00:00:00.579 - 00:00:20.719

On, uh, September the 21st. Is this, what do you think? 22nd, September the 22nd, 1987 in Adelaide? Well, one of the things I'd like to know about if you, uh, reminisce about your father. Uh, for a while, I, many people have told me that he's one

00:00:20.729 - 00:00:44.330

of the significant figures in Baptist history in this country. Uh, oh, I suppose from the, what, the early part of this century until, uh, he was trained in Spurgeon's College in London. Yes, he was a school teacher born in, uh, he was actually born in Melbourne

00:00:44.340 - 00:01:09.750

but he grew up in Bathurst, uh, a country town in quite a big country town in, uh, in New South Wales. And, um, went from there down to do his school teacher training and then went across later on to Spurgeon's College to do his theological training.

00:01:10.449 - 00:01:32.389

And he did his theological training at Spurgeon's College called to the Stanmore Baptist Church as its first pastor early in the sanctuary for, uh, I think I'm not quite sure what is initial period was, but I know it was only a short period. He stayed for

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44 years. He was the bastard there for 44 years. Uh, his period was extended a little longer than it might have been because when he was really due to retire after his 40 years, the, uh, there were so many of our top men away at the

00:01:54.190 - 00:02:14.350

war as chaplains and he was encouraged to stay on for another three or four years until some of the chaplains got back then, one of them was a court of the church and became the minister, but he had a 44 year ministry. Well, it isn't only

00:02:14.360 - 00:02:37.320

that, it was a highly successful ministry because there were, there were continual additions to the church, conversions, baptisms. Uh I mean, I grew up in a church that was absolutely spiritually alive in a remarkable way. And uh um of course, that, that reflects a little, I

00:02:37.330 - 00:03:02.059

think on the man who was the pastor of the church and of course, a very big church in those days, it was probably the largest Baptist church in Australia or perhaps with the Kew church in Melbourne, the largest Baptist church in Australia, Qkewkkq. Yes. Um They

00:03:02.070 - 00:03:30.080

were in, in the days that I grew up in the church. Um So father had a, a very long and a very much used ministry of God. What were his dates? Hm. What were his dates? Well, I think he finished in about 19, he started early

00:03:30.089 - 00:03:57.410

in the century and he finished about 1940. I think it would be about where was I? Now, let me see. I was um the opposite. Then I think it can see he finished, I should say about 47 I think somewhere about 47. And then he carried

00:03:57.419 - 00:04:18.489

on with uh he was always being asked for, to, to speak at various places on the 50th anniversary of his, of his uh beginning of his ministry. He was with me in the pub and only Park church in Adelaide. Ok. So he had a, he had

00:04:18.500 - 00:04:40.700

a great long history. Um uh I uh a unique ministry, I would think in, in, in the Australian scenes anyhow, as I, as I would say it, that's not just because I, I happen to be your son. But I think there is a degree of uh

00:04:40.709 - 00:05:03.630

the length and the vitality and the quality of the ministry that he exercised is quite remarkable. And I lived with him and I knew the sort of man that he was. That's quite an insight, isn't it? Well, I think if a son can talk that way

00:05:03.640 - 00:05:23.690

about a father that he's lived with for a certain period of time. And uh sort of say that perhaps the man he looked up to most in spiritual things with his own father. You said he was born in Melbourne. Yes. And that, but, but came to

00:05:23.700 - 00:05:37.700

Bathurst in the West of New South Wales at a very early age. Only a baby. I think he was already, not, not very much, but he was a Bounder when he was in Melbourne. Of course, he used to preaching or doing anything there. He claimed he

00:05:37.709 - 00:05:57.850

was born in Melbourne. You see the rest of the time? Of course, he was a New South Welshman. Yes. But he spent most of his life prac, practically all his life in New South Wales. But grew up in, well, I, I, a large country town in

00:05:57.859 - 00:06:15.839

New South Wales. When was he born? What year did you, ah, I'd have to check on that one. He, he would have been born in the nineties in the nineties sometime. I'd have to get the exact date. But, uh, he was born somewhere around in the

