From parish ministry in London and Liverpool to an international school in the Indian Himalayas, Chaplain Adam Maynard brings a wealth of experience to his new role at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School – and a genuine enthusiasm for the adventure ahead.
“Our family has always been quite adventurous. We’ve lived overseas before, and when we saw the opportunity to come to Australia, it seemed to really fit where our family was at,” Chaplain Adam said.
“We’re very sporty as a family. We love the outdoors, we love the beach, and we were really attracted to the Australian way of life.”
When the opportunity at BCGS arose, there was also a strong connection with what the School stood for.
“It was definitely the vision and the values. It’s a distinctively Christian School that’s really inclusive and values the right things. It was definitely the vibe.”
Chaplain Adam’s path to school chaplaincy began long before he formally entered ministry, through volunteering and working with children and youth.
“I’ve worked with young people since I was a young person, really! I used to volunteer with my youth group, and I’ve always been involved in different kinds of volunteering. My first job was as a children’s worker in a church, working with local schools.”
Later, while serving in a parish connected with an Anglican primary school, he found himself increasingly drawn to the life of the school community.
“I think schools are wonderful places. They’re great communities and, when they’re done well, communities of care that really transform people’s lives. That was what pulled me towards chaplaincy.”
Along the way, he has lived and worked in communities that could hardly have been more different from one another.
“My first ministry job was in North London, in an affluent part of London and a really big, well-resourced church. I was then a minister for nearly ten years in Liverpool, which was very different – a very working-class community, but also incredibly special. Then moving to India and working at an international school was a really different situation again!”
That variety of experience has given Chaplain Adam a perspective shaped by people, places and circumstances far beyond any single community.
“Having worked in so many different kinds of communities, with people from vastly different backgrounds and walks of life, really gives you an appreciation of the wonder, the depth and some of the tragedy of life and the world as it is,” he said.
“It’s given me a very broad perspective. As a Chaplain, I’m someone who is very open to places as they are and people as they are. Life is far more weird and wonderful than we realise.”
At BCGS, that outlook will inform a role that sits across many different parts of School life. There are the visible elements – services, Chapel, Eucharists and teaching within the Religious and Philosophical Studies program – but much of the work happens more quietly.
“Less tangibly, it’s about helping the School and its leaders to be faithful to the vision of the School as an Anglican school,” he explained.
“It’s about providing support, direction and guidance to students, staff and the parent community as needed. It’s about being a listening ear and being someone who sits just a little outside a lot of the day-to-day activity, who can be there to listen and support.”
And, by its nature, chaplaincy cannot always be planned.
“There are lots of things you don’t know are going to happen. When there are big moments in people’s lives, we’re there to be alongside them.”
For now, Chaplain Adam and his family are enjoying the beginnings of their own new chapter – getting to know the School, Bunbury and the wider South West.
“In some ways, you don’t know what there is to discover, and that’s the excitement,” he said.
“Our impression of Bunbury and the South West is that it is incredibly beautiful, and people have been incredibly warm and welcoming to us. We’re excited to discover what it will be like for us as a family to be part of this community – both the wider Bunbury community and, very specifically, here at the School.”
“And, obviously, we’re excited to see the dolphins!”
We warmly welcome Chaplain Adam and his family to BCGS and look forward to the experience, perspective and care he will bring to our School community.
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