About

Meet the Padre

Hugh ‘Brighty’ Bright, grew up in Cooks Hill, surrounded by stories of relatives who’d served in WWII. His Dad, Bill, served in the Merchant Navy, then joined the RAN in 1943. He served in the Pacific, then in Japan after the war, served in Korea, and left in 1953 after marching at the
Coronation. His uncle, Les Poulson, served in Bomber Command in WWII, being KIA December 3rd 1944 over the North Sea.
His interest in military history and veterans was fostered very early in life. While interested
early in joining the RAN, his life took a different direction after leaving school.  He spent four years teaching, followed by twenty-five in full-time ministry. During this time, he actively engaged with veterans through ANZAC and Remembrance Day ceremonies, together with funeral ministries. He has been to the Western Front three times since 2015, following in the steps of relatives who served there.
In 1986 he married, Wendy, the granddaughter of the Commanding Officer of the 4th Light Horse Brigade, Brig-Gen JB Meredith. He missed Beersheba by a month, returning to Australia in September 2017.
He looks forward to continuing his links to veterans in this new role.