Ralph David Farrer is an Anglican bishop. Formerly the Bishop of Wangaratta

Anglican Diocese of Wangaratta

The Anglican Diocese of Wangaratta is mostly located in the north-east region of Victoria, Australia. The diocese includes the cities of Wangaratta, Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton.-Bishops of Wangaratta:*Thomas Henry Armstrong, 1902–1927...

 in the Anglican Church of Australia

Anglican Church of Australia

The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...

, he is currently a vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 in the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

.

Education

Farrer was born in Surrey, England and moved to Melbourne, Australia with his family at a young age. After high school at Mentone Grammar School

Mentone Grammar School

Mentone Grammar School is an independent, Anglican co-educational grammar school in Mentone, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-History:...

, he attended a horticultural college in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, completing his apprenticeship as a horticulturalist before beginning training for the ordained ministry in Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 in 1964.

Ministry

Farrer was ordained a priest in 1969 and served in several parishes, as a canon of St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne

St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne

St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria...

, the Archdeacon of La Trobe and later as the Archdeacon of Melbourne and chaplain to the Parliament of Victoria

Parliament of Victoria

The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of The Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria; the Legislative Council ; and the Legislative Assembly...

.

Farrer's commitment to community work in Australia earned him the title of Citizen of the Year in Brunswick in 1983 "for work with the unemployed and homeless" and Commander of Merit with the Order of St Lazarus in 1994, for launching a street ministry initiative, the Lazarus Centre, in Melbourne.

Farrer was ordained to the episcopate in 1998 at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne and then enthroned as Bishop of Wangaratta at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Wangaratta, a rural diocese in Victoria. During his time in Wangaratta he helped to establish four low-fee Anglican schools in the diocese.

In 2008 Farrer was appointed vicar of the combined parishes of St Nicholas' Church, Arundel

Arundel

Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...

 and St Leonard's Church, South Stoke, West Sussex

South Stoke, West Sussex

South Stoke is a small village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is located two miles to the north of Arundel, and is situated on the west bank of the River Arun on the edge of Arundel Park. It is reached by road from Arundel. A footpath leads to North Stoke on the...

 and as an assistant bishop

Assistant Bishop

An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop.-Church of England:In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually are retired bishops – in which case they are honorary assistant bishops...

 in the Diocese of Chichester

Diocese of Chichester

The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...

in England.