Adrian Owen Charles (31 July 1926 – 10 April 2013) was an Australian

Anglican bishop The Anglican ministry is both the leadership and agency of Christian service in the Anglican Communion. "Ministry" commonly refers to the office of ordained clergy: the ''threefold order'' of bishops, priests and deacons. More accurately, Anglica ...

, who served as

Assistant bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...

for the Western Region in the

Anglican Diocese of Brisbane The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, also known as Anglican Church Southern Queensland, is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The diocesan bishop's seat is at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. The diocese stretches from the south-eastern coastl ...

from 1983 to 1992, and as Bishop to the Australian Defence Force from 1989 to 1994. Charles was born in

Warwick, Queensland Warwick ( ) is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in southeast Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Region Local government in Australia, local governme ...

on 31 July 1926. He attended St Catherine's School and Slade School in Warwick, and later studied at St Francis' Theological College and the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

. He was ordained deacon in 1950 and priest in 1952. In his parish ministry, Charles served in a variety of roles, including as chaplain to the

Southport School , motto_translation = Let him who deserves the palm of victory bear it. , established = , type = Independent early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school , denomination = Anglican , headmaster = Andrew Hawkins , f ...

, as Vicar at

Wondai Wondai is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wondai had a population of 1,975 people. Geography Wondai is located to the south of the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane ...

and

St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindia ...

and

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, and as Senior Anglican Chaplain to the Northern Command from 1963 to 1966. Charles was appointed

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of Moreton from 1968 to 1970, became Dean of

St James' Cathedral, Townsville St James Cathedral is a heritage-listed cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of North Queensland at 36 Cleveland Terrace, Townsville, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Arthur Blacket and was built in 1887 by MacMahon ...

in the

Diocese of North Queensland The Diocese of North Queensland is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, founded in 1879. It is situated in the northern part of the state of Queensland, Australia. As part of the Province of Queensland, it covers the Torres Strait Isl ...

from 1972 to 1977, and returned to a military role from 1978 to 1983 as Senior Anglican Chaplain to the 1st Military District. Charles was consecrated as bishop, and appointed Assistant Bishop for the Western Region, on 1 March 1983 by

Archbishop of Brisbane In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

Sir John Grindrod. He later served as the third Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force, replacing

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

, from 1989 to 1994. Charles was appointed as a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours for "service to the community through the Anglican Church of Australia". Charles was married to Leonie and was survived by children and grandchildren. Charles died on 10 April 2013 in

Sinnamon Park, Queensland Sinnamon Park is a Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Sinnamon Park had a population of 6,419 people. Geography Sinnamon Park is by road south-west of the Brisbane CBD. The subur ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Adrian Owen 1926 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Anglican bishops in Australia Anglican bishops to the Australian Defence Force Anglican Church of Australia deans Assistant bishops in the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane Australian Army officers Members of the Order of Australia People from Warwick, Queensland