00:06:15.850 - 00:06:38.170

nineties. And, uh, was it 1880 something? It might have been 18 in the, in the eighties. It's difficult to know. I could look that up for you if you wanted to know if you get through this and you want to know some actual dates and facts,

00:06:38.179 - 00:06:56.380

I could give those to you. Ok. There's no worry there has written a biography. Um, John Ridley, a very small one. Have you had that? I haven't seen that. Well, I've got one at home. They were, it was only a limited edition and there's not a

00:06:56.390 - 00:07:11.869

great number of them about. But if you'd like that, let me know and I'll send it across to you. We'll see, we'll see that you get it. If nothing else, if we could just make a copy of it or something. Well, all you gotta do. How

00:07:11.880 - 00:07:27.660

long are you staying forever here? Well, I'm only gonna be here till Thursday but then I'm going to Perth and I'm coming back through here. Well, now if you, if you if you give me a call when you're coming back through, I'll get the book to

00:07:27.670 - 00:07:48.160

you. Alright? If you just let me know when you're likely to be here and uh I'll arrange to meet you somewhere in town and give you the book. You give me a ring at home. You better put my phone number down at home. 33920272027. You let

00:07:48.170 - 00:08:07.799

me know I'll let you have the book but there aren't very many of them about, there was a limited edition printed and they went off and um, so I'll let you have a look at it. Oh, that'd be great. I'd love that. Um I'm staying with

00:08:07.809 - 00:08:23.390

an old friend of mine here who's a history uh lecture at the University of Adelaide. You might be able just to leave it with him and I take a look at it when I'm sure when I come back and that's all right. Yes. Excellent. If you

00:08:23.399 - 00:08:38.570

let me know his name and address and I'll, and I'll, I'll write it down. Ok. You can just write it on me and I can drop that down to him and you can have a look at it when you, that would be great if I could.

00:08:38.599 - 00:08:57.250

Yeah, and just put the date when you're likely to be, or somewhere around about when you're likely to be back then I can drop it in. I'll put down both of both his home address and his university address here. What's his home address? Uh, 21 George

00:08:57.260 - 00:09:20.039

in Parkside. Just, I can, I can drop it in there anytime at all. Yeah, I'm coming back through here, uh, a week from Sunday night. Well, that Sunday night will be the, uh, 20 27th. Yes, but it's a week after that, that you're coming back, it

00:09:20.059 - 00:09:38.010

will be about the fourth or fifth of October. So I've got to get it there. Say I've got to get it there before the end of the month. Ok. Ok. If I get it to him before the end of the month, well, there's, there's good and

00:09:38.020 - 00:10:02.830

I'll get it to you before the end of the month. Ok. That would be wonderful because we haven't seen that. My, uh, yeah. Well, I'll, I'll certainly drop that in. No worries at all. Father. Uh, there were various people that wanted to write. My goodness. Yeah.

00:10:02.840 - 00:10:24.969

My, my, they, they prepared a book on his life and what he'd done for his, well, not a book but a sort of, uh, pictures and letters and various other things I think. My brother's got that in Sydney. Um That would be interesting in relation to

00:10:24.979 - 00:10:58.570

his life. My brother's address WJ Tinsley 43 Abbotsford Road, Homebush, Alford Road, Heimbuch. Homebush. Ho MA B US H. Now, do you think he'd be willing to let us take a look at that? Oh, yes. In fact, I'm just going across to Sydney uh about that

00:10:58.580 - 00:11:14.380

time. It's his 80th birthday. There's only two boys in the family and it's, it's his 80th birthday. I've been to Sydney for years since my parents have gone. So I'm going to go across and, and just have a little bit of time with him for his

00:11:14.390 - 00:11:31.219

80th birthday. Well, that sounds great. Yeah. So we can tell him that he'll be chasing him up for that book. I think he's got it. I think he's got it. Ok. Good. That's great. Well, that would really be helpful. Good. What's, what's your most vivid memory

00:11:31.229 - 00:12:01.090

of it? You know. Uh, I, I suppose the most vivid memory of my father is they, the, the almost, uh, what shall we say, natural godliness of the man. You know, he wasn't that he wasn't a, uh, a man that was Holy Joe. If you know

00:12:01.099 - 00:12:22.859

what I mean? He had that expression in America, but he was a man who exuded the, the, uh, the spirit of Christ. That's quite a couple. That too. Yes, that's the sort of, uh thing that, uh, and not only that you'd be interested to hear this.

