A life of adventure. A legacy of service. Thank you, Mitch.

Article by Millie Hanlon, Frontier Services.

After almost two decades on the road, supporting communities across deserts, river crossings and more corrugated tracks than he can count, Bush Chaplain Rev Mitch Fialkowski has hung up his hat and retired from his post in the Murchison Remote Area of Western Australia.

Ordained in 1988, Mitch joined Frontier Services in 2005 when someone from the team asked, “What are your thoughts on camping?” Mitch shot back, “I’m fine so long as I can sleep on top of the car.”

True to his word, by early 2006 he found himself in Katherine, serving a ministry stretching across 128 stations, 10 isolated stores, 5 mine sites and 23 communities.

His memories are as wide-ranging as the landscapes he travelled: praying with families the moment they asked… supporting pastoral workers, First Nations communities and orchard crews… and one too-close-for-comfort encounter with a crocodile.

In 2012, Mitch moved west to Meekatharra, where he continued his Chaplaincy and volunteered as a driver with St John’s Ambulance.

“People want to speak to somebody, otherwise they can become desperate,” he said. “My work is with those going through difficult times, and they often tell me I’ve helped a lot because they have someone to talk to.”

Thanks, Mitch, for your years of selfless service to those living in the bush. And thank you to everyone whose kindness makes the work of Bush Chaplains like Mitch possible.