Andy has had a life-long involvement in the disability sector, including lived experience. Prior to Uniting Church ordination in 1995, he worked in a range of settings, including local and state government. As a minister, he has held two chaplaincy positions and is currently the Synod’s Disability Inclusion Advocate.
With the University of Divinity, Andy has completed a BTheol (1995), an MA (Research) (2005) and a PhD (2020). Publications in a range of peer-reviewed journals have resulted, and he co-edited the book ‘Voices in Disability and Spirituality from the Land Down Under’.
As a practical theologian, his MA thesis focussed on the spiritual dimensions of road trauma, whilst the PhD thesis focussed on the spirituality of adults with intellectual disability, and implications for both faith communities and the disability services sector in Victoria, Australia. Currently, he is an Investigator with an ARC-funded project, “NDIS: Rhetoric versus Reality?”, Centre for Disability Studies, The University of Sydney.
Prior to ministry, Andy ran workshops with the Victorian Volunteer Centre, the Department of Community Services and taught at Broadmeadows TAFE. Since 1995 he has designed and taught the subject ‘Pastoral Care and People with Disabilities’ with Pilgrim Theological College. He is an accredited Clinical Pastoral Educator with the Association of Supervised and Clinical Pastoral Education in Victoria Inc. (ASACPEV Inc.) and is Director of Uniting CPE – The John Paver Centre.
Andy has been chaplain at Prahran Mission and Senior Chaplain at Epworth Health Care (Richmond). As Disability Inclusion Advocate, he is involved in a number of projects and initiatives, both local and international. He currently chairs the Synod’s Task Group responding to the Disability Royal Commission.