Donald William Bradley Robinson (9 November 19227 September 2018
) was an Australian
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
in the
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia, originally known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In 2016, responding to a peer-reviewed study ...
. He was
Archbishop of Sydney from 1982 to 1992.
Family and education
Robinson was born in
Lithgow, New South Wales
Lithgow is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and is the administrative centre of the City of Lithgow local government area. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of W ...
on 9 November 1922,
the son of Richard Bradley Robinson, sometime
Archdeacon of North Sydney. His first year of secondary school studies was at
North Sydney Boys High School
North Sydney Boys High School (abbreviated as NSBHS) is a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded, Single-sex school, single-sex, Selective school (New South Wales), academically selective secondary day school for boys, loc ...
; he was then educated at
Sydney Church of England Grammar School
The Sydney Church of England Grammar School (commonly known as Shore or Shore School) is an independent Anglican school for boys located on Sydney's Lower North Shore, New South Wales, Australia. The school operates across two campuses, offer ...
, the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
and
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...
. His undergraduate studies were interrupted by service in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
["Meet the assistant bishops"](_blank)
in ''Southern Cross'', September 1981. pp. 28–29 His niece is the retired actress and working psychologist
Belinda Bauer.
Ordained ministry
Robinson was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
in 1950 by
Howard Mowll,
Archbishop of Sydney,
and began his ministry with
curacies at St Matthew's,
Manly and
St Philip's Church, Sydney
St Philip's Church, Sydney, is the oldest Anglican church parish in Australia. The church is located in the Sydney city centre between York Street, Clarence and Jamison Streets on a location known as Church Hill. It is one of two churches in t ...
. He was then a
lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
and vice-principal at
Moore College and later at Sydney University until 1973 when he became the
Bishop of Parramatta. He was consecrated a bishop on 25 January 1973 at
St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney.
Nine years later he was elected as Archbishop of Sydney and the Metropolitan of New South Wales.
Michael Jensen argues that, along with that of
Bill Dumbrell and
Graeme Goldsworthy, Robinson's work "has been crucial for shaping how Sydney Anglicans think about and preach from the Bible."
Robinson was made an
Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
in 1984.
References
1922 births
2018 deaths
20th-century Anglican archbishops
20th-century evangelicals
21st-century Anglicans
21st-century evangelicals
Academic staff of Moore Theological College
Academic staff of the University of Sydney
Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge
Anglican archbishops of Sydney
Assistant bishops in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney
Australian evangelicals
Evangelical Anglican bishops
Officers of the Order of Australia
People educated at North Sydney Boys High School
People educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School
People from Lithgow, New South Wales
University of Sydney alumni
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