Rev Bill Pugh passed away this week, leaving behind a wonderful legacy.
By Andrew Humphries
I never had the pleasure of meeting Rev William (Bill) Pugh, but every so often he would send me through by email another contribution for the monthly collection of online pew sheets for congregations to use.
It was obvious from reading each one that here was a gentleman with a deep and abiding faith, and a love for the world and all of its (sometimes quirky) inhabitants.
And in each pew sheet was the simple message that time spent with God was, indeed, time well spent.
Bill passed away last Tuesday and, along with sadness that he has departed this life, comes the knowledge that he leaves behind a wonderful legacy, both as a servant of God and a man of words, his humble offerings often giving us pause for thought and consideration.
After graduating from Ormond College in the late 1950s, Bill began his ministry work in the Mallee region, serving the Sea Lake and Woomelang congregations.
He also served as a chaplain at Carey, Haileybury, and Ballarat Clarendon colleges,
and within the Otway parish.
Fellow pew sheet contributor, and friend of Bill, Ian Menzies said those early years in ministry helped shape Bill’s commitment to pastoral care, and to making deep and lasting connections with people.
“In his early placements as a young minister in the country, and being largely unsupported, Bill faced challenges such as assisting police identify suicide victims and helping the local undertaker prepare bodies,” Ian said.
“These experiences profoundly influenced him and his pastoral caring for others throughout the rest of his life.
“As a school chaplain, Bill was often allocated some of the more challenging classes, but still managed to develop good, and often lifelong, relationships with his students.
“Bill’s awareness of the needs of small rural congregations led to his weekly reflections, published online by the Synod for inclusion in pew sheets or newsletters.
“These were shared widely, including beyond the Synod, and Bill greatly appreciated the many warm responses he received about them.”
Of the many pew sheets Bill sent through, all thoughtfully and carefully compiled, I can recall marvelling at the simple beauty of one last year reflecting on Anzac Day.
Bill wrote of his grandfather being told that his son, Bill’s father, had been killed in France during WWI.
Three days later a telegram came informing the family that the information was incorrect, and that Bill’s father was still alive, though badly wounded and in hospital.
“(My father) came home again and gradually healed, except his nerves were never the same and he walked with a limp,” Bill wrote.
“We have a copy of that telegram in our family history.
“This Anzac Day, and every Anzac Day, I give thanks for Dad’s safe return, and I pray for peace and all families affected by war in troubled lands today.”
In the same spirit, it seems appropriate to give thanks for Bill’s contribution to the life of the Church, with deep appreciation and understanding of the fact that his words, and deeds, carried a simple but beautiful weight in this world.
“Bill was a quiet, empathetic and deeply spiritual man who was much loved by so many, and he will be deeply missed,” Ian said.
A memorial service for Bill will be held at Hampton Uniting Church on Sunday (August 3) at 11.30am.
Andrew Humphries is the Synod’s Communications and Media Relations Officer
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