AN AUSTRALIAN clergyman has swapped the endless sun of Australia’s Gold Coast to take up a post in Didcot.
Dr David Rankin, 57, has given up his job as principal of Trinity Theological College, Brisbane, to move to South Oxfordshire as a Methodist minister for Didcot and Wallingford.
The sports-mad Aussie, said: “I was interested in going back into pastoral ministry. I have always wanted to live and work in the UK, and when this opportunity appeared, I accepted.
“The welcome from people inside the church has been very, very warm.”
His new post makes him one of four ministers working on the Abingdon and Wantage circuit, which covers 11 churches and chapels in South Oxfordshire.
He said: “I love the area, and the green fields of England.
“I am interested in history and archaeology, so that is also part of the attraction.”
The widower, a Manchester Unitedt fan, who also follows Aussie Rules football, has come to Didcot with his son Michael, 25. And while he admitted it could take time getting used to the English weather, he added: “When it is a beautiful day here, it is as good as anywhere.”
His five-year-long appointment started on Thursday with a reception, and he preached for the first time at Wallingford on Sunday.
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