00:12:22.869 - 00:12:42.780

I've listened to many preachers around the world and been very many places. I've been in 40 countries and I've had a little bit of listening to preachers of various qualities and kinds at various times. But the man who could move me most with my own father,

00:12:43.609 - 00:12:58.929

that's, that's really something that's, that's a quote we'd probably like to use. Well, I mean, that's, that's the sort of thing that's there. And, uh, you know, I heard him preach hundreds of times. It wasn't that I had heard him on odd occasions because I grew

00:12:58.940 - 00:13:18.590

up in the church. And uh uh he was a, he was a mighty man in the, what was his main strength as a preacher was preaching himself or he was, he was a, a tremendous, uh what's the word I want? He was a great preacher of

00:13:18.599 - 00:13:38.349

the gospel and he had a remarkable way of uh, of coaxing, not coaxing, but inviting people to Christ and find them coming, you know, at our church. If we didn't have people converted week after week, we think there was something fundamentally wrong. But at the same

00:13:38.359 - 00:14:02.280

time, he could open the Bible and teach it as well. But his, his great strength, I would say, well, if you get John Ridley's book, it'll give you the picture. I mean, he was a, he was a great evangelical leader. He was a man who, who,

00:14:02.289 - 00:14:24.859

who in my estimation, uh set the tone for the Baptist Union of New South Wales in those days. What was his preaching? Um uh was the strength of it in the power of delivery or was he a words craftsman or he was, he was, um, had

00:14:24.869 - 00:14:39.590

a beautiful voice. He was tested in Atlanta. We were across at the Baptist World Alliance meetings in Atlanta and he was tested by, you know, how they test the quality and value of a voice. Well, I think he, he was up somewhere in the 90% or

00:14:39.599 - 00:15:03.719

something like that. That was done by a radio station in, in Atlanta, Georgia in those days. That was uh 1939. So that's a few years ago. Uh and he, he had being a school teacher, he, he, you know, his approach was, was first class English and

00:15:03.729 - 00:15:23.539

things like that. He wasn't a, a great words man. Uh huh in the extent that you've got some men that, you know, we had a, we had a fellow in New South Wales called the Reverend W Clue Black who was absolutely a word wizard. And uh

00:15:23.869 - 00:15:39.640

this is, I gave you off the track there. But Cloe Black was a fellow who, he was preaching at one of our churches in Sydney. And he said to me, Alan, he was Hamish and superintendent when I came into the ministry. He said, Alan, he said,

00:15:39.650 - 00:15:55.229

I, I was preaching at the Concord and he said, with the knowing looks on the faces of the people. I thought that I'd probably preached that sermon before there. And I said, what did you do, Mr Black? He said, oh, I just switched, I did reduce

00:15:55.239 - 00:16:15.559

that sermon but I switched on to another one straight away and, and all preached another sermon after, after beginning with the, but clo, clo, he could do it and he, he was, oh boy. And yet my mother who grew up in Peterson church with him said

00:16:15.570 - 00:16:29.080

that when he was in YP endeavour, he'd get up and spout in YP endeavor. In exactly the same way. They half of them didn't know what he was talking about when he was doing it as an endeavor. So, but he was a gracious, wonderful man, not

00:16:29.090 - 00:16:57.469

a Spurgeon's man. He, he trained in Spurgeon the same to my father. But father was, he, he had a, an ability to produce a message that was, um it was a well constructed message and it was uh a message that had content. But the main thing

