{{Short description|Australian Anglican bishop (1920–1998)}} {{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Portal|Christianity}} '''Howell Arthur John Witt''' (12 July 1920 – 8 July 1998) was an Australian Anglican bishop for over 25 years who served two very different dioceses.<ref>{{cite book | title=Crockford's clerical directory | location=London | publisher=Church House | date=1995 | isbn=0-7151-8088-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.genealogybuff.com/misc/west_australia_obits23.htm |title=Index of Western Australia obituaries | publisher=genealogybuff.com | accessdate=2019-01-17}}</ref> During his time as Bishop of North West Australia, he published his memoir, entitled ''Bush Bishop''.<ref>{{cite book |first=Howell | last=Witt | year=1979 | title=Bush Bishop | publisher=Rigby | isbn=978-0727009876 }}</ref> He subsequently served as Bishop of Bathurst from 1981 to 1989.
Witt was born in Newport, Wales, where his father worked as a docker.<ref>{{cite book|title=Priests and Prelates: The Daily Telegraph Clerical Obituaries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=awPGiqoCrSgC&pg=PA196|date=23 June 2006|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-8264-8100-9|pages=196}}</ref> He was educated at Leeds University and the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield.<ref>“Who was Who” 1897-2007 London, A & C Black, 1991 {{ISBN|978-0-19-954087-7}}</ref> Ordained deacon in 1944 and priest in 1945, after curacies at Usk (1944–48) and St George', Camberwell (1948–49)<ref>''Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1973-74'', 85th Edition, p 1057.</ref> he emigrated to Australia where he became chaplain at the Woomera Rocket Station, South Australia (1949–54). While at Woomera, Howell gave the first performance of his drag act, "the Dowager Duchess of Dingo Creek".<ref name=FBG>Fergus Butler-Gallie, "The Right Reverend Howell Witt, Bishop of North West Australia (1920–98)" in A Field Guide to the English Clergy (London: Oneworld Publications, 2018) {{ISBN|9781786074416}}, pp. 3–6</ref> After this, he was rector of St Mary Magdalene's Adelaide (1954–57)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://stmarymagdalenes.weebly.com/history.html | title=History, St Mary Magdalene's Anglican Church | publisher=St Mary Magdalene's Anglican Church | accessdate=2019-01-07}}</ref> and then Elizabeth (1957–65).<ref name=DT/>
A hugely colourful character,<ref name=DT>''Priests and Prelates: The Daily Telegraph Book of Clerical Obituaries'', T. Beeson (ed) London, Continuum, 2002 {{ISBN|0-8264-6337-1}}</ref> in 1965 he was ordained to the episcopate as Anglican Bishop of North West Australia and was often featured in the media.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=The Times | date=3 September 1968 | page=12 | title=Interview with Howell Witt}}</ref> He was later translated to serve as Bishop of Bathurst from 1981 to 1989 and in that role was reported to be "bumbling, inappropriate, and adventurous to the end".<ref name=FBG/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{S-start}} {{S-rel|ac}} {{S-bef|before=John Frewer}} {{S-ttl|title=Bishop of North West Australia|years=1965–1981}} {{S-aft|after=Ged Muston}} {{S-bef|before=Ken Leslie}} {{S-ttl|title=7th Bishop of Bathurst|years=1981–1989}} {{S-aft|after=Bruce Wilson}} {{End}}
{{Bishops of North West Australia}} {{Anglican Bishops of Bathurst}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witt, Howell Arthur John}} Category:1920 births Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds Category:Anglican bishops of North West Australia Category:Anglican bishops of Bathurst Category:1998 deaths Category:Alumni of the College of the Resurrection
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