Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

On 22 July 1938 Green received the honour of reading the dedication at the unveiling of the Australian War Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France.

PADRE GREEN'COLLECTOR OF STORIES
Criticises Church Congress

Rev. George Green, one of the delegates to the Australian Church Congress just concluded in Adelaide, before leaving for Melbourne by the express yesterday, said that he felt that the gathering had not been up to standard."The congress subject was too diffuse," remarked Mr. Green, "and I think it would be better in the future to tackle a more limited subject and do it thoroughly. Compared with the report of the congress held in Adelaide in 1902, this assembly was certainly not of the same intellectual standard, and it did not grip in the same way."Yet, socially it. was a great success. A friendly, happy feeling existed. All visitors speak most enthusiastically of the excellent time. they have, had, and will go back to work refreshed by their experience. They have not had an opportunity publicly to thank hosts and hostesses, and I should like to say all are indeed appreciative. "However, personally, only having passed through Adelaide before, the chief joy of this visit has been the revival of war memories and renewal of Australian Imperial Force friendships. I left in1914 a Church of England padre with the 1st Light Horse Brigade, and therefore knew members of the 3rd Light Horse Regiment from South Australia intimately, not only in Egypt but for six months on Gallipoli."

Message of Church It was on the peninsula that Padre Green was so well known as "Old Sol," a nickname he gained early, and it stuck to' him throughout the war. It was not only the "diggers" who called their padre "Old Sol;" it appeared at times even in official orders, and officers of high rank often used those words of address speaking of, or to, Mr.Green. The padre speaks of his time on Gallipoli as his finest experience of close comradeship and individual heroism throughout the war. He made it his business to collect stories and to retail them to groups of men in their scattered positions. Asked if he found that the former soldier responded to the message of the Church, the padre replied, "1 fear not." However, there may be as many causes of this as there are men." he continued." The common saying, 'I have no time for the Church is, I fear, literally true, and if the former soldier gave more time to the study. of its. message he would find there in all the truths of fellowship and sacrifice which the 'digger' displayed so magnificently in the war, and which could be translated into the moral equivalent of war in civil life.
Reputation Maintained "I wish that the Church would experiment and venture more boldly to attract these excellent men to its service." "Have you maintained your reputation of collector of stories while in Adelaide?" the padre was asked."Here are a couple of congress yarns," he replied. "In the open-air procession on the first night of congress, Ven. Archdeacon Forster (administrator of the Diocese of Armidale) was robed as a doctorof divinity, resplendent in scarlet. -One girl spectator remarked in an awed voice, 'Look, here comes the Cardinal!' "MIr. Green told another of a South Australian parson of corpulent proportions who had just gone to a new parish, being discussed by two lady parishioners, think he is rather bellicose," said . one."Indeed." remarked the other; "I fancied he had been losing weight lately."

The News Adelaide Friday 26 October 1928 page 10