Kenneth Herbert Short (6 July 1927 – 19 October 2014) was an Anglican bishop in

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. He was the Bishop of Wollongong and then Bishop of Parramatta and Bishop to the Australian Defence Force. He was appointed dean of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney in 1989. He was a missionary, pastor and military chaplain.

Early life

Kenneth Herbert Short was born to Cecil Short and Joyce Ellen (daughter of Herbert Begbie, sometime Archdeacon of West Sydney) on 6 July 1927 in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. His family returned to Australia and settled in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, where Cecil was rector of St George’s Battery Point from 1931. In January 1934, Cecil was appointed rector of St Andrew's Church,

Wahroonga Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire. ...

, and the family moved to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Short went to school at Trinity Grammar School, Summer Hill, and

Barker College Barker College is an independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Mixed-sex education, co-educational Pre-school education, early learning, primary and secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school, located in Hornsby, New ...

. At 19, he joined the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

with an officer's commission and served with the

British Commonwealth Occupation Force The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian, and New Zealander military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952. At its pe ...

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from 1946 to 1948. He was made lieutenant in 1946. He studied for the Anglican ministry at

Moore Theological College Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney holds ''ex officio'' the presidency of t ...

, Sydney. He married Gloria Noelle Funnell (daughter of Ernest Henry Funnell and Violet Isobel Baldock) on 28 January 1950.

Ministry

Short was ordained in 1952,"Meet the assistant bishops"
in ''Southern Cross'', September 1981. pp. 28–29 and served the Parish of Pittwater before going with the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. He and his family remained there until 1964, founding the Msalato Bible School in Dodoma, where he was principal from 1961. Returning to Australia, Short was appointed general secretary to the Church Missionary Society in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. He stepped down in 1971 and served as rector of St Michael's Vaucluse for four years. Short was consecrated a bishop on 1 April 1975, and served as area Bishop of Wollongong from 1975 to 1982, the Archdeacon of Wollongong from 1975 to 1979, and of Camden from 1975 to 1976. He was also an examining chaplain to the Archbishop of Sydney from 1971 to 1982. He was then Bishop of Parramatta from 1982 to 1989 and concurrently Bishop to the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

from 1979 to 1989. During that time, he was Army Chaplain General (1979–1981) holding the rank of major general. In 1989, Short was made Dean of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney. In 1988, the year of Australia's bicentenary, Short was appointed 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 ...

for services to "Religion, particularly as Anglican Bishop of the Australian Defence Force." In 1989 he was made a chaplain of the Order of St John.

Retirement

After retiring in 1992, Short filled various roles, at St. John's Shaughnessy in Vancouver, as Bishop of Wollongong, and in parish ministry in Hobart, Geraldton,

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

and

Kangaroo Valley Kangaroo Valley is a river valley along the Kangaroo River (Shoalhaven), Kangaroo River in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia, located west of the seaside in the City of Shoalhaven. It is also the name of the small suburb withi ...

. He also was acting state secretary of the Church Missionary Society in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and then New South Wales. He also pursued his interests in carpentry, fishing, photography and bird watching.

Death

Short died on 19 October 2014 in Wollongong. He was survived by his wife Gloria, three children (Kathy,

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

and Marion), eight grandchildren and one great-grandson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Short, Kenneth Herbert 1927 births 2014 deaths People educated at Trinity Grammar School (New South Wales) Moore Theological College alumni Anglican archdeacons in Australia Anglican bishops to the Australian Defence Force 20th-century Anglican bishops in Australia Assistant bishops in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney Deans of Sydney Officers of the Order of Australia Australian Army officers