Roger
Andrew Palmer, NSW / ACT State Director and
former theology student of Roger’s, shares
from his experiences of ‘The Clown Prince’.
As a (very) young undergraduate in Theology, circa 1991,
I had the privilege being a student of Roger Kemp at
Morling College. Each lecturer was given a nick-name,
something that captured their qualities and quirks. Roger
was crowned ‘The Clown Prince’ and I recall this with a
reminiscent sparkle of an upstart student. This moniker
did genuinely fit. Roger resounded in both fearsome
intellect and wit, a refreshing combination of character
that often amused himself to laughter, which endeared
the love of his students.
We laughed a lot and we learned a lot from Roger and, in
reflection, we were shaped as young men and women.
Roger’s style was discipleship by stealth. At that age I
have no qualms in sharing with you that I lived in a very
small and pretty myopic world. Little was my perception
of how Rev. Dr Roger Kemp was to influence my life and
many others.
Prior to joining Global Interaction in 2012 I read, listened
and learned about the organisation and over the years
Roger’s name would come up regularly. It will be no
surprise that there was more to ‘The Clown Prince’ than
the 1991 version of me ever realised.
Roger and his wife Barbara were pivotal in establishing
the Theological College of Central Africa (TCCA). Roger’s
natural capacity for teaching and preaching was
complemented by Barbara who was centrally involved
as registrar, librarian and pianist. If a job needed doing it
seems that God had Barbara well equipped.
Roger’s deep commitment to formation work
at the theo