Obituary REV. DR. N. L. D. WEBSTER

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28445, 27 November 1957, Page 7

Obituary REV. DR. N. L. D. WEBSTER

A former minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Christchurch, the Rev. Dr. Norman L. B. Webster, died at his home in Melbourne on Monday after a long illness. Dr. Webster was minister of St. Andrew’s from 1921 until 1929 and was an outstanding preacher and organiser, of church activities.

Called to St. Andrew’s from Mornington, Victoria, Dr. Webster concerned himself with youth work in Christchurch and was instrumental in beginning the St. Andrew’s day kindergarten, one of the first in New Zealand. He was remarkable for his memory for names, and in spite of the large parish of St. Andrew’s he was able to call any of his parishioners by name. Always a powerful and popular speaker, Dr. Webster drew large congregations to his services and seats were frequently placed in the aisles of the church to accommodate the extra numbers. In 1929, Dr. Webster received a call to Scots Church, Adelaide, and shortly before the war he was called to St. Andrew’s, Brisbane. During the war he and his congregation accepted the problem of the large numbers of servicemen passing through Brisbane as a personal challenge to further the work of the church. Large numbers of American and Australian servicemen attended his services and were made welcome in the city by members of the congregation. In 1954 Dr. Webster retired to Melbourne and continued to give many sermons and addresses which were always well attended. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.