00:16:57.479 - 00:17:14.949

behind it was there was a sense that God was with you. God. God was blessing his ministry as he spoke. Now, of course, a man can't stay in the church for as long as father did without there being some special quality to his life and his

00:17:14.959 - 00:17:37.310

ministry. Very true. Very, very true. Yes. I mean, I don't think it had happened today. Did he write out his sermons? Or from those. Uh, he, right, mostly I've got, I've got a whole drawer full of his sermons at home, uh, that he wrote out by

00:17:37.319 - 00:17:56.689

hand. And, uh, I don't think I, you know, I can remember him only so well that the study in the front of our home and on Saturday night, he was always home pacing up and down his study going through soon and getting it in his mind

00:17:57.849 - 00:18:17.650

and, uh, then a bit of quietness he was down on his knees, sort of, uh, you know, and then I get it up and down in the study and, uh, getting it into it, you know, so to give it out right now, I understand that completely.

00:18:19.300 - 00:18:37.939

That was the sort of thing that I grew up with in the home. You know, that's the way he was. Is there any chance that, uh, we could perhaps get a copy of, uh, maybe a three or four representative sermons of those? I, I wouldn't know

00:18:37.949 - 00:18:53.665

about the representative ones but I could certainly dig you out a few, a few sent. Well, that would be great. That would be, well, I better put that now, you know, if we could, if you could make photocopies, we could certainly pay for it or I'll

00:18:53.675 - 00:19:07.109

leave it to you, I'll give them to you and you can fix them up as you want to. Ok. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, I'll, I'll be quite happy to trust you with it. Ok. Well, that would be great. I really appreciate that. That's

00:19:07.119 - 00:19:23.359

the kind of thing that's helpful when we can see the sermons that were preached. And of course, what you're telling us gives them a little flesh and blood, the cold print everything. Yes. Well, I think, I think I may be wrong again, but I think that

00:19:23.369 - 00:19:44.069

in John Ridley's book, there is an outline of one of his sermons that he used. He, um, he was greatly used in the early days of broadcasting. He apparently had a, a beautiful broadcasting voice and uh we used to get broadcast services from the church and

00:19:44.079 - 00:20:06.130

he got warm response from widespread places with his broadcast in those early days. Was that something the church did or was it, it was a radio station was doing it and they would, it was tch in those days and they would, uh, do all the doings

00:20:06.140 - 00:20:24.939

and choose the church and so on and so on. And father had quite a few broadcasts, I think because he was obviously a much appreciated broadcaster. And of course, not only that he was a very well known man. So that would be part of the business

00:20:24.949 - 00:20:47.329

as well. Yeah. What kind of library do they have? Huge? I've got most of it where I am now. Uh, amazing memory. You know, father, he had his, he had his library indexed. But father, if he wanted a book, he he, he was looking for a

00:20:47.339 - 00:21:10.209

quotation. He'd go straight to his, to his study and go to the book case, one of the bookcases put, take a book out, turn over the pages and find a quote. That's great. That's all, that's the, that's the sort of thing. That's a red gift. It's

00:21:10.439 - 00:21:26.170

a gift. There's no doubt about that. So, they have all the Spurgeon stuff. Oh, I've got a whole lot of Spurgeon stuff now. I've got, I suppose not that much in the, in, in, in, in the library that were all these books. Treasury of David F

00:21:26.780 - 00:21:55.359

you know, Spurgeon sermons, goodness knows, strength of legs of. What about, can you remember any other authors that were probably he was AAA great man for the early days J Parker um Campbell Morgan, you know, fellows that he'd know he'd have known. Graham Scroggie was in

00:21:55.369 - 00:22:22.540

college with him. Uh You know, he's uh Professor John Joel. I fell out of that description. He's got uh salmon and of course he had Alexander mclaren. No Baptist minister, I think in those days would have been that Alexander mclaren. Uh you know, and his general

00:22:22.550 - 00:22:55.920

library was very good too. He had a very good general library. Do you have any connections with America? Oh, yes, very much. So, he had, I think three or four trips to America. And of course he was, he was um at the Atlantis that is one

00:22:55.930 - 00:23:16.900

of the launch meeting and I think he went to another where the launch meetings, but he's, he had a great love for American. Do you recall who might have been some of his American friends? George Truth. Yeah. Yeah, it was a great one. Steroids with Louis

00:23:16.920 - 00:23:41.709

Newton. What else? Yeah. Now he's 90, yes. Yes. Right. He was a great couple of Lee Newton's. Uh, he's got several books in his library that Loam Newton. Di um oh, I could think of others but uh those men particularly were, you know, he was great

00:23:41.719 - 00:24:16.459

cos with those fellows, I'd have to just look up some records to find out other men with whom he was friendly. But he had, oh, Oscar Johnson co there are some great Oscar Johnson stories. I'll go. Oscar Johnson stayed with my in laws in Newcastle. And

00:24:16.489 - 00:24:38.130

uh so we had a very close relationship with Oscar and his wife because they came out to Australia and Pearly Gates was with him. You wouldn't know Pearly Gates, would you? Those are people I remember from the days of my youth is uh he was uh

00:24:38.819 - 00:25:01.969

I can go back to the Baptist World Alliance movies in Atlanta. Of course, the average attendance is 40,000 and they even took uh the railway, people even took rail, they brought their railway uh rolling stock and trains in on another direction. And uh so that the

00:25:01.979 - 00:25:22.439

ballpark wouldn't be disturbed by trains coming in, you see, and uh Oscar Johnson. Oscar Johnson remarked that the, that the railways have taken the ride, the trains off the rails so that the Baptists can express themselves. I must the judge that this year though he was,

00:25:23.819 - 00:25:44.709

he was, he was a beauty that, that was like a man. If he had, he had a real wit. I see. Uh, are there any, uh, uh, amusing stories connected with your father? Did your father use, uh, humor? Oh, yes, he was, he, he was full

00:25:44.750 - 00:26:10.040

of humor. We're kind of looking for some good stories. Well, he was, he was a, a great cricketer. Oh, really? And, uh, he played cricket? Mm. Um, quite well. There used to be what they called a minister's, uh, versus the layman's cricket match during the assembly

00:26:10.050 - 00:26:30.199

and years ago. And father, right up till, you know, he'd go in and score runs with that and he told it all. He was a, uh, right, and very interesting. I often, I remember as a small boy going onto the hill at the Sydney cricket ground,

00:26:30.209 - 00:26:50.459

the cricket matches with dad and a couple of other Parsons and on a Monday morning, talk of that fun. It was, it was an education, not the cricket, but the they were the pass. You know, he was a real human man in that regard, you know,

00:26:51.609 - 00:27:08.699

very, very human. Send him in so many areas. We, we used to get a hand down on the sleeve front. He'd take me in swimming and, and uh it was, there was a great deal of humanity and a great deal of fun. The pa in every

00:27:08.709 - 00:27:36.089

way. Can you remember any, uh, funny incidents that maybe happened to him? Oh, he was, uh, he, he, oh, there were so many things that happened. He went up to Newcastle on one occasion to um, I think it was uh he got soaking wet, he breaks

00:27:36.260 - 00:27:51.060

there and he had to put somebody else's suit on him. It was far too small. He used to tell the story of that. I get to the Pope and scares me being able to move because he was in somebody else's play. I, I'd have to just

00:27:51.760 - 00:28:05.969

t my memory about things like that. There are so many things that habited over the course of the years. Dear, dear. You know, that's something that if you think of any good stories, I'll have to, I'll have to see if I can dig, dig something up

00:28:05.979 - 00:28:26.300

about that. But he was a, I uh a very, uh you're getting the picture. I think that he was probably a very human man. And in, in addition to being a, a truly spiritual giant in the, in the sense that there was a wonderful blending of

00:28:26.310 - 00:28:47.530

his, of his natural humanity and yet his deep spirituality. And I think that a man who, as I said, stayed as long as he did in the church and did what he did. There must have been something that's probably the highest tribute to him was the

00:28:47.540 - 00:29:09.739

fact that his congregation stay with him for 44 years. Absolutely. And now get away, especially in the Baptist situation. Absolutely. But it's independence. Yes. Uh, I, I could, uh, I'll have to just look up. My wife will probably remember the stories that my father because she

00:29:09.750 - 00:29:32.589

was, uh, she was a great lover of a father in law. That would be very helpful if you could come up with something as something along that line. Hey, uh, the thing that perhaps uh sticks out stands out mostly is that he was a man of

00:29:34.630 - 00:29:57.479

indefatigable activity. He was, you know, there wasn't just the, the study ministry, but he was a man who was a great pastor, loved his people and his people loved him. And I think you'll probably understand that a man couldn't stay in a church that long unless

00:29:57.489 - 00:30:18.949

he had that sort of uh relationship with his uh with these people. You suppose that's the longest pastor in Australian history. No, there's another one. Our Lee at Parramatta stayed longer. But I would say without any doubt, it was the one of the longest and probably

00:30:18.959 - 00:30:39.739

one of the most successful ministries in the history of Australian Church, Baptist Church, Baptist. It'd be rare. It had to be rare if anybody had a longer. Well, there was a fellow at Parramatta who was there longer than father but he, his name was Lee and

00:30:39.750 - 00:31:02.410

he really stuck. He, he, he wasn't, father was, uh, you know, I think uh Leach stayed on but father had the ministry that was very effective right after the end of his days practically was your father a minister at any other church? He, we, he went

00:31:02.420 - 00:31:22.339

from um from Bathurst the Earth from the, for a while from B that he was living at the time, I would have Masters College in Spurgeon and he was called from there. He had a couple of pastorates in England when he was in Sturgeons, just, just

00:31:22.349 - 00:31:44.410

student pastors, but he was called to Stan and he spent his whole ministry that is as a in a church at the, at the Stanwell Church. Well, what about your uh grandparents? What about his mother and father? Uh what's their background? His mother was a saint.

00:31:45.020 - 00:32:13.329

Mhm. His father was a drunkard and was wonderfully converted later in his life and became secretary of the Bathurst Church. Where was that? No, Bathurst is the district where he grew up the central west of New South Wales. Yes. Uh uh Hey, um his mother was

00:32:13.380 - 00:32:34.119

a, he just loved his mother. He used to say on, on Mother's Day services. They were great services at uh at Stanmore. He'd say, you know, a lot of people speak highly of CJ Tinsley. He said, you know, when the rewards are given out, there'll be

00:32:34.130 - 00:32:57.550

a little lady standing waiting in the wings and she would never dare to come out in front and when, but the, uh, the, uh, words of appreciation are being spoken by the law. It will not be CJ Tinsley, but CJ Tinsley's mother who will be called

00:32:57.560 - 00:33:22.540

forward, uh, who prayed for him, stood by him, put up with some, not very easy things in the home, apparently until his father was wonderfully converted and became secretary of the church in Bathurst. It's incredible. Yeah. Story. What was, uh, what was her name or? What

00:33:22.550 - 00:33:41.650

was his father's name? Kinsley? I mean, what was his first name? I think he was a James Tinsley too. You see, my father is C James Tinsley. I think his father was James Tinsley. His, my brother is James Tinsley or William James, his son who is

00:33:41.660 - 00:34:05.479

professor of, uh, uh, at the Oregon State University. He's James Tinsley. And, uh, he has a son also. It's, uh, that's, uh, James. So it goes right on down through the, through the family. It's the C stand for Charles, Charles James Lee. He was Charles James

00:34:05.729 - 00:34:22.060

CJ was known as, all right. He was now Ac Jack. What's the, uh, what's your, what would you be your cousin James Tinsley? Oregon? Which, which you said was a professor at Oregon. Oh, no, that's my idiot. Your nephew. I was just curious. What does he

00:34:22.070 - 00:34:43.069

teach? What's his, uh, he's a man that's to do with that. He's a, um, he's written books on plant pathology and stuff like this. He goes across to the, to uh the Indonesia. He's coming out to Australia to work at the Wade Agricultural Institute up here

