AT 70 most people are thinking about retirement, but not Noel Williams who is the new Frontier Services Bush Chaplain for Barwon – a region covering approximate a third of NSW. 

Since his appointment in July, the former RAAF Chaplain who also has a commercial sheep property on the Monaro, has driven more than 12,500km between his base at Narrabri and the rest of his territory which extends to the far west of NSW. 

He has spent his first five months getting to know his new flock, calling into communities across western NSW and talking to counsellors, Government agencies, rural advisers and anyone who can direct him to where his skills may be needed. 

His role is to connect with and support people and helping them to find inner strength – emotional, mental and spiritually. 

“Before I started, I heard that people in the bush don’t like opening up, that they don’t want to talk about their feelings. But I find people do want to talk – both men and women. They will talk to you if they feel you haven’t come with a hidden agenda,” Noel said. 

“And that’s why the chaplain role is so important: there’s no agenda. Just absolute care and support.” 

Noel brings a lifetime of experience to the role having grown up in rural NSW and still managing a property near Bredbo with his wife Kayleen. He also spent 53 years with the RAAF, starting in 1969 as a radio technician and going on to become a Chaplain.  

It was the premature death of his father aged only 49 which made him question the bigger things in life and sent him on his spiritual journey. In his four decades as a defence force chaplain he guided his flock through some of the most confronting episodes involving our armed services in recent history including two Bali bombings, the 2004 tsunami at Banda Aceh, and conflict in the Middle East. 

In July this year, the day before his 70th birthday, Noel was compulsorily retired from the armed forces.   

“I had been dividing my time between the air force, working as a Chaplain at St Andrews Uniting Church in Cooma and also running the family farm. I wasn’t ready to retire. My identity is tied up with what I do and I still felt I had a lot to give,” he said. 

When he learned of the Barwon Bush Chaplaincy he decided to apply. It has meant moving north to Narrabri whilst Kayleen has stayed at Bredbo to manage the family’s 2500 Merino and crossbred sheep operation. 

Noel finds unique ways to connect with and support the people in his care. In his vehicle, he carries a welding helmet and his auto-electrical toolbox so he can chip in and help wherever and whenever people are in need. 

“The welding helmet and the toolkits become symbolic of what I do as a chaplain.” 

Although only a few months into the job, Noel is already getting to know his community. 

He has noticed some obvious trends as he traverses his new territory – almost of which are typical of “asset rich-cash poor” rural communities everywhere. A lack of succession planning; children not willing to follow in their parent’s footsteps and leaving communities, dysfunction within family units, a level of domestic abuse, and the ever-present challenges of climate. 

“For people dealing with these issues it can be hard to find hope. When you’re in these situations sometimes all hope just goes out the door,” he said. 

Similarly, Noel said there are issues with maintaining community strength and continuity within indigenous communities. 

“They have similar issues to other families on the land. They’re losing children to electronic devices, and their kids are moving away from their cultural homeland. Other farming communities have the same problem with the kids moving off the farm and going to the city.” 

He sees loneliness and isolation as another significant issue. 

“That emptiness within, that loneliness – it has an impact on self-worth and self-respect. For me, bringing new perspectives to people in terms of life and well-being is really at the heart of what I offer.”