Ian Wotton Allnutt Shevill AO (11 May 19173 November 1988) was an Australian

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Early life and education

Ian Shevill was educated at

Scots College, Sydney The Scots College is a multi-campus independent Presbyterian Church of Australia, Presbyterian Single-sex school, single-sex primary and secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school for boys, predominantly located in , an Eastern ...

, and

Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six ...

, then at

Moore Theological College Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The president of the Moore Theological College Council is ''ex officio'' t ...

and the

Australian College of Theology The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology and was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an a ...

Ordained ministry

Shevill was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in 1941 and his first position was as 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 ...

of St Paul's, Burwood. From 1948 to 1953 he worked for the Society for the Propagation of Gospel (USPG). In 1953, he was ordained to the

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

as Bishop of North Queensland, a post he held for 17 years. He was enthroned on 23 April 1953 at St James' Cathedral, Townsville. Shevill was nicknamed "the boy bishop" as he was only 34 when he became Bishop of North Queensland, then the world's youngest Anglican bishop. In 1970, Shevill's wife died and he became

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of USPG in London. In 1973 he returned to Australia and was enthroned as Bishop of Newcastle on 6 August 1973. Shevill retired in 1977 following a stroke and died on 3 November 1988. He opened Bible House, Townsville, on 7 November 1964 with Canon Herbert Maxwell Arrowsmith and Preston Walker of the

British and Foreign Bible Society The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world. The Soc ...

Author

Shevill was an author, both during his work and after his retirement. Amongst others he wrote ''New Dawn in Papua'' (1946); ''Pacific Conquest'' (1948); ''God’s World at Prayer'' (1951); ''Orthodox and other Eastern Churches in Australia'' (1964); ''Going it with God'' (1969); ''One Man’s Meditations'' (1982); ''O, My God'' (1982); ''Between Two Sees'' (1988) and an autobiography, ''Half Time'' (1966), while bishop in Townsville.

Personal life

Shevill married June Stephenson, an English missionary he had met in New Guinea, in 1959; she died in 1970. He married again in 1974 to Margaret Ann Brabazon at Bishopscourt Chapel in

Darling Point Darling Point is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Woollahra Council. Darling Point is bounded by Sydney Harbour to t ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. The then Bishop of Newcastle, Greg Thompson, reported in 2015 that he had been sexually abused by Shevill as a young man when he was 19 and interested in the priesthood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shevill, Ian 1917 births 1988 deaths People educated at Scots College (Sydney) University of Sydney alumni Anglican bishops of North Queensland Anglican bishops of Newcastle (Australia) Officers of the Order of Australia