Pastor Hal Oxley

Pastor Hal Oxley was born in Adelaide in 1916 of English parents, and educated at Scotch College Melbourne for 12 years. At the age of 17, Pastor Oxley entered the Royal Military College of Australia, Duntroon, where he spent the next four years, finally graduating as a lieutenant in the Australian Regular Forces.

He was a keen sportsman, being a qualified (silver medallion) Life Saver on one of Sydney’s surf beaches, played first grade hockey in Sydney, first grade Rugby in Melbourne, and was a long distance (8 miles) runner. His favourite sport was horse riding.

Before the Second World War he served as an Aide de Camp to Governor General Lord Gowrie. During the Second World War he fought as an infantry officer in the Desert Campaigns of Africa and in Greece and Syria, and spent 6 months in the Siege of Tobruk. After the attack of the Japanese, he returned to Australia, where he became the Planning Co-ordinator in the Battle Headquarters of Australia’s Commander-in-Chief, General Blamey, and after that, was transferred to the Battle Staff of General MacArthur, who was Commander-in-Chief of the West Pacific Area, where he was responsible for the co-ordination of the Australian Operational plans with the American Headquarters. His decorations include the OBE (Military) and SC.

For some years after the war, he served voluntarily as Deputy Director of Military Intelligence at Army Headquarters, was Chairman in Victoria of “The Call to the Nation”, and secretary of a legacy home.

After the war, Pastor Oxley left the Regular Army with the substantive rank of Lt. Colonel and became an industrialist, ending up as Executive Director of a large public company with a number of diversified manufacturing plants.

In his late thirties, he became a Christian and, two years later, raised a small Assembly. Out of that beginning Life Ministry Centre, Oxley College and Life Ministry Bible College were established. Tens of thousands of lives have been ministered to during the last 45 years, hundreds of pastors trained and released into ministry and thousands of children have been educated at Oxley College.

Pastor Oxley retired from the platform at the age of 100 and continued to be an active member of LMC and in the wider Christian Community. At the age of 103, on Sunday 8th March, Pastor Hal passed away in his sleep. He was ready for his next adventure! We honour Hal for his obedience and service to God and His Church. We will miss him!