“Montgomery of Tasmania: Henry and Maud Montgomery in Australasia” by Robert Withycombe, Acorn Press. Planned release is late 2009.

If only I’d had this fascinating book when I started (bishoping in Tasmania)! I couldn’t put it down! ‘Leadership’ is much in vogue, if too little assessed. Here is a sustained assessment of leadership, both gifted and learnt. H. H. Montgomery was gifted with athleticism, initiative, a sense of adventure, an ease with people and a sustaining vision of God’s love in Christ for the world. How would these gifts play in Colonial Tasmania? And what kind of bishop would emerge? – ‘Bush Bishop’. ‘Mutton Bird Bishop’, ‘Citizen Bishop’, ‘Missions Bishop’? Montgomery decided for the latter, the others followed. We learn of Episcopal leadership engaging Gospel and culture, in its success and failure: a truly fascinating study to enrich learning and conversation.

The above commendation was meant to be 40 words but I became so enthusiastic that it is over 100! The book’s Editor, Rena, will delete and put in lots of . . . and get the commendation down to 40! The longer version above will appear on the Acorn Press website when the biography is released towards the end of the year. How about the book launch at Montgomery’s Pub in Hobart?

H. H. Montgomery, 4th Anglican Bishop of Tasmania 1889-1901, was the father of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery of World War 2 fame (’Montgomery of Alamein’) and the son of Sir Robert Montgomery who courageously faced down the 1857 Lahore mutiny in India. Quite a family, the Montgomery family.

The biography’s author is Dr Robert Withycombe, Senior Research Fellow, St Mark’s National Theological Centre, Canberra. Congratulations, Robert, on your outstanding work.

Keep your eye out for this nugget 🙂