The former South Melbourne Catholic priest
presided over sermons, christenings and marriages
for thousands of people in his decades-long service,
and he has dedicated his life to helping others.
Father Bob’s work in the church and his strong
personality have made him somewhat of
an Australian celebrity; we spoke to him about
his charity work and the importance of
celebrating old age.
While Father Bob was forced into retirement
in 2012 by the Roman Catholic Church, he
continues to be the face of the Father Bob
Foundation, which he describes as a “parish
without borders”. The organisation has been in
place for 40 years, has 100 volunteers and is in
operation 24 hours a day, 52 weeks a year.
The main focus of the charity is to help those
who are less fortunate, but it goes beyond the
homeless and poor. In fact, the Father Bob
Foundation aims to help everyone from all walks
of life by creating a formula for how the rich and
the poor can live together. Father Bob is a firm
believer in justice tempered by mercy – in other
words, everyone should be given a fair go.
“I was doing it in the womb,” he says,
when asked about his charitable nature.
“If you’ve got meaning, you’ve got life.”
Father Bob is a dedicated man, filled with
knowledge, but he always calls things as he sees
At 82 years old, Father Bob Maguire has seen his fair share of celebrations.
Father Bob and the
importance of aging
“HONESTY, INTEGRITY, COMPASSION:
THE MORALS WITH NO POLITICAL
CURRENCY. ARISE, THE ELDERLY
PEOPLE, AND HELP YOUR COMMUNITY!”
them. “Buggered if I know what happens when
we die!” he says. “We are mortal but eternal.”
Though he shows no signs of slowing down,
Father Bob does have words of praise for those
who have retired: “Retirement should be a
sacred place because it’s filled with elders.”
He recommends celebrating the new-found
freedom that comes with retirement by learning
new skills and embracing the journey.
“They’re sending children to school earlier.
They’re precocious. Perhaps the elderly can
be ‘post‑cocious’ by learning new things in their
older age,” says Father Bob. “It’s an art in itself,
growing old.”
Few in the community are as well-respected as
Father Bob. He accepts that some see him as a
symbol or as the face of the church, but believes
that churches have backed themselves into corners
with the notion that non-church-goers shouldn’t
expect moral guidance from churches anymore.
Thankfully, there’s another voice of guidance
that the community can turn to.
“We need someone to remind the Australian
population of the worldly values,” says Father Bob.
“Honesty, integrity, compassion: the morals with no
political currency. Arise, the elderly people,
and help your community!”
Instead of waiting for children to come along and
cheer them up, Father Bob believes the elderly
should be making the effort to get out there and
make a difference in young people’s lives. “Have a
funny way of being serious,” he advises. “Utter some
deep and meaningful things. Don’t just lecture.”
CELEBRATION
By Caitlyn Spanner, Journalist
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