Blackman House History

Blackman House was established in 2016 and named after Rev Everard Harley Blackman OAM, School Chaplain at Kinross Wolaroi School from 1979-1989.

Rev Blackman graduated from the University of New England in 1975 with a M.Ed.,M.Ed.Admin., and came to Kinross Wolaroi School in 1979 as a man with ‘wide academic, pastoral and social work experience’. He made a great impression on the community with his expertise and human warmth.

Rev Blackman took a strong interest in the Tutor House system and was known for his work in assisting with pastoral care amongst the students. On one occasion, Rev Blackman presented a Bible to each Tutor House, on the understanding that the Bible was seen as ‘both a tool for learning and worship and symbolic of the value, meaning and purpose we see in life’.

After leaving Kinross Wolaroi School in 1989, Rev Blackman worked as the director of Lifeline, North Queensland, looking after an area of 450,000 square kilometres. In recognition for his services to the community in this capacity, Rev Blackman was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1996 as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

While associated with Lifeline in Townsville, Rev Blackman ran the first Triennial National Convention for Lifeline held outside a capital city, and his area won the prestigious Preston-Millican Shield for effective management.

Rev Blackman has been the recipient of other awards for his distinguished services to the community through Lifeline and disaster management during the Townsville floods in 1998.