Bishop Tom reflects on the retirement of John Smallwood CBE

I knew John Smallwood long before I became the Bishop of Southwark. Truth to tell, if you've been around Church of England finances at all or on General Synod it's pretty hard not to have at least known of him.

His 'career' (and it is literally little short of that) as one of the foremost lay participants in the affairs of Southwark Diocese has spanned almost forty years, twenty five of which he spent as Chairman of the Diocesan Board of Finance.

It has been John's hard work which has helped to ensure that last year we collected 99% of the Fairer Shares Assessments from the parishes. We have had a marvellous record for contributions for many years now.

But, more than that John has served the wider Church of England, helping to consider the best ways forward with clergy pensions, with investments and with all other aspects of financial life. John is 74 and feels that it is time to step aside from his roles here in Southwark and he is also not standing for re-election to General Synod this year. He and his wife, Jean, recently moved into the Diocese of Guildford and we wish them well in their retirement.

Any tribute to John would be incomplete without some survey of his many achievements. So, here is a brief survey of his work:

John is a Reader in the Church of England, and has been a member of General Synod since 1965. He served on the Council of the Southwark Ordination Course, 1960-74 and 1980-94, as Vice-Chairman for the latter period.

He was a Church Commissioner from 1966 to 1998. He has contributed hugely to sound financial management in Southwark Diocese, as a member of the Board of Finance since 1961 and Chairman for 25 years (1975-2000). He worked for the Bank of England from 1951 to 1979, when he retired as Deputy Chief Accountant. He has served on the Central Board of Finance and a wide variety of other committees of the Church of England. He was appointed a CBE in 1991.

We will miss him and send him on his way with our warmest thanks and admiration for all that he has achieved over so many years.

+ Thomas Southwark: