Howell Arthur John Witt (12 July 1920 – 8 July 1998) was an Australian Anglican

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

for over 25 years who served two very different

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

s. During his time as Bishop of North West Australia, he published his memoir, entitled ''Bush Bishop''. He subsequently served as Bishop of Bathurst from 1981 to 1989. Witt was born in

Newport, Wales Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2011 census, Newport is the third-largest a ...

, where his father worked as a docker. He was educated at

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and the

College of the Resurrection The College of the Resurrection, popularly known as Mirfield, is an Anglo-Catholic theological college of the Church of England in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England. The college was founded in 1902 and describes itself as "A Theological Coll ...

in Mirfield. Ordained deacon in 1944 and priest in 1945, after

curacies A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy ...

Usk Usk ( cy, Brynbuga) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks th ...

(1944–48) and St George', Camberwell (1948–49) he emigrated to Australia where he became chaplain at the Woomera Rocket Station, South Australia (1949–54). While at Woomera, Howell gave the first performance of his drag act, "the Dowager Duchess of Dingo Creek".Fergus Butler-Gallie, "The Right Reverend Howell Witt, Bishop of North West Australia (1920–98)" in A Field Guide to the English Clergy (London: Oneworld Publications, 2018) , pp. 3–6 After this, he was

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St Mary Magdalene's

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

(1954–57) and then

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(1957–65). A hugely colourful character,''Priests and Prelates: The Daily Telegraph Book of Clerical Obituaries'', T. Beeson (ed) London, Continuum, 2002 in 1965 he was ordained to the

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

as Anglican Bishop of North West Australia and was often featured in the media. He was later translated to serve as Bishop of Bathurst from 1981 to 1989 and in that role was reported to be "bumbling, inappropriate, and adventurous to the end".

References

1920 births Alumni of the University of Leeds Anglican bishops of North West Australia Anglican bishops of Bathurst 1998 deaths {{Australia-anglican-bishop-stub