In addition to his role as Rector of Holy Trinity, Dane is Archdeacon for the Northern Ministry District in the Diocese of Tasmania, and a member of the Diocesan Council. He is a member of the General Synod Liturgy Commission and was a member of the General Synod 2001-2017. He is a Board member of Launceston Church Grammar School, having previously served on the Council of Trinity Grammar School for 23 years, and was chairman of the Council of Rouse Hill Anglican College from its commencement in 2002 until the end of 2007. He is a Board member of Broughton Publishing, which is owned by the Anglican Church of Australia and publishes A Prayer Book for Australia.
He worked as an Auto Electrician until he experienced God’s call to ministry in 1974. He travelled with his family to St John’s College Morpeth to study for the ordained ministry.
On returning to Tasmania he served in the parishes of Burnie, St James New Town and George Town before accepting a chaplaincy position in the Royal Australian Air Force. For the next 20 years home was where the air force sent them. Ken completed his time in the RAAF as Director of Chaplaincy in Training Command. During his RAAF career he completed a Diploma of Education and Master of Ministry degree together with qualifications in relationship counselling and psychology.
In semi-retirement he has served in several locum roles in Tasmanian parishes before accepting his current position as Associate Priest at Holy Trinity.
Ken’s hobbies include working around his farm, sailing and a vintage MG sports car.
The parish of Holy Trinity Launceston also includes St Andrew's, Evandale and St James', Franklin Village.
An audio tour of the church and cemetery can be found here
The church and grounds are maintained by volunteers and we invite you to become part of this network.
Services are held on the second and fourth Sundays of each month at 9.00am. Whenever possible, the service is Holy Communion following the Second Order in A Prayer Book for Australia 1995. When no ordained minister is available, a lay reader conducts Morning Prayer. As in every Anglican service, there is a clear emphasis on hearing God's word in the Bible readings, and grappling with its meaning and significance in Bible focused sermons. Joining in Holy Communion is a regular reminder that we gather in the name of Jesus Christ, who gave his life for our sins. We usually share in Morning Tea at the conclusion.
Our usual pattern for Christmas Services is:
Christmas Eve:
7pm Lessons and Carols (to be held outdoors in the grounds in 2020)
Our usual pattern for Easter Services is:
Easter Sunday:
9.00am Holy Communion
Services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are held at Holy Trinity. Times can be found here
The baptism of a child can be a very significant social event for families, and parents request baptism because they are eager to do the very best for their children. We ask parents to take time to properly understand what baptism means, so that the words expressed in the service are meant from the heart.
In past generations, baptism of children was very common, but many adults today - and especially younger adults - are not baptised. To find out more, come along to one of our services and speak to a member of the staff. (By the way, many people use the term ‘Christening’, but both the Bible and our Anglican Prayer Book use the proper term, which is ‘baptism’.)
However, the capacity of the building is only about 80 people, so larger weddings are impractical as there is no overflow area.
In order to satisfy the requirements of Australian law and Anglican Church policy, our Marriage Services always follow one of the authorised Anglican Prayer Book forms and are conducted by one of our staff.
It may be possible for other Ministers to assist in the service. We will be pleased to meet with you and discuss what is involved. Marriage services can be conducted at any mutually convenient time, but our regular activities on Sundays mean that we are unable to accept bookings for Sunday weddings.
Whether a service is planned for the church, crematorium chapel, or other location, we welcome enquiries from those who live in our parish or who have had significant connections with St Matthias' in the past. Please contact us as early as possible to ascertain the availability of the church and ministers.
A columbarium wall is available for the interment of ashes.
St Matthias' celebrated its 175th Anniversary on the weekend of 23-25 November 2018. It was a wonderful time - thanks to all who helped organise and all who participated.
For up to date details of other special events, please refer to our Facebook page