the age of 32 he was appointed by Archbishop Reginald Halse to be Diocesan Registrar, Brisbane, at a time when the diocese had been in a perilous financial position for some years.  Roland brought to his new position a thorough knowledge of church affairs and also financial and administrative ability of rare quality. He recognised what many business men on church committees had not realised, that even in its business affairs the church could not always use the same methods as commercial enterprises, because its aims were different.
-We must remember that the Church is a Church and not a business. In the long run, its success – as a Church – will depend on its spiritual strength, rather than its financial resources. If the first is healthy, there will be little difficulty about the latter.
-This implied no mandate for inefficiency in managing church affairs.  Elimination in 1956 of the deficiency accounts of the diocese, which had totalled more than £40,000 in 1946, was a remarkable demonstration of Roland's skilful handling of the church's financial affairs.
-===='Personality of the Diocese'====
-''The Church Chronicle'' (1 June 1958) reported him as 'Personality of the Diocese':
-<block quote> Do our people realise the colossal job that the Registrar of the Diocese is doing?  Mr St John is always available to help Clergy and lay people in their problems connected with the Diocese.  He is Secretary of the Diocesan Council, where his knowledge and help are invaluable. The Registrar attends each meeting of the Councils and Advisory bodies of Church Schools and Institutions.  He is without fear or favour.  We cannot but record a mere fraction of his activities, and they are always carried out with good sense, good humour and accurate knowledge.  The Registrar also has acted as Secretary of this journal, and with his loyal staff does more than most of us realise to help forward the work of the Diocese. </block quote>
-Combining his financial acumen and his strong sense of vocation he also helped initiate the diocese's ambitious building program, which included expansion of diocesan schools, rebuilding existing hostels for the aged and building new hostels.  One of these, Spiritus Symes Thorpe, an extensive facility for the aged at Toowoomba, was opened in 1961 as an outcome of Roland's extensive negotiations with a major benefactor.
-The Diocese had long wanted to extend St John's Cathedral and knew that this would be an enormous undertaking.  With the Diocese's improved financial position, and after Philip Strong became archbishop in 1962, the 2nd stage of cathedral construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1968.  Roland was actively involved in fund-raising, design and project management.
-An active and committed lay churchman, he contributed to the establishment of the Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia (1962); represented the diocese at the Toronto Anglican Congress (1963); and was a member of the Anglican Consultative Council.  As a tireless worker for the Church he was a member of the General Synod of the Church of England in Australia 1950-74 (and its standing committee and finance committee and the long service leave board) and a member of the Anglican Consultative Council of whole of Anglican Community 1970-73.
-He also held numerous community positions; among them he was secretary of The Southport School Council and Brisbane Church of England Grammar School Council 1947-74; member of the National Council of Independent Schools of Australia 1970-73; secretary of the District Nursing Association of Brisbane 1966-74; and Lt, Capt (Education Officer) CMF 1955-65.
-Never afraid of debate, he protested against Sir Raphael Cilento's intemperate comments about 'brain-washed bishops' who had urged negotiation in the Vietnam War and de-criminalisation of homosexuality.   He was also involved in the 1960s' controversy about St Martin's Hospital, in Cathedral Square, which the Church proposed to replace with a new hospital at Zillmere.  The proposal was stayed by the 'Save St Martin's' movement and went to litigation.  In 1975 the Supreme Court upheld the Church's decision to move the hospital.  Archbishop Felix Arnott said 'This was a very satisfactory conclusion, and was a great tribute to the efforts of our lawyers and Mr R T St John, who was largely responsible for preparing the material'.  The old building is now a church office.
-In 1968 he was awarded an MBE for his services to the Church and the community.  After 28 years as Registrar he retired at the end of 1974.  The Brisbane Diocesan Newsletter (February 1974) praised his energy, ability and initiative:
-Unquestionably he has been regarded as one of the leading lay members of the Australian Church, in which he made his presence felt at all levels from General Synod to parish activity. The recognition of his important place in the General Synod came with his election as the first Australian lay member of the Anglican Consultative Council.  He made significant contributions in its debates at Limuru (1971) and Dublin (1973). At this level of international church diplomacy Roland St John was at his best… Observers have often been surprised by the speeches of the quietly-spoken man who at first sight seems likely to be a conservative.  His radical thinking on issues such as racism, war, violence and the position of women in the church have won the admiration and gratitude of many.
-===Assessment===
-Archbishop Halse had come to rely on Roland immensely; he trusted his judgement and was happy to refer difficult situations to him, and not only of a financial or administrative kind.  Roland came to exercise diocesan influence as great as that of any diocesan bishop. He was universally respected, even admired, and was a powerful voice in the Diocese.  His reports on serious matters show a mind capable of great clarity about the issues.  But tensions arose after Halse died (1962) and was succeeded by Archbishop Philip Strong, a religious conservative unaccustomed to vigorous debate.  'Whereas Strong leant on the Holy Spirit, St John was more pragmatic and politically nuanced.' Tensions between them continued until Strong's departure in 1970.
-===Personal Life===
-Despite the pressures of office, Roland was a dedicated family man.  He married Margaret, daughter of Archdeacon Reginald Massey, in 1949.  They had a happy family life with their five children: David, Paul, Philippa, Nigel and Julian.  Margaret's early death in 1972 after a long illness was a deep grief to him.  At a time when his work responsibilities were at their height he became a single parent.  In 1976 he married Marjorie Richardson, a widow with children.
-St John's Cathedral dedicated a stained-glass window to Roland and Margaret in 1976.  (St Alban's Church, Quirindi NSW, has stained-glass windows dedicated to Roland's parents.)
-On retiring as Registrar he took up an administrative position with a firm run by a family he had known from church.  In 1981, after he had retired entirely, he and Marjorie moved to Toowoomba.
-Roland read widely on history and had a deep appreciation of the arts. He loved music and collected oriental ceramics and china though he had very little money to spend on them. In his latter years he painted in watercolour.  In his delightful book of memoirs, ''Memories at Sunset'', he wrote warmly of his childhood in Uralla and recounted anecdotes about people he had met during his lifetime.  But they were not an autobiography: 'They do not speak of my good fortune in having godly, impressive and understanding parents…Nor do they refer to my marriage to two wonderful women…They do not mention the joys of bringing up a large family'.  These remained personal matters.
-===Death===
-He died on 3 October 1991.  In a tribute the Primate of Australia, Dr Keith Rayner, said that the whole Australian Church owed a tremendous amount to Roland's dedicated service and the acumen with which it was carried out; and that when he became Registrar he inherited a very difficult administrative and financial position in Brisbane and he achieved a remarkable amount in turning this around.
-The Thanksgiving Eucharist for Roland was at All Saints' Church, Toowoomba.  Bishop Adrian Charles spoke of Roland's meticulous attention to detail, which was of such value when the Church Canons (laws) of the Diocese were being produced; and his great work and influence beyond the Diocese in the national General Synod and in production of the constitution of the Anglican Church in Australia and the Church's prayer book.  He also spoke of Roland's genuine love for things in the country and said that Roland felt that meeting country people made the difficulties of the Registrar's job seem worthwhile.
-The General Synod's Standing Committee formally resolved (24/25 October 1991) to record its thankfulness for Roland's life service and witness and his outstanding work for the Brisbane Diocese and his contribution to the wider Church.
-===References===
-(Prepared in November 2011 from information held by Roland's son David and other records.)
-Contents
-•	1 Early life
-•	2 Career
-o	2.1 Controversies
-•	3 Activism
-•	4 Personal life
-•	5 Death
-•	6 References