Vale – Reverend Ray Richmond

Vale – Reverend Ray Richmond
Image: Photo: Stephen Luff/Flickr

Memoriam by ANDREW WOODHOUSE

The Reverend Ray Richmond passed away in September 2019. He was a pioneer, maverick, general good bloke, even possibly a saint. One big-name CEO told me once, “if anyone needed a job or second chance in life, Ray would employ them at the chapel to give them a reference, even if no-one else would.”

Ray Richmond served for 13 years at the Wayside Chapel, 29 Hughes Street, Kings Cross, from 1991 to 2004. He opened Sydney’s first illegal drug injecting room, leading to a controversial criminal charge against him but which was later dropped.
His work followed on from that of Rev. Ted Noffs who, in 1964, pioneered the Wayside Chapel as response to the growing drug culture particularly among youth. In the 1990s, amidst the heroin crisis, the then CEO Ray Richmond helped put together a safe injecting room called “The Tolerance Room”; which eventually led to the opening of the Uniting Church’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre. Then in 2004, Rev. Graham Long, through his own leadership, helped Wayside out of its financial crisis and into a strong community.
Today, Pastor Jon Owens is CEO.

Selfless devotion
Reverend Ray first worked at Wayside Chapel as a young man in the early 1960s. He continued his commitment to community development by working with and training new generations of community workers during his work in Spain, India, West Samoa, Indonesia and in particular with Indigenous communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
In 1991, Reverend Richmond came back to Wayside Chapel 28 years later to become its pastor and Chief Executive Officer. He served in that position for 13 years. He launched the Hands-on-Health Clinic, Bath House and Youth Space, a program focused on youth most at risk in the community.

In 1999, 1116 young Australians died from heroin overdoses, and throughout the late 1990s, Kings Cross was in the midst of a drug epidemic, which was destroying the strong sense of community in Kings Cross and creating a public health disaster.
Devastated by the loss of life and inaction from Government, in May 1999, Reverend Richmond became the informal leader of a group of community members who engaged in a deliberate act of civil disobedience by opening the ‘Tolerance Room’ a safe, supervised injecting facility inside the Wayside Chapel.
Despite being charged with aiding and abetting the self-administration of a prohibited drug, threatened with gaol and a backlash from the government, Reverend Ray’s commitment to creating a place free from judgment whilst showing compassion to those facing addiction changed the face of addiction policy in Australia, even across the world.

Injecting life into the community
The ‘Tolerance Room’ galvanised the community and government into action and led to the first medically supervised injecting centre not only in Sydney, but the entire English speaking world. Reverend Ray had the courage of his convictions. He helped save hundreds of lives, cleaned up needles left on the street and reduced the impact of HIV and hepatitis in the community.
Despite the controversy, injecting centres are now considered by many as an important health and community service. The Rev. Ray’s actions sent the message to government and the community that people struggling with addiction were human beings: their lives had value.

Dr Alex Wodak has described Rev. Ray as a “thoroughly decent, modest, selfless and humble man.”
In a Motion put by Councillor Professor Kerryn Phelps on 28th October 2019, Sydney Council stood and observed one minute’s silence to honour his contribution to the Kings Cross community and the City of Sydney.
The work of the Chapel continues unabated. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm it holds a Community Lunch, free and open to all comers. The atmosphere is congenial as corporates, staff, volunteers and visitors sit side-by-side and enjoy great food, festivities and prizes.
Junior Jivers is a one hour music and movement group for children under five, meeting every Monday at 10am (except public holidays). Cost of entry is a $4 donation per child/class, $5 for two. It’s a community-driven event.
Wayside Chapel’s ethos is to provide unconditional love, care and support to those on and round the streets of Kings Cross.

Wayside Chapel
29 Hughes Street, Kings Cross, phone 9581 9100
Opening hours Mon 9am to 10pm
Tuesday – Friday 9am to 10:30pm
Saturday 9am – 10.30pm
Sunday 10am – 10.30pm
Chapel service Sunday 11am
And Wayside has expanded to Bondi with a chapel at 95 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach, phone 9581 9190. Chapel services: 9:30 and 3:00pm. Its community centre is at 77 Roscoe Street phone 9581 9193, open Mon- Fri 8:30am to 3:00pm.

The Wayside Chapel, 29 Hughes Street, Kings Cross, is hosting a memorial service for Rev. Ray on Sunday 17th November at 2pm. 

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