Leadership

The Diocese is led by the Bishop of Wangaratta, who is supported by senior clergy and other senior staff.

The Right Reverend Clarence E Bester

Bishop of Wangaratta

Bishop Clarence came to the Diocese during March 2015 to take up a position as Associate Priest within the Parish of Shepparton. Before that he served within the Diocese of False Bay South Africa as Rector of St Andrew’s Church in Strand for 12 years, while also holding the positions of Archdeacon of Helderberg (Territorial) (2006 – 2010) and Archdeacon to the Ordinary (Bishop) (2010 – 2014). Clarence also served as Diocesan Link Officer between the Diocese of False Bay and the Diocese of York’s Cleveland Archdeaconry in the United Kingdom. During 2007 and 2013 Clarence served as locum tenens at the Chaplaincy of Bonn and Cologne and Strasbourg within the Diocese of Europe where he still holds a Permission to Officiate.

Following 20 months in Shepparton, Clarence was appointed as Rector of the Parish of Wangaratta West and the Warbys and Archdeacon of Wangaratta responsible for Ministry Development within the Diocese. After a period of 14 months, Clarence was appointed as full-time Diocesan Archdeacon and Bishop’s Commissary. This was followed by his appointment as Vicar General on 1 November 2018 and, following the former Bishop’s retirement, as Administrator of the Diocese.

Clarence was elected as Bishop of the Diocese and consecrated on 22 February 2020 at St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne and enthroned as the 11^th Bishop of Wangaratta on 23 February 2020 at Holy Trinity Cathedral Wangaratta.

Bishop Clarence is married to Michelle and they have two sons, Kian and Kyle.

Bishop’s Registry

Dean Ken Goodger

Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral

Ken came to the Diocese of Wangaratta in 2014 to be Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral. Ken was ordained in 1993 and has served in parishes in the Diocese of Brisbane and in the Diocese of London in the UK. Prior to coming to Wangaratta he was Rector of Caloundra-Glasshouse Country in the Diocese of Brisbane, and also Area Dean of the Sunshine Coast. Ken is married to Stephanie and they have two children, Zoe and Jacob. Ken enjoys music and cricket (just watching nowadays) and travel.

Julie Torpey

Registrar and Diocesan Finance Manager

Julie Torpey is the current Registrar and Finance Manager of the Diocese of Wangaratta. Julie commenced her roles on 1^st August 2021. Julie has been a long standing member of the Diocesan office, commencing in 2006 when her family moved to the area. Prior to joining the Diocesan Team, her career was in debt management and the banking sector. Throughout her career there has been a strong emphasis on finance and administration management. Julie hopes to build strong relationships with the Diocesan Team and the Parish community to serve and assist Parishes with their needs.

The Venerable Neil Hicks

Diocesan Archdeacon and Vicar General

The Venerable Neil Hicks was inducted to the Parish of Yarrawonga 11/11/2017. Neil joined us from the Diocese of Melbourne and the Parish of St Paul’s Geelong where Neil served as Vicar for 12 years and as Archdeacon of Geelong for 8 years. Born in Kyabram and raised in Tongala, Neil felt a call to Ministry in his early twenties and pursued his Theological studies at St. Barnabas Theological College, Belair, South Australia. Now being ordained for 30 years, Neil started his ministry as a Curate in the Parishes of Maryborough, then Mildura and then as Rector of the Parish of Robinvale/Manangatang, all in the Bendigo Diocese. He then served at the Parish of Point Lonsdale (Melbourne), followed by an appointment as Dean of Sale in Gippsland before returning to the Diocese of Melbourne to take up the position as Vicar of Balwyn North for 4 years before moving to St Paul’s Geelong. During his time in Melbourne, Neil served on Archbishop in Council as well as Provincial Council. Minutes of the last Provincial Council attended by Neil referred to Archbishop Freier expressing his great appreciation for Neil’s invaluable contribution to the Diocese of Melbourne and Provincial Council. One of Neil’s great passions is music, mostly classical, pipe organ, brass and Abba. Good Liturgy is deeply important to Neil and he enjoys devising services for the Church’s various celebrations.

The Reverend Canon Scott Jessup

Bishops Chaplain and Area Dean North West

Scott Jessup was born and completed his primary and secondary schooling in Beechworth. He was unchurched yet his first sense of a vocation to the priesthood came to him in Primary School when he was 10 years old.

