Rev Nanette Good OAM
Rev Nanette Good OAM

BSpcPath, ThM (Melb)

Nanette ‘Nan’ Good (Nutt ’46) was one of the first women to be ordained a priest within the Anglican Church and acted as a mentor to many within the Church and within Chaplaincy. She was the first person to be awarded Fellowship of the Australian College of Chaplains, and in 2005 was awarded the Order of Australia Medal, for services to the community through the provision of chaplaincy and pastoral care services.

Nanette ‘Nan’ Good (Nutt ’46) was one of the first women to be ordained a priest within the Anglican Church and acted as a mentor to many within the Church and within Chaplaincy. She was the first person to be awarded Fellowship of the Australian College of Chaplains, and in 2005 was awarded the Order of Australia Medal, for services to the community through the provision of chaplaincy and pastoral care services.

In her memoir Just Anybody, The Journey of a Lifetime (Mosaic Press 2013), Nanette recounts that she wore many hats. She was “an actress (amateur and professional), a speech pathologist, a wife and mother, a teacher, a hospital chaplain, a mentor, an ordained Anglican Priest, a pastoral care giver, retiree, an artist, a writer and quite a good cook.”

For many years Nanette was involved with the Union Theatre Repertory Company (now the MTC) and the Malvern Theatre Company; she felt her love of theatre and performance helped her in all of her working roles, and contributed to her popularity as a speaker.

Nanette discovered religion after hearing Bryan Green speak at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne. Her faith eventually led to her appointment at the Royal Women’s Hospital, where she was Chaplain from 1983 to 1995. She transformed the department from a Christian religious visiting service into one of holistic spiritual caring for people from all creeds and cultures. She published Image and Reflection, (Nightowl Press, Werribee 2001) in which she documented some of those life experiences, the learning and insights into herself and others, gained while working at the Royal Women’s Hospital.

She enjoyed spending time with close friends and her much loved family – children, grandchildren and extended family – and delighted in the fact that she had been able to perform the marriage of her son. Nanette passed away in 2013.

November 2015