Fr. Cooper, who hails from England and arrived in Cessnock this month, said he has been warmly welcomed.

“It doesn’t feel like a big move; the people have been so friendly that I haven’t felt like a stranger,” Fr. Cooper said.

After 26 years in the ministry in West Sussex (about an hour and a half from London), Fr. Cooper took the opportunity for a change of scenery after meeting Bishop of Newcastle, Brian Farran in July last year.

Bishop Farran asked if he would be interested in working in the area if the opportunity ever came up.

Fr. Cooper was the head of counselling and chaplaincy at St. Richard’s Hospital in Chichester for 10 years and, satisfied with the systems in place, was content to move on.

“I had set it all up so it worked, I’d done my job and felt it was time for something new,” Fr. Cooper said.

He was offered the job at Cessnock in December last year but visa processing delayed his arrival.

Fr. Cooper and his wife Liz landed in Sydney in November 2 and he was commissioned at St. John’s Anglican Church, Cessnock four days later.

He has been fairly busy already, involved in Cessnock’s Remembrance Day ceremony the week of his arrival, and a number of baptisms and funeral services along with the church’s regular services.

He has enjoyed meeting the local community and learning about our wines. He will visit a mine site in the near future.

The only real culture shock was the heat in the week of his arrival, and while last week’s unseasonably cold weather had Fr. Cooper feeling a bit more at home, he is looking forward to a warm, sunny Christmas and getting used to the Australian heat.

“One of the parishioners told me I’ll have to get an Akubra hat; then I’ll be a proper Aussie,” he said.

The couple’s three sons, who live in England, Nepal and New Zealand, will travel to Australia for Christmas.