Rayner was educated at the Church of England Grammar School in
Brisbane, Queensland (now known as the
Anglican Church Grammar School and popularly called "Churchie"). and the
University of Queensland. He was ordained
priest in 1953. His first ordained ministry position was as
chaplain at
St Francis' Theological College in Brisbane, followed by
incumbencies in
Sunnybank and
Wynnum, during which time he completed his
doctoral thesis on the history of
Anglicanism within the
Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. In 1969, Rayner became
Bishop of Wangarrata in
Victoria: he was consecrated a bishop on 24 June at
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne. In 1975 he was
translated to the
see of
Adelaide in South Australia as its
archbishop. During his time in Adelaide he was appointed to be an officer of the
Order of Australia (OA). From 1990 to 1999, he was Archbishop of Melbourne. He was widely appreciated for his "masterly presidential style" and as a preacher. From 1989 to 1991, he was Acting Primate of Australia and then the Primate of Australia from 1991 to 1999. While archbishop and primate he supported the ordination of women to the priesthood and ordained the first women priests in the Diocese of Melbourne in 1992. Rayner died on 12 January 2025 at the age of 95. == See also ==