Vernon Cornish was an actor, a musician and a journalist, but he became an Anglican priest. His life was cut short just before he was to be installed as Bishop of Tasmania. His formative years were in the Depression, World War II and the optimism of the 1950s. In the 1960s the face and role of churches changed. Nurtured in the old church, Vernon was called to minister to the new. His deep faith and his many talents endeared him to many. His sudden death shocked the church and the nation.