Gordon Tidy

Born in London, Tidy was the son of Major-General Thomas Holmes Tidy (c. 1808–1874), later assistant-Adjutant General of the Horse Guards, and Catharine Maister.[2] Thomas Tidy was the son of Colonel Francis Skelly Tidy (1775–1835).[3] Frank Tidy was the son of Reverend Thomas Holmes Tidy (1766–), chaplain to His Majesty's 26th regiment of foot, and later rector of Redmarshall, County Durham, England, and Henrietta Augusta Skelly (1766–).[4]

In 1871, aged 9, with a brother, Tidy was living with his parents at Thorpe Hall, Wycliffe with Thorpe, Yorkshire. He was later educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, England.

After an education at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Tidy rose to the rank of lieutenant of the 8th King's Regiment. Serving at Meerut, India in the 1880s, he once observed Robert Baden-Powell, the adjutant of the 13th Hussars, to be an excellent mimic and a leadership example.[5]

Tidy left the military as it was indicated he 'found the financial pace too hot, and abandoned the profession of Blood, after a while'.[6] Close friend Scottish-Australian poet and bush balladeer Will H. Ogilvie on the other hand indicated it was because Tidy 'could not ride!'[7]

From military life, Tidy went to sea, arriving in Australia and took up jackarooing. It was at Maaoupe station, near Penola, South Australia, and later at Nelungaloo station, near Parkes, New South Wales, that he served as tutor to the children of the station managers and owners.[1][7] Tidy met his life-long friend Ogilvie at Maaoupe, and together with Ogilvie, they formed a friendship with Harry 'Breaker' Morant (1864–1902) at Nelungaloo. He would later write Morant's obituary following the Second Anglo-Boer War court-marshal.[8]

Trout fishing was one interest of Tidy,[9] and likely contributed to his penning of two later books.

Finishing with Condobolin's newspaper, the Argus, following in the calling of his grandfather, in January 1898 Tidy became a catechist with the Church of England in the Nymagee district.[11]

Tidy administered with noted scholastic sermons both in Australia and England, whilst also temporarily converting to the Catholic Church.

• 1898 (June) – Church of England, Forbes, New South Wales, as curate;[12]
• 1903 – Kelso, as curate.[13] Tidy was ordained on 20 September 1903;[14]
• 1904 (September) – Ordained to full orders by Bishop Camidge of Bathurst.[15] He took up a position at Narromine;[16]
• 1906 – At Molong Tidy was considered to be 'a plain spoken preacher without any trimmings, who gets on the spot all the time';[17]
• 1906 – All Saints' Anglican Cathedral, Bathurst while Dean Marriott was on a leave of absence in England;
• 1909–1911 – Saint James' Anglican Cathedral, King Street, Sydney, as assistant to Reverend Carr Smith;
• 1911 (February) – Received into the Catholic Church, at Saint Stanislaus' College, Bathurst, before going to the Saint Columbus College, Springwood.[2] After travelling to Rome, identifying it was going to take five years to qualify as a priest, and being 54-years-of-age, Tidy reviewed his situation;[18][19][20]
• 1912 (May) – Reinstatement into the Anglican church;[21]
• 1912 (August) – Dymock, Diocese of Gloucester, England as assistant priest;[22]
• 1917 – Ditteridge, Wiltshire, as rector;[23]
• 1923 – Middleton, Chirbury, Shropshire; and[24]
• 1923–1936 – Stanton St Quintin, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, as rector.[25] In 1927, he was also in charge of the Hullavington parish.[26]

By 1939, Tidy had retired to Atcham, Shropshire.

Tidy died on 30 April 1953, Pontesbury, Shropshire, aged 91, as the last surviving son of his parents. He is buried in nearby Saint Lucia churchyard, Upton Magna.

• List of Australian poets