Scott graduated from university in 1995 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) Degree specialising in ornithology. After graduating he took up a part-time position as Assistant Curator at the Burke Memorial Museum in Beechworth. He also worked part-time as the Environmental Officer for the Rural City of Wangaratta and later for the Department of Natural Resources and Environment as a flora and fauna planner. During this time he also studied for a Post Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from Deakin University. He then became the Manager/Curator of the Burke Museum.

Scott moved to Sydney in 2001 to take up the position of Manager/Curator of Mary MacKillop Place Museum in North Sydney. Scott was baptised in 2002 and confirmed in 2003. In 2002, he commenced studying theology part-time through St Mark’s National Theological Centre in Canberra. In 2006, he approached his home diocese, the Diocese of Wangaratta, to be considered as an Ordination Candidate and was accepted. He then joined the ministry formation program at St Mark’s and completed his BTh in 2007.

Scott was ordained to the Diaconate in Wangaratta Cathedral in 2008 and was Priested in 2009. He served a two year curacy at St Matthew’s, Albury where he met his wife Kate. In 2010, he was appointed as Priest-in-Charge of the Parish of Alpine which includes the towns of Bright, Myrtleford, Harrietville and Whorouly and in 2016 Scott was appointed Area Dean of the North East Deanery.

After 8 years of ministry in the Alpine Parish, Scott was appointed as Priest-In-Charge of the Parish of Rutherglen & Chiltern with effect February 2018 and was later appointed as Area Dean of the North West Deanery. Scott was also elected as Canon of Holy Trinity Cathedral during the 2018 Diocesan Synod. Scott and Kate have three beautiful girls, Ruby, Maggie and Clare.

Scott loves the outdoors, especially box-ironbark forests and woodlands and is a keen birdwatcher. He also likes gardening and is currently enjoying creating and renovating the Rectory Garden at Rutherglen using hardy perennials.

The Reverend Canon Alan Kelb

Area Dean North East

Alan has been in the diocese for 35 years having held a number of lay leadership positions until ordained Deacon in 2010 and then priested in 2011, serving in the Parish of Northern Albury then at St Matthews Albury as Associate Priest. Alan is currently the Priest-In-Charge of the Parishes of Tallangatta, Yackandandah/Kiewa and Mount Beauty/Tawonga. He is also a RSL, Police and Prison chaplain. Prior to ordination Alan worked as a school chaplain at Wangaratta High, a teacher and Dean of Students at Trinity Anglican College, National Training Manager with the ENZED Network, Industrial Chaplain, and a career soldier for 23 years. Alan is married to Lee and they have two children Danielle and Ehren. Alan enjoys cooking and is a rugby enthusiast and all sports in a spectator capacity these days.

The Reverend Moira Evers

Area Dean Central

The Reverend Andre Du Plooy

Area Dean South and Director of Vocations

Andrè Jean Du Plooy joined the Diocese of Wangaratta in 2016 from the Diocese of False Bay in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. There he served as Archdeacon to the Rural Archdeaconry of Caledon (Overberg). He had oversite over 6 Parishes with 34 churches and outstations.

Andrè taught for 25 years at various schools in Cape Town and served 7 years as principal. Joined the seminary of The Transfiguration, Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, was ordained as deacon in 2004 and priested in 2005 in the Diocese of Cape Town. In 2006 he joined the Ordinands program as tutor in the Diocese of False Bay and produced his first publication in Grief and Bereavement, endorsed by Bishop of the Diocese. He served his first rectorship in 2007 in Belhar East, Cape Town, in the Parish of St Mary Magdalene and completed his B Th (Hons) in 2009 at the University of the Western Cape.

In 2010, he was appointed as rector of the Rural Parish of All Saints Bredasdorp, where he served in the 7 churches and was appointed as the Archdeacon. During this time Andrè completed his M Th in Liturgy and served the Diocese on the Liturgical Consultative Committee in 2015.

He joined the Diocese Wangaratta as the assisting priest of St Augustine in Shepparton in 2016. Became the priest in charge of the Parish of Kilmore, Broadford, Pyalong and Tallarook in 2018. Andrè is currently reading his PhD in Comparative Liturgy. He has produced a fair number of publications and daily meditations for the seasons of Lent and Advent. He is married to Patty and they have two sons, Gèrard and Bertram-Neill married to Lee-Ann and two grandchildren, Oliver and Willow.