Donald BAKER

BAKER, DONALD (b. Portsmouth, England, 15 Aug 1882; d. Melbourne, Vic, 19 June 1968). Anglican bishop and principal of Ridley College, Melbourne.

Donald Baker was the fourth son of William George Baker and Anna Barber, former CMS missionaries in South India. Born in England after his parents had returned to England, they migrated to New Zealand where William Baker became rector of the parish of Brightwater in the north of South Island. Donald Baker was educated at Brightwater State School, but did not have formal secondary education because of bouts of illness.

After a call to serve in the ministry, Donald Baker went to Sydney where he joined the family of Canon Mervyn Archdall. He was made deacon 1905 and priested in 1906 by the abp of Sydney. After serving curacies in Balmain and St Phillip's, Sydney, he went to Cambridge (BA 1912). On his return to Australia he was rector of St George's Battery Point, Hobart, 1913-20, and was consecrated third bp of Bendigo on 2 February 1920.

Donald Baker had a very successful ministry as bp of Bendigo from 1920-38. He revived the theological hall tor the training of stipendiary lay readers to provide an adequate ministry for his rapidly expanding diocese. He favoured the Australian church severing the legal nexus with the Church of England in England so that it might maintain its unity without being bound to the changes in church laws in England likely to flow from the proposed 1927-8 Prayer Book (which, however, failed in the UK parliament). He also favoured framing a constitution for the Church of England in Australia. He strongly supported the missionary cause, favouring the CMS, and attacked the 'white Australia policy' as being definitely anti-Christian.

Despite the depression of the 1930s he was the driving force behind plans for the building of a large, grandiose cathedral to replace the All Saints' Pro-Cathedral, dedicating the first and only stage of the new building in 1936.

Baker was principal of Ridley College Melbourne 1938-52. He started at a very difficult time with the college in debt and with little official support from the Church of England in Victoria. During his principalship he extinguished the debt, provided a much-needed temporary chapel by purchasing part of an army hut, increased the staff, and appointed L L Morris as vice-principal. When he resigned in 1952 he received tributes from every quarter. His personal piety and respect for others who thought differently from him succeeded in winning widespread goodwill for the college. The theological students, now numbering 30 expressed deep appreciation for his teaching his emphasis on the devotional life, his simplicity and sincerity.

While at Ridley he had been acting administrator of the diocese of Melbourne 1941-2 following the death of Abp Head, a close friend; warden of the Deaconess Order 1942-53; and archdeacon of Geelong 1938-59.

Donald Baker was never afraid to take a stand on public issues. For example in the 1960s he was one of a group of bishops who met the prime minister to condemn the Vietnam War as immoral. He battled for years in the Melbourne synod to allow women to sit on vestries. His great strengths were absolute integrity, a strong sense of duty and dedication tolerance, and personal pastoral skills. He was always a staunch evangelical but never bigoted or a party man.

During his retirement he often assisted the abp of Melbourne with confirmations ordinations and services, and continued to lecture at Ridley College. He died on 19 June 196S, and his ashes were placed in a niche on the south side of the sanctuary wall above the communion rails in the then All Saints' Cathedral, Bendigo on 12 April 1970.

L L Nash, Forward Flows the Time (Melbourne, 1960); Keith Cole, A History of the Diocese of Bendigo (Bendigo, 1991)

KEITH COLE