Dr Jim Pendlebury OAM
This week Dr Jim Nixon Pendlebury, the honorary treasurer of Wesley Mission Sydney for 40 years, decided to retire and not seek re-election. His has been an extraordinary term of service, not only in its length of time but also in its growing complexity and detail. In his years of service he has overseen the accounting and raising of more than a billion dollars in New South Wales alone, which has been used to serve the needy in our State.
Dr Jim Pendlebury was born in Cessnock. He was educated in primary schools in Cessnock and Griffith and attended Cessnock High School, where he won an exhibition to Sydney university and a teachers college scholarship. Over the next years he graduated with a Bachelor of Science with honours, a diploma of education, a Master of Science with honours at Macquarie University and later a doctorate of philosophy at Macquarie University. He was among the first Master of Science graduates and was the first doctor of philosophy in chemistry to graduate from Macquarie University.
In all the time he was studying his postgraduate work he never gave up his Christian commitment to his home church, Bexley Uniting Church, or to Wesley Mission. He won many awards and scholarships, including an International Teacher Development Program scholarship that led to him travelling to study in the United States. He was made a life member of the New South Wales Science Teachers Association and was granted the Meritorious Service Medal from the Sydney College of Advanced Education.
He was honoured by the Queen with the Medal of the Order of Australia and has been recognised by community, professional and church associations with their highest honours. Dr Pendlebury has written many scientific, educational and research science articles and is the author of several books. As well as that, he was a very popular presenter of science programs on television.
Dr Pendlebury has provided leadership in the Methodist and Uniting churches for more than 50 years. With his wife, Thelma, he has held all the leading official positions in their home congregation at Bexley Uniting Church. Thelma was also recognised for her service to the community by being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.
In 1968 Dr Pendlebury became a member of the executive board of Wesley Mission and continued in that position for 40 years. He has also been the honorary treasurer of Wesley Mission and has seen the budget grow under his oversight from $1 million per annum to $175 million per annum, all the while working in an honorary capacity.
He has held many positions in the Uniting Church presbyteries and synod, and for the past 16 years has been chairman of the council of Wesley Institute for Ministry and the Arts. He has also served on the board of the Alan Walker College of Evangelism.
In 1979 he accepted an appointment to the board of Harold W. Cottee Pty Ltd, the holding company that ran Wesley Mission’s large citrus property in Paringa, South Australia. This successful venture saw over his time of directorship a surplus of more than $20 million returned to Dalmar Children’s Homes, the child-care activity of Wesley Mission Sydney.
In 1996 I asked him to join me as a director of the Aged Persons Welfare Trust, an activity independent of Wesley Mission, which we set up. It now has over $15 million in trust, with revenues being donated to community groups across Australia working for the benefit of aged persons. During the 27 years of my leadership as the senior minister and chief executive officer of Wesley Mission Sydney Dr Pendlebury has been a close colleague, a mentor and an adviser on every aspect of Wesley Mission’s growth and development.
He and his wife, Thelma, have become close friends with my wife and me. Neither Jim nor his wife has been enjoying their normal vigorous health recently, so this time of retirement gives us the opportunity to wish them both good health, long life and the deep satisfaction that comes from a job well done for Christ, the church and the community.
