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Marcus Loane, 1911-2009ObituarySir Marcus Loane, the former Archbishop of Sydney died on April 14, aged 97, following a short illness. Born in Tasmania in 1911, he studied at the University of Sydney and Moore Theological College before being ordained in 1935. His ministry saw him, among other things, serve as chaplain to the Australian forces in Papua New Guinea between 1942 and 1944 and as principal of Moore Theological College from 1954 to 1959. Sir Marcus was consecrated as bishop in 1958 and then served as the first Australian born Archbishop of Sydney from 1966 to 1982 and then as Primate of Australia from 1978 to 1982. He gained his knighthood in 1976. Moore CollegeThe academic Dean of Moore College, the Rev. Mark Thompson, said of him: ‘His courageous stand at point after point for the gospel, his willingness to speak for the truth even when it was unpopular, his sense of what was right according to the gospel, all of those are rich contributions that he made’. Peter Jensen, the current Archbishop of Sydney, paid this tribute to him: ‘In national life, he offered leadership which transcended politics. In particular he spoke up for the poor…. But he will be remembered most as one of the key architects of post-war Anglicanism in Sydney’. When Sir Marcus and Lady Patricia celebrated 71 years of marriage last year, he spoke of a lifelong love and an enduring partnership. They have four children — Mary, Robert, David and Winsome — 17 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren. RSC© Evangelicals Now - June 2009 |