Simon Richard Hansford (born 3 June 1963) is an Australian

Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

minister who served as Moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of New South Wales & ACT between 2017 and 2023.

Birth and family

Hansford was born in Sydney, the son of Barbara (née Grove) and Richard Hansford. His maternal grandfather was

Rupert Grove Rupert Howard Grove (27 March 1906 – 8 August 1982) was an Australian solicitor and a prominent Methodist and Uniting Church layman. The Australian Dictionary of Biography states that, "in the progression towards the union of the Congregatio ...

(1906–1982), of whom the Australian Dictionary of Biography states: "in the progression towards the union of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian churches in Australia, Grove made a decisive impact." Rupert Grove and his son-in-law, Richard Hansford, were partners in the Sydney legal firm McCoy, Grove & Atkinson.

Education

Hansford attended

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

(1970–1980) commencing in the Preparatory School at Lindfield. He studied for the ministry at the United Theological College (1988-1990) at North Parramatta, which is now a part of

Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explorer ...

Clerical life

His first ministry placement was in

Dubbo, New South Wales Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and ...

, in 1991. After 12 years in Dubbo he spent three years in

Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...

. He then served as Presbytery Minister in north-western NSW for seven years before his 2012 appointment as the Minister of Southside Uniting Church in Tamworth.

Marriage and children

Hansford is married to Fiona and they have two daughters, Rachel and Miriam.Insights – Rev. Simon Hansford is Moderator Elect
Retrieved 8 November 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansford, Simon 1963 births Living people People educated at Newington College Uniting Church in Australia ministers