For the Hurstville Society the Rev Doug Taylor represents a significant part of their history. He shares the distinction of longest serving pastor with the inaugural Minister, Rev Richard Morse, of 17 years, the only difference being that Doug’s pastorate was broken up into several years at different times. He just kept coming back to the little church he loved. Born an Australian and marrying an Australian (Christine Brock) he studied overseas both as a teacher and then a minister and first served the Hurstville New Church from 1963 to 1974, returning January 1989 to July 1993. When our society was without a pastor he helped out along with several other retired ministers, however not just once but three times – 1998, 1999 and 2006/7.

One particular notable aspect of Doug’s ministry was the popular radio talks he gave on Sunday evenings on radio 2KY from 1968 to 1974. Doug did not shy away from any opportunity to promote/defend the church and in 1969 when the Apollo spacecraft landed on the moon he handled a TV interview deftly when the interviewer said, “Doug, the astronauts have landed on the moon and did not find moon men, what do you say about that?” Doug replied good-naturedly, “Well, they had better go back and have another look!”

Many may not know that Doug was accomplished in many areas of life. His daughter Ros writes that in a History of Marist Brothers College in Mt. Gambier, South Australia, where Doug attended High School there is a whole paragraph on him. It states that he was an entertainer, cartoonist, one of the top French students in South Australia, an all-round sportsman, captain of the cricket team, and is still on the honour roll there for voluntarily enlisting for the RAAF during World War ll.

(The photo at the head of the article is of Doug Taylor with his wife Christine, who passed about a year ago, with their daughter Roslyn (Ros) Taylor in the centre, embracing both her parents.)

A researched appreciation by Margaret and Owen Heldon