00:34:43.079 - 00:35:00.870

for a little while. He's a, he's a phd in, he's got three or four degrees. I don't know what he is but he's, he's at the Oregon State University. He went across to Oregon the year we came across to Adelaide that was in 19 53 married

00:35:00.879 - 00:35:18.239

an American girl and, uh, has two big sons, 6 ft 7 6 ft five. And, uh, Barry Yanks, of course, born in America. Then he lost his wife with cancer and he's remarried and has a little daughter with his second wife and, uh, the big boys,

00:35:18.250 - 00:35:38.979

tall, big boys, they just love their little stepsister. But he, he's a great boy. What he is? Name sounds kind of familiar. I mean, I have to ponder that. Yes. Well, he's, uh, he's, he's been at Oregon State for, as I said, all those years. But

00:35:38.989 - 00:35:56.260

he's, I think he's the dean of his faculty now. I'm not terribly sure. You know, that's the reason the name kind of sounds familiar, uh, since our university has the same kind of emphasis as that. Well, he's Ian James. So you got the James. Yeah. Right.

00:35:56.810 - 00:36:17.510

Ok. But what, what was, uh, your grandmother's, uh, I can't remember her name. I can't remember. Bill may be able to my brother, he, he, he would probably be in a better state, although of course he's getting older and his memory is not all that good.

00:36:18.060 - 00:36:38.070

I'm just trying to think who, who'd be the, there's only the two boys and, well, I have no Children and my brother is the, the J make. There might be members of the family that we could find out if we could find that out. But she

00:36:38.080 - 00:37:04.030

was a apparently AAA wonderful Christian lady. You understand me? Yes. Well, how, how often do you find that behind the great man? Somebody who's, you know, mother, somebody stood by him in the old days. It used to be common, didn't it? Well, I don't know about

00:37:04.040 - 00:37:19.260

the day, but it certainly is. You know, the, oh my goodness. There's so many of them. How many of us have I had a great deal to ask uh parents, both of them, father and mother. Yeah. Well, that would be my next question. What about your

00:37:19.270 - 00:37:42.590

mother and mother? Well, now again, John Ridley, I give you something in the book. She was a, a woman who, while she shared father's ministry, she wasn't, she was more a homebody. She did. Uh she was always behind father's work in the church. 100% but uh

00:37:42.949 - 00:38:00.530

not a prominent, you know, she'd, she played the piano in one of the Sunday school departments when we had a Sunday skill of about 600. She played the piano for a long time, she was got into the ladies' work a bit. But again, she was not

00:38:00.909 - 00:38:24.280

a leader. She was active in the ladies' work. But now Mrs Yarra took that and did it wonderfully. Father had surrounded people that were capable of. I'm doing jobs, you know, and mother largely spent uh a ministry looking after father and looking after the home, she

00:38:24.290 - 00:38:43.139

was, she was a white and a very prominent or with a white family of very, were very, very prominent in New South Wales. Um my grandmother and grandfather White used to go around preaching and singing. Grandmother used to preach and grandfather used to sing. They called

00:38:43.149 - 00:39:04.239

him the sweet singer of Israel. My old grandfather White, wonderful old man and they had a number of boys and of course, they were associated with one of Sydney's biggest bakeries. Garth White was one of Sydney's biggest bakeries. And uh um our grandfather White was there

00:39:04.250 - 00:39:23.820

and then the, my three uncles and uncle Larry, no, two uncles and uncle Larry and uncle Will um were uh where in the business? And uh ALF White, the youngest son was a very prominent Sydney accountant. I was a big accounting firm in Sydney now, Alfred

00:39:23.830 - 00:39:55.939

is White. Oli and Gilmore. Well, he was the youngest member of my mother's youngest brother. That's interesting. What was your mother's first name? Why? Uh Mild, mild Ro. Yes. Oh. Was she from Bathurst also? She grew up in Sydney Syd, was your father married when he

