
Peter Harvey is ready to serve residents on Tasmania’s west coast in his role as bush chaplain with Frontier Services.
“It’s a ministry of presence, and I’m here to provide support to the community, whatever that may be.”
That’s how bush chaplain Peter Harvey sums up his new job on the west coast of Tasmania.
It’s early days, but already he’s making connections and having in-depth conversations about what people need to support, strengthen, and build up their community.
“It’s about being accepted as someone people can turn to when they need to talk about life,” Peter said.
“It’s about creating trust and showing people we’re not here to get something out of them, we’re here to love and provide what we can to their journey.
“That’s one of the powerful things about the ministry of a bush chaplain: we have no expectation of the people we serve. We don’t come with an agenda.
“We are there to listen to what is needed and help the community and individuals find what they need.”
The Tasmanian west coast is a very different landscape from the one envisaged by many who are familiar with the work of Frontier Services.
Like his previous position as Bushfire Recovery Chaplain in East Gippsland, Peter is surrounded by rugged mountains and deep valleys, where snow and rain and persistent winds abound.
“In the wide open spaces of the outback, you can drive for an hour and half and you’ve travelled 150 kilometres,” he said.
“You drive down here for an hour and a half and you’ve probably only covered 60 kilometres.
It’s a different kind of remoteness, but with the same sense of isolation.
“Geographically, it’s a really remote area because of the nature of the environment,” Peter says.
“It’s quite difficult to get around; you need to take a circuitous route around the mountains.
“It’s hard for people to access health services and even retail services for daily necessities.”
Peter can be there for the communities of this new region because of the kindness of Frontier Services’ supporters.
Your generosity allows Frontier Services to fund bush chaplains like Peter to provide pastoral and practical care to people living in remote Australian communities.
Follow Frontier Services on Facebook to get updates on Peter’s ministry of presence in Tasmania