Remembering
Whilst not well-known to many of St Margaret ’ s current congregation , Clive Gesling was certainly well known by me . Indeed , he was a friend , colleague and mentor to me over many years .
I first met Clive in 1959 when I was a young fellow who had moved to Canberra to study at ANU and was living away from home for the first time in my life . As they did for numerous other such young students , Clive , and his wife Avis , befriended me at Reid Methodist church and was always there for me .
I remember Clive persuading me to take on a role with the Reid Men ’ s Brotherhood - when I thought I was much too young compared with all the other members !
When I worked for the Public Service Board , Clive did too . He was one of the Chairmen of Promotions Appeals Committees and I sat with him on many Committee hearings as an ACOA Representative - and learned a great deal from him .
Later , when I was suddenly and unexpectedly moved from one job to another and was in my office clearing the decks well not the evening , word got around and the phone on my desk rang . It was Clive calling to assure me that there were a lot of people praying for me . I was able to tell him that I had already sensed that but it was good to hear it directly from him .
St Margaret ’ s News 10 August 2022