The Most Reverend Geoffrey David Hand KBE GCL (11 May 1918 – 6 April 2006) was an Australian-born Papua New Guinean Anglican bishop. He was the first

Archbishop 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 archdi ...

of the

Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea is a province of the Anglican Communion. It was created in 1977 when the Province of Papua New Guinea became independent from the Province of Queensland in the Church of England in Australia (officially ren ...

Childhood and education

Hand was born a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

in 1918 in

Clermont, Queensland Clermont is a rural town and locality in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia. At the , the locality of Clermont had a population of 2952 people. Clermont is a major hub for the large coal mines in the region as well as serving agricultural ...

, Australia, where his English father, the Reverend William Thomas Hand, was the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Clermont. He had two older brothers, Peter and Eustace, both of whom also became priests. When he was four, the family returned to England, with his father taking up a country parish in

Tatterford Tatterford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tattersett, in the North Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. The village is 4.8 miles south west of the town of Fakenham, 30.3 miles north west of Norwich and ...

, Norfolk. Hand grew up there and was educated at

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) in Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Bac ...

Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

, where he was an

organ scholar An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at a cathedral, church or institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and adm ...

, from 1932 to 1937, and then at

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

, from 1938 to 1941, where he received a BA degree in history. An

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

, he then trained for ordination into the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Cuddesdon Cuddesdon is a mainly rural village in South Oxfordshire centred ESE of Oxford. It has the largest Church of England clergy training centre, Ripon College Cuddesdon. Residents number approximately 430 in Cuddesdon's nucleated village centre a ...

, from 1941 to 1942.

Career

Ordained a deacon in 1942, Hand became a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

Heckmondwike Heckmondwike is a town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, south west of Leeds. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge. It is mostly in the Batley and Spen pa ...

in Yorkshire in the north of England and was ordained a priest in 1943. He stayed at Heckmondwike until 1946, when he decided to move to

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, inspired by the life and death of the Reverend Vivian Redlich, a missionary killed there by the Japanese during the Second World War. Hand arrived in Papua New Guinea in 1946 and spent sixty of his eighty-seven years there.God's colourful and inspirational soldier
Obituary at the

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

, 28 April 2006 (accessed 21 October 2007) When was consecrated bishop (to serve as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of New Guinea) on 29 June 1950 at

Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral, Dogura Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Dogura, Papua New Guinea. It was consecrated in 1939, just after the outbreak of WWII. It is the seat of the Bishop of Dogura in the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea. History of the Do ...

, he was the youngest bishop in the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

, aged 32.Obituary
at Papua New Guinea Association (accessed 21 October 2007) Known as Percy to friends, Hand never married, remaining a celibate missionary in the tradition of the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

, like

Trevor Huddleston Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston (15 June 191320 April 1998) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Stepney in London before becoming the second Archbishop of the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean. He was best known for h ...

. He was usually seen as an eccentric, whose usual outfit consisted of a loose shirt, shorts, "sensible shoes" and a wooden cross. He told an Australian journalist in 1972 that "The secret of life in the tropics is Johnson's Baby Powder, lots of it." He could dress more grandly for solemn occasions. During a visit to Papua New Guinea,

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

took him for a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

bishop. Hand said that he was "

", but Philip asked: "Are you sure?" Hand was one of the few bishops of the modern world who had walked through equatorial jungle and climbed mountains to find people who had never before had contact with the outside world. In pursuit of publicity to gain support for his diocese, he employed a press officer, Susan Young, who smoked cheroots and flew a plane.

Independence

When Papua New Guinea became independent in September 1975 (British and German New Guinea both having been administered by Australia from 1905 and 1914 respectively), Hand was the first European to apply for citizenship. In 1977 he became the first Archbishop of the

. He received several honours, including a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

from Queen Elizabeth, the highest rank (Grand Companion) in

's Order of the Logohu and the title of Chief of the

Orokaiva people The Orokaiva are a people indigenous to Papua New Guinea. In 1930, they were reported as being speakers of Binandere and divided into three groups: the Umo-ke ("River People"); the Eva-Embo ("the Salt-Water People"); and the Pereho ("the Inland ...

. Hand ended his time as archbishop in 1983 at the retirement age of 65 and was succeeded by George Ambo."Ambo a man of two worlds"
, ''Post Courier'', 11 July 2008 He then spent two years as the parish priest of his childhood village of

in Norfolk, where he was still remembered. However, he missed Papua New Guinea and returned, settling in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...

where he wrote his memoirs (and a newspaper column) and headed the local censorship board. When he died in

in 2006, he was buried at the Cathedral of the Resurrection,

Popondetta Popondetta (sometimes spelled Popondota) is the capital of Oro (Northern) Province in Papua New Guinea. Popondetta is a city. In 1951 the city became the focus of relief efforts after nearby Mount Lamington erupted and killed 4,000 people. P ...

. His funeral was delayed, as his coffin was found to be too big for his grave.

Ministry positions

*Ordained deacon 1942 *

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

in Yorkshire 1942–1946 *Priest 1943 *Missioner, Diocese of New Guinea 1946–1950 *Priest-in-charge, Sefoa 1947–1948 *Priest-in-charge, Sangara 1948–1950 *Archdeacon of North New Guinea 1950–1965 *Bishop Coadjutor of New Guinea 1950–1963 *Bishop of New Guinea 1963–1975 *Bishop of

1975–1977 *Bishop of

1977–1983 *Archbishop of

1977–1983 *Priest-in-charge, East with West Rudham, Houghton next Harpley, Syderstone,

and Tattersett 1983–1985

Honours

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, 1975 *

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, 1984 * Grand Companion of the Order of the Logohu, 2005 *Chief of the

Oro Province Oro Province, formerly (and officially still) Northern Province, is a coastal province of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Popondetta. The province covers 22,800 km2, and has 176,206 inhabitants (2011 census). The province shares la ...

Autobiography

*''Modawa: Papua New Guinea and Me 1946–2002'', by Archbishop David Hand (Salpress, Port Moresby, 2002)

Notes

External links

Obituary in 'The Guardian' newspaper of London
prepared and published by David Hand {{DEFAULTSORT:Hand, David 1918 births 2006 deaths People from North Norfolk (district) People from Queensland People educated at Gresham's School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Alumni of Ripon College Cuddesdon Australian Anglo-Catholics Papua New Guinean Anglicans Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Grand Companions of the Order of Logohu Anglican missionaries in Papua New Guinea Anglican bishops of New Guinea 20th-century Anglican bishops in Oceania 20th-century Anglican archbishops Anglican archbishops of Papua New Guinea Australian classical organists Male classical organists Australian expatriates in Papua New Guinea 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century Australian musicians Anglo-Catholic bishops Anglo-Catholic missionaries Australian Anglican missionaries 20th-century organists 20th-century Australian male musicians Anglican bishops of Port Moresby