Keith John Benzies OBE (19 June 1938 – 12 May 2002) was an Anglican bishop in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. He was the Bishop of Antsiranana from 1982 until his death in 2002.

Early life

Benzies was born in Stepps,

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...

, the son of John Young Benzies, a professor of thermodynamics, (1914-1994) and his wife Jeanette Evelyn (née Beckett) (1913-1956). Both his mother and younger brother Roger died in the 1956 BOAC Argonaut accident at Kano Airport in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Benzies was educated at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, obtaining a MA in Czech and French in 1960.''Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1973-74'', 85th Edition, p 76.

Clerical career

Benzies trained for ordination at

Salisbury Theological College Sarum College is a centre of theological learning in Salisbury, England. The college was established in 1995 and sits within the cathedral close on the north side of Salisbury Cathedral. The Sarum College education programme ranges from sh ...

, and was ordained deacon in 1962 and priest in 1963. He served his title at St Nicholas's Church, Hull (1962-1966). For his second curacy, Benzies went to

as a

USPG United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organization (registered charity no. 234518). It was first incorporated under Royal Charter in 1701 as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Part ...

missionary. He was Vice-Principal of St Paul's Theological College, Ambatoharanana (1966-1969) and then Principal (1969-1979) as well as being concurrently, in part, Chancellor (1970-1975). He ran a home for 30 destitute boys. He was elected as the successor to the Rt Rev Gabriel Josoa as Bishop of Antsiranana in 1982. He was awarded an OBE in 1993.

Personal life

Benzies died in office in 2002, aged 63, from

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. He was unmarried, but had many adopted children whom he put through education and into employment.

References

1938 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa Alumni of the University of Glasgow {{Africa-Anglican-bishop-stub