00:39:55.949 - 00:40:15.540

was over in uh Spurgeon's College after he came back? Was she in the church? She was, she was actually in the Peterson church and then came across to Stanmore. Stanmore was started from the Peterson church and she and her family were in the Peterson Church and

00:40:15.550 - 00:40:50.320

they came across to Stanmore and then apparently father met, they, they met there, they were married and the early does his fun? Your, your father were talking about how he got his call to the ministry. Hey, uh hey, I think was um I think from his

00:40:50.330 - 00:41:15.080

days his school days in, well, his train, teacher training days in, in Sydney. And uh I think from there he was worshiping and felt the call of God to do something about service. If you had to list his three greatest accomplishments as a minister, what would

00:41:15.090 - 00:41:55.010

you say they are? I think the, the, the reality of his character, he was a man of deep humility. Um a man who had uh so much to give and yet there was, if you spoke to men that lived and grew up with father, they always

00:41:55.020 - 00:42:15.100

spoke of his, they, you know, he was a man who, although he was greatly used of God, second thing about him would be this that he always appeared to me to be in a place where God could use you. It didn't matter whether he was uh

00:42:15.129 - 00:42:28.729

in the pulpit or on a ship, you know, he'd go walking around the deck and talking with people, you know, and, you know, he'd be right in the middle of when we were traveling, he'd be involved in this sort of thing. You know. He always seemed

00:42:28.739 - 00:42:51.320

to be in the place where God could put his hand on him and use him, you know. And the third thing would be was, would be that there was a very great relationship between what he professed and how he lived, you know, and, uh, that his

00:42:51.330 - 00:43:41.870

ministry was, was, was completely supported by his, uh, by his life. What would you like for him to be remembered as if there's, you know, if we as a true man of God. But he was, you know, it's very hard to negate the gospel when you've

00:43:41.879 - 00:44:03.360

got examples, you know, the role models, very important. You get a, you, you know, I used, I grew up, of course, and went through the world and had all sorts of things thrown at me as you can understand. But at the back of it all, there

00:44:03.370 - 00:44:27.209

was no thought that what, what do these fellas talking about? You know, I've got the, I've got the reality of my own home. What, what, what's the matter? And now they told me in riddles and I've got the, I've got the real thing. Well, how, how

00:44:27.219 - 00:44:45.989

about your ministry? Uh, how did you get called to the ministry? And where have you? Now, I'll give you an interesting story. I was over at the beck as well alliance by the east of Atlanta. And uh there was a very clear and unmistakable call to

00:44:46.370 - 00:45:02.709

serve the Lord. At that time, Percy Evans was principal of Spurgeon's College in London. And he was very anxious for me to go across and go to my father's college. But I felt at the time that if I went into the ministry, that it would be

00:45:02.719 - 00:45:22.520

both better to train in Australia where the training would be more suited to my own country. So, uh I went back and applied to the ministry and went through all the with my father sitting in the committee where, where, where I was because he was president

00:45:22.530 - 00:45:43.290

of the College Council for many years. And that eventually started my training there in New South Wales. And the completed my training in New South Wales and had my first number of years of ministry in New South Wales. So you went to the Baptist Baptist College

00:45:43.300 - 00:46:10.500

in New South Wales, Baptist College in New South Wales. When were you there? I was there from uh 19, I had my, I did 12 months out before I went into college and that was 1940. So I was in 41 42 43 44. Um The North,

00:46:10.580 - 00:46:44.489

19, early 45. Oh, when were you born? And where were you? I was born in the Manville. I was born in Stanmore in 1916, 22nd of June, 1916. I at least remember my own birthday. Yeah. What? Pastors? Well, I had two or three small pastorates when

00:46:44.500 - 00:47:02.000

I was in college. I did 12 months at New Lampton that a suburb of Newcastle, um that was prior to going into college. And in college I had two years at a place called Blacktown, which is a thriving western suburbs now. But when I was there,

00:47:02.350 - 00:47:14.389

I had to change trains three times to get back to Ashville to college. And then I had the um two years at Black 10, 3 years at North Bridge. I was that of my life.