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ARCHIVAL ANECDOTES
PROFILE: BISHOP CHARLES LAWRENCE RILEY CBE
IT WAS ONLY THROUGH THE VISION, DRIVE AND SHEER HARD WORK OF ONE MAN THAT THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND GIRLS’ SCHOOL, ST MARY’S WEST PERTH DID NOT BECOME A ‘NINE DAY WONDER’, AS DID MANY SMALL SCHOOLS STARTED IN THE FIRST DECADES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. THAT MAN WAS THE NEWLY APPOINTED RECTOR OF ST MARY’S, WEST PERTH, THE REVEREND CHARLES LAWRENCE RILEY.
ABOVE (L-R): CL Riley at 6 years in Preston 1894; whilst Captain of Hale School c.1905; ordained as a priest 1914 OPPOSITE PAGE: Appointed Bishop of Bendigo 1938.
Charles, known as Tom, was and football for the school and, in years later he was ordained Priest, born in 1888 in Preston, 1905, won a Government University again in Lichfield Cathedral, and Lancashire, where his Scholarship of £450. moved back to Perth to become father was Rector of St Paul’s Church. When Charles was eight, his father was appointed Bishop of Perth and the family moved to Western Australia in 1895. Having settled into Bishop’s House, situated on St Georges Terrace and with a garden running down to the river, the Riley children (Charles had two brothers and three sisters) had plenty of opportunity for adventure in their new environment. In 1906, Charles returned to England to study at Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge. There his performance was even more impressive than it had been at school, with a BA in Classics in 1909, LLB in 1910 and an MA in 1913. In sport, he rowed in the College First Boat, played first eleven hockey, was in the Cambridge ‘Wanderers’ soccer second eleven, and the tennis second six. He was also Captain of ’C’ Rector of St Hilda’s, North Perth parish. On 8 March 1916, The West Australian reported, “On February 22, at Moora parish church, a very quiet wedding was celebrated, between the Rev. C.L. Riley (eldest son of the Archbishop and Mrs. Riley) and Miss Lucile M. Lefroy (second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Lefroy, of Moora). …Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Riley eventually left for Perth, in a sidecar,
At the age of eleven, Charles was Company, Officer Training Corps. already well known to his Perth sent to Perth High School, now known as Hale School, where he excelled both academically and on the sports field. During his time there he was Senior Prefect, played cricket Back in Western Australia, Charles spent 1911 teaching at Guildford Grammar School, before returning to England in 1912 to be ordained a Deacon in Lichfield Cathedral. Two friends. Mr. Riley, who is in charge of the parish of St Hilda’s, North Perth, is doing splendid work, and is much beloved by his parishioners.” BISHOP CHARLES
BISHOP CHARLES LAWRENCE RILEY CBE
ABOVE (L-R): Archbishop COL Riley Chaplain General AIF (standing on cannon) and CL Riley Chaplain AIF (reading from Bible) ANZAC Day Service 1927; CL Riley ‘tinkering’ with the car.
MILITARY SERVICE
During the First World War, Charles enlisted at Blackboy Hill for fulltime service on 15 June 1918 and was appointed Captain Chaplain 4th Class. Nine days later he was on a ship bound for Africa, where he was initially attached to the Imperial Camel Brigade (ANZAC Section). This was followed by post-war attachments to the 10th and 15th Light Horse Regiments in Egypt and Palestine. After the Great War, Charles became an active member of the Returned Soldiers League (later renamed Returned and Services League of Australia). He also continued his work as an Army Chaplain in peace time. In 1920, he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire “for services in connection with the Soldiers’ Comfort Funds”. The beginning of the Second World War saw Charles appointed Senior Chaplain to the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) and from 1942, he was Chaplain General to the Australian Military Forces. He saw active service in Africa, the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo. For his services and “untiring efforts for the spiritual welfare of the AIF”, Charles was awarded the Volunteer Officers’ Decoration and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He retired as Chaplain General in 1957.
MINISTRY AND RETIREMENT
In civilian life, Charles had been appointed Rector of St Mary’s, West Perth and instituted by his father, the Archbishop of Perth, on 7 February 1921. During his nineyear incumbency, Charles worked tirelessly for the Parish. One of his significant achievements in West Perth was the foundation of the Church of England Girls’ School, St Mary’s West Perth. He was the inaugural Principal, a foundation teacher, Chairman of the Board of Governors and general handyman about the school buildings. A move to the Wheatbelt took place in 1930, when Charles was appointed Archdeacon of Northam. As in his past parish life, his personality shone through, making him a trusted confidant and friend to people in all walks of life throughout the Archdeaconry and beyond. His exceptional qualities as a priest were also recognised in 1938 when he was appointed Bishop of Bendigo in Victoria. The move from Perth to Bendigo highlighted another of Riley’s passions – motor cars and their mechanics. Of the journey to Bendigo, West Australian author, Freda Vines Carmody, wrote in her memoir of Riley, “With Mrs Riley he drove his Austin car across the Nullabor and, thanks to his skills as a mechanic,… he was able to drive the same car home again” in 1957.
BISHOP CHARLES LAWRENCE RILEY
LEFT: CL Riley’s family - Owen, Molly, Joan, Bill, Lucile (Mrs Riley) and CL Riley c.1940.
After 19 years as Bishop of Bendigo, Charles retired to Perth. In his ‘retirement’, Charles was equally as energetic as he had ever been and he took on the pastoral care of the Parish of St Michael and All Angels, North Beach. He was associated with countless organisations, including the YMCA, Rover Scouts and the Girl Guides’ Association. Always willing to take on a cause, Charles led the Barracks Defence Committee, which tried to prevent the demolition of the old Pensioner Barracks at the head of St Georges Terrace. Under his leadership, the fight was partially won and the Barracks Arch, to this day, stands as a testament to his leadership and influence. In the early 1960s, Bishop Riley also found time to lead the fundraising for St Mary’s move from West Perth to Karrinyup, as President of the A Place to Grow campaign. The Rileys had four children: Lawrence William (known as Bill), Mary (known as Molly), Charles Owen (known as Owen) and Joan. After attending St Mary’s Junior School, both boys followed in their father’s footsteps, attending Hale School. Molly and Joan both attended St Mary’s. Molly was Dux and Head Girl in 1937 and Joan completed her schooling in Bendigo. Bill was ordained and was Rector of St Mary’s, West Perth from 1968-1970, Honorary Chaplain to St Mary’s School 1968-1971 and a member of the Board of Governors 19681978. Sadly, Charles Owen drowned in 1954 in an accident in Watermans Bay whilst rescuing three girls caught in an undertow. The Charles Riley Memorial Reserve, North Beach, was named after him. Bishop Riley eventually retired from North Beach parish in 1969, when emphysema was drastically impairing his health. He died on 1 April 1971 at the age of 82. The West Australian headed a report of his death, ‘Bishop with the Common Touch’. Of him, Freda Vines Carmody wrote: “In a farewell address to Legacy when leaving Bendigo, he stressed the need for total involvement with the community and that there was no room for passengers in life … Few have succeeded better in being part of the human experience than our bishop for all seasons, Tom Riley”. A line from Ulysses, by Alfred Lord Tennyson, was often quoted by Bishop Riley, and best describes his approach to life: “I am a part of all that I have met”. Bishop Riley is remembered at St Mary’s through the naming of Riley House in 1940, the window of St Mark in the Chapel of St Mary, the Riley Founders’ Bursary, the Bishop Riley Bequest Society and in our significant birthday years, the Bishop Riley Memorial Lecture.
