The College community warmly congratulates two current serving Paulines – College Fellow James Bell (in College 1969-75) and Director of Community Richard Morgan (in College 1978-82) – on receiving Order of Australia Medals (OAM) in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List.
James is recognised for his outstanding contribution to the arts, particularly through music and theatre. Richard is recognised for a lifetime of service supporting Australian youth and strengthening communities.
For both, this dedication can be traced back to their formative years at the University of Sydney as residents of St Paul’s College.
James Russell Godfrey Bell OAM (in College 1969-75)
As a University student, James studied Arts and Law, majoring in politics and music for his Arts degree. Alongside his studies, James was actively involved in a wide range of activities at the College and the University. He was a member of the Sydney University Regiment, where he served as a Lieutenant, was a soloist in the Music Department Pro Musica Choir, played the piano and sang at College events, took leading roles in the Intercollegiate G&S Society’s Princess Ida and Ruddigore, and was a regular performer in Mummers. He also served as Cellarmaster, Treasurer of the Students’ Club and Editor of The Pauline in 1975.
James was the Producer of Australia’s longest-running drama production, St Paul’s College Victoriana! for many years and retains the title of Producer Emeritus today. His appearances in countless seasons of Victoriana! have been book-ended by his debut in 1974 and his most recent guest appearance in 2024. It was his early involvement with Victoriana! that sparked a lifelong passion for live entertainment and the performing arts, although he insists that it was his acclaimed solo rendition of “A Frog Went Walking on a Summer’s Day” on radio 2GN Goulburn at the age of 5 that first introduced him to the joy of public performance!
Following a successful 20-year career in law, including as a Partner for 10 years at Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashursts), James launched his own legal practice in 1995 specialising in commercial, entertainment, and media law. Through this, he has provided legal representation and support to a wide variety of creatives, including established singers, actors, writers, and producers, as well as major television networks. He produced two highly successful recordings by Peter Cousens AM (at College 1975) and released them through Polydor and Polygram.
In 1977, at the invitation of Robert Albert (in College 1953-56) and Lloyd Waddy (in College 1958-61), James was appointed as a founding member of the board of the St Paul’s College Foundation and served as a director for 45 years. He has also been a member of the Committee of the St Paul’s College Union for over 50 years. In 1996 James was elected to the College Council as a Fellow, a position he continues to hold today, three decades on. In this role, James has championed the arts from within, both sustaining existing traditions and advocating for new opportunities. He has also remained closely involved in Victoriana!, taking on a variety of roles in its yearly production. From 2011 to 2015, he fulfilled an important role as Development Director assisting in the planning for what are now The Ivan Head Building and St Paul’s College Graduate House, including complex negotiations with the University in relation to the establishment of the Australian Institute of Nano-Science on former College lands.
James is currently a board member of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, which principally supports singers, instrumentalists, and conductors to study and perform overseas and bring their experience back to Australia; the William Fletcher Foundation supporting the visual arts; Braeside Music and Drama Limited supporting the performing arts; and the Seaborn Broughton and Walford Foundation, principally supporting Australian theatre. He has served as a Director of the NSW Polo Association, President of the Goulburn Polo Club, and as a member of the Bell Shakespeare Company Support Committee.
James acknowledges that he was especially inspired to contribute to life of the College by the service of Robert Albert and Lloyd Waddy and that it was Lloyd in particular who encouraged his contributions in the wider world of the arts.
Richard Morgan OAM (in College 1978-82)
Richard studied a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Museum Studies, and his commitment to community—first recognised while boarding at Cranbrook, where he served as Chapel Warden and Prefect and winner of the Holmes a’ Court Prize for service to the school—was further cultivated during his years of residence at St Paul’s College.
While at Paul’s, Richard was struck by the strong sense of service among those around him —whether through the Students’ Club, as students served the College through convenorships, or through peers volunteering in the Sydney University Regiment outside College. Richard served his College in a number of capacities, including convenorships of BBQ, Providoring, Cellarmaster, fire warden, on the Mummers Committee, and the Union.
He also co-founded the St Paul’s Luncheon Club, a collegiate gathering that regularly brought together up to 100 students from across the colleges for formal Sunday lunch in the Dining Hall. Many from his time at College still meet for an annual lunch on or near Australia Day. It is thought that this event has evolved at College into the “Wine Cellar Lunch” of today.
At the University, he served in several capacities, including as a member of the USU Child Care Centre Committee and several USU clubs and societies. While College Archivist he curated the intercollegiate archives exhibition at the University in 1982 with the help of colleagues from all the other colleges.
He was particularly inspired by old Paulines Lloyd Waddy (1958-61) and Robert Albert (1953-56), who had founded the St Paul’s College Foundation the year before Richard arrived. “I learnt from [Waddy and Albert] what it meant to be a community leader.” Richard reflects. “I have a lot to thank the College for in shaping my commitment to serving youth and the community”
It was this that inspired the 19-year-old Richard to begin his lifelong involvement with cadets, serving as a Lieutenant and working with young people across Australia.
For Richard, his first experience with the cadets whilst at College has led to more than four decades of continuous service as a volunteer—43 years with the Australian Army Cadets and 4 with the Australian Navy Cadets. He is the only person to have served as the senior cadet officer in two of the three cadet services, having held leadership roles including Head of Corps and National Assistant Commander of the Army Cadets with the rank of Colonel, and currently serving in the equivalent Navy Cadets role, National Commander, with the rank of Captain.
Richard’s studies included archaeology and, capturing his enthusiasm for this, in 1981 a Fellow of the College, Rev’d Dr Bill Jobling (1964), engaged him as his fieldwork research assistant on the Aqaba-Ma’an Epigraphic Survey of Southern Jordan. Bill and Richard worked together for many years on this project, and Bill supervised his Master of Arts.
Outside of his service with the Cadets, Richard has held leadership roles in education and government, including as principal of The Pittwater House Schools on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Founding Director of the Newcastle Regional Museum and Director of Tourism and Community at Forbes Shire Council prior to returning to College as a staff member in 2017. Richard has served on numerous boards and committees in the not for profit sector and continues as Chair of the Episcopal Ministry Fund which financially supports the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst. Richard is also a musician and plays the pipe organ for ceremonies and services. Being a long-standing Justice of the Peace he says he is kept busy by numerous calls on his services by students and staff of the University.
His current role as Director of Community at the College, held since 2017, has seen him play a vital role in connecting and strengthening the wider College community.
Ongoing service to the College
Today, James and Richard continue to actively serve the College community in their respective roles, and both have many years of service as elected members of the St Paul’s College Union Committee; Richard is Honorary Secretary.
On their recognition, College Warden Ed Loane said: “The College is forever grateful for the service James and Richard have shown over the decades. Their lives reflect what the College has, and continues to, aspire to foster in its community: a lifelong commitment to service. We are incredibly proud – and dare I say not surprised – to see their contributions recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List”
