Winston O'Reilly


Winston D'Arcy O'Reilly was a Methodist and then Uniting Church in Australia minister and the second President of the UCA Assembly.

Education

O'Reilly went to North Sydney Boys High School, leaving at 14 years of age. Returning to Sydney after a trip to Europe, he studied for the Leaving Certificate at night school. He attended Wesley College, University of Sydney, and received a BA and MA, before training for the Methodist ministry at Leigh College. He later completed a Master of Arts in Christian Education and MEd.

Career

At 14, O'Reilly started training as carpenter and at 16 travelled to England as companion and carer to a man with a disability. After his ordination he was the minister at a number of Methodist churches throughout New South Wales, later taking positions with the Methodist Conference and Methodist schools and higher education, then became the first General Secretary of the Uniting Church in Australia and second President of the Assembly.
Internationally he was a Member of Presidium, World Methodist Council, 1975-1980.
Through discussions with Labor's attorney-general, Lionel Murphy, about reform of the divorce laws he had considerable influence on the Family Law Act 1975.
He was founding member of the NSW Council of Social Service and one of the founders of the Australian Council of Social Service.

Family

He was married twice, on 23 March 1939 at Roseville, New South Wales to Doreen 'Dorn' Doyle with three children and in 1976 to Nancye Ruth Haines.
O'Reilly's parents were Henry D'Arcy O’Reilly (merchant, he was a haberdasher near Chatswood Station