Video courtesy Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Text courtesy Victorian Government.
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Father Bob was the people’s priest, the patron of the unloved, and a treasured comrade and cobber to all. He grew up in Melbourne’s inner north in the 1930s as the youngest of 4 children. He experienced disadvantage and loss early in his life, becoming an orphan by the age of 15.
After deciding to become a priest in high school at Christian Brothers College, St Kilda, Father Bob went on to study theology at Corpus Christi College, Melbourne, where he received his training for the priesthood.
Father Bob was ordained into the Catholic Church in July 1960 at 25 years old. He spent the next 13 years serving as an assistant across several Victorian parishes, where he began to use his unconventional voice to advocate for those who did not have one.
In 1969, Father Bob became an army chaplain and worked with Vietnam War draftees at the Puckapunyal base in Victoria, where his casual and irreverent style resonated with the young soldiers. He enjoyed the teamwork and mateship of the army and achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
Father Bob was offered his first full-time job as parish priest of Saints Peter and Paul’s in South Melbourne in 1973. As well as serving his beloved parish and community, Father Bob was passionate about helping the hungry, homeless, and marginalised in Melbourne. In the late 1970s, he co-founded the Open Family Foundation to care for young people experiencing homelessness.
For his work, Father Bob was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989.
Continuing his service to humanity, he established the Father Bob Maguire Foundation in 2003, targeting homelessness, digital poverty, and food insecurity in inner Melbourne through teams of volunteers, known as the ‘Bob-squad’, and ‘Bob-mobile’ food vans.
His compassion, faith, and social justice were balanced with his brilliant sense of humour – which he demonstrated when hosting radio on 3AW, as a guest on the SBS television program John Safran vs God, as co-host of Speaking in Tongues on SBS television, and co-host of Sunday Night Safran on Triple J.
Father Bob was named Victorian of the Year in 2011, awarded Victorian Local Hero (Metro) in 2005, and remained the beloved parish priest of Saints Peter and Paul until his last service in January 2012. He remained active in the Victorian community, serving as an Australia Day Ambassador until 2022.
His energy and commitment to life, faith, and social justice did not wane in retirement. He continued to use his wit and compassion to share his message of ‘happiness is helping other people to be happy’ and to advocate for those in need, every day.
Donations
In lieu of flowers and at the request of Father Bob’s family, memorial tributes may be made in the form of contributions to the Father Bob Maguire .
More to come.
