More than a century after Anglican chaplains first went on to the battlefield with soldiers, chaplaincy has been established to veterans of Australia’s Defence Force.
The historic move was marked at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney with the collation of the inaugural Archdeacon to Veterans, the Ven Andrew Nixon.
The Primate, Archbishop Geoffrey Smith, the Bishop of South Sydney, Michael Stead, and dozens of clergy – many veterans themselves – watched as the Bishop to the Defence Force, Grant Dibden, read out the promises to be made by the new Archdeacon.
In the congregation were hundreds of guests, including former Governor-General David Hurley AC CVO DSC, Rear Admiral Chris Smith AM CSM RAN, Department of Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Alison Frame, and other senior Defence, police, government and religious representatives.
“This appointment is about bringing to the fore the importance of supporting our veterans and recognising that there are veterans right across the country in all our parishes, in our suburbs and in our neighbourhoods,’ Archdeacon Nixon said after the service.
“It’s an incredible honour to support and represent Australia’s veteran community to the Anglican Church as the inaugural Archdeacon to Veterans.”
(Pictured: the large group of clergy with Archdeacon Nixon (centre) and to his right, Bishop Dibden)
A veteran himself, Archdeacon Nixon served as a Navy officer for more than a decade, specialising in warfare and leadership training. After ordination and service in various ministry positions, he returned as a Navy Reserve chaplain in 2011.
The collation follows a decision by the General Synod of the Anglican Church to establish a chaplaincy presence for veterans, however the Archdeacon's role is within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs as the director of its Veterans’ Chaplaincy Pilot Program.
(Pictured: Former Governor General David Hurley, Mrs Jenny Nixon, Mrs Linda Hurley, Archdeacon Nixon)
The department acted after evidence brought before the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide highlighted the important role that ADF chaplains can play in suicide prevention and care and in supporting veterans with moral injury.
“Chaplaincy is about caring for our human spirit. It’s not a religious thing; it’s a human thing. Everybody has a deep part of them which determines their identity and purpose,” Archdeacon Nixon said.
“We ask our ADF members to go and do really difficult things, which can both clarify and challenge this identity and purpose. We ask them to put their life on the line, to potentially take the life of another person, or even to lose a mate.
“There’s a really deep dimension to that; a spiritual dimension. That’s why the ADF is really clear about the provision of chaplaincy, because of the work we ask of our service personnel.”
Details of the Veterans’ Chaplaincy Pilot Program are online at the DVA website.
