MOYES' LIFE REVEALED By Ramon Williams

On Tuesday, November 14, the life and times of the Rev. Dr Gordon Moyes AM was revealed as never before. The latest publication of Openbook Publishers was launched by the Premier of New South Wales, the Hon. Bob Carr MP, before a crowd of over 200 supporters, church members and fellow workers. Even the panel operator of Dr Moyes' Sunday Night Live program on Radio 2GB, "Jason" said he "wouldn't miss it for anything".

The reason was the launch of the revealing book, Gordon Moyes: The Man, the Media, the Mission, by prolific author, Goldie M. Down. Mrs Down has exposed Dr Moyes' innermost thoughts, reactions, challenges and especially his life with his wife Beverly - as exposed in his diaries, note books and revelations by his staff workers.

Also on hand for this momentous occasion was the General Manager of Openbook Publishers, Warren Schirmer, the Assistant to the General Manager, Chris Pfeiffer and the Marketing Manager, Wayne Gehling. The Premier referred to the work of the Wesley Mission in Sydney, where Dr Moyes is the Superintendent. Mr Carr praised the work of Dr Moyes in making Wesley Mission "one of the three largest charities in Australia".

"Tonight we have much to celebrate as we launch this book," said Mr Carr. "It's a life beautifully recorded by Goldie Down from material freely made available to her." At 5.50 p.m. Mr Carr declared," It gives me great pleasure to proudly launch this book, Gordon Moyes: The Man, the Media, the Mission."

Mrs Down spoke of her decision to write the book when Dr Moyes was in hospital recovering from heart surgery. She marched into his hospital room, declaring "I'm going to write about your life". Dr Moyes assured her he hadn't finished with his life just yet, but promised her every assistance as he encouraged her to fulfil her desire.

"Beverley made available three cartons and two huge plastic bags filled to the brim, with scrap books, diaries and letters. I didn't need to do any research." It took her three years to "wade through the memorabilia", searching for any mention of cheating on his wife or embezzling church funds, but found neither. This book portrays a man and his wife facing difficult decisions, challenging projects and raising a family - yet communicating the gospel in every way possible.

Dr Moyes described the finished product as "the story of a couple, Beverley and I together". He thanks the many colleagues present and praised Goldie Down for her attention to detail.

His passion for preaching "realism" over 40 years has taken him to many countries in the world where he has shared his experiences with other leaders and the ministers of tomorrow.

"The one word I would choose to describe myself as portrayed in this book would be 'Evangelist'," said Dr Moyes. "However, it could also be said that he was a 'Builder', because of the numerous buildings completed, to serve the needs of people from all walks of life." Representatives from Openbook Publishers revealed that this was the first in a different approach to their normal line of book publishing, but "clearly it is a winner".

Gordon Moyes: The Man, the Media, the Mission is available at $29.95 and will be appreciated by all those who have had contact with Dr Moyes through his ministries, television and radio programs, as well as his many community involvements.

As a promotional news release stated: "The book gives the general reader an insight into the background and character of this prominent and charismatic Australian churchman". Here is the life of the Rev. Dr Gordon Moyes AM revealed for all to see.