Becoming a ‘theolog’

After receiving the endorsement of the Presbytery of East Melbourne to join the Theological Hall at Ormond I found myself walking through the College gates for the first time.

I was to meet with the Reverend Jim Young and the Reverend Steve Yarnold to be enrolled as a student for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. Somewhat awed by the building and its surrounds, I walked past Allen House and up the sweeping drive to enter the majestic building.

Outside Room A I was met by Ivan Barker, a student whom I knew as a fellow member of Glen Iris Presbyterian Church. Turning left he escorted me past Room K to the Theological Hall Office for my first meeting as a theological student aka ‘theolog’. At that time I did not envisage living at Ormond as I wanted to begin my University life while living at home. However Messrs. Young and Yarnold advised me to at least enrol as a non-resident member of the College. As I became a friend of George Cable, who was like me straight out of school, I resolved to enter into residence in my second year at University.

Thereafter each year began with an exam on several books of the Bible as students were not thought to be biblically literate! The exam took place in Room A virtually unsupervised as theologs were considered perfectly trustworthy. The ‘old hands’ always relied on the ‘new’ to be properly prepared!

The numbers in the Hall in the early sixties were considerable and some of our courses were shared with the Queen’s College Methodist students and Home Missionaries, the latter being men already working in parishes. We Presbyterians were privileged to not be so required and to be fully involved in College life if we were single.

My theological teachers were Professors Hopkirk, George Yule, Robert Anderson, Harry Wardlaw, Nigel Watson and Dr. John O’Neill and Dr Graeme Griffen. Also, of course Dr. McCaughey. However I was in the Theological Hall in a time of change as Principal Hopgood retired and Davis McCaughey became College Master. John O’Neill went off to Pembroke College Cambridge.  Robert Anderson became Principal of the Theological Hall replacing Principal Hopkirk.

The Chapel was the Library at this time and, at the initiative of Davis McCaughey, evening prayers took place in Room K, the main lecture room of the Theological Hall at that time. The Reverend Sydney Goddard was briefly lecturer in Pastoral Care.

This piece is the first of a series of recollections by Graeme Kerr that will be published on Ormond 140 in the coming weeks.