By Garry Sanossian
In February, Graham Blok accepted the role of Honorary Police Chaplain for Hawkesbury Police Area Command. For Graham, who also serves as a part-time chaplain at Pendle Hill Retirement Community (a Fresh Hope Communities retirement village), this new role represents another significant chapter in his diverse career of service.
His decision to take on police chaplaincy stemmed from recognising a vital need. “There are huge needs in the police force, it’s a challenging job. I was aware that it’s a demanding job and I thought, I’m interested in getting involved where there is a need,” he said.
The journey to police chaplaincy came after extensive experience in various caring professions. “I’ve been a churches of Christ chaplain at Pendle Hill coming up for three years, predominantly in aged care, now working mainly in the retirement community in the village,” Graham said.
His approach to this role is relationship focused. “First and foremost, it’s to develop relationships with the police and the support staff, the administration staff as well as the officers. Once you develop relationships and trust, when they do want to talk about a work issue or an out-of-work issue, they will come to you and you can offer support. It could be something that is challenging within their everyday job or could be a home or personal issue that’s challenging. I will also get called to critical incidents like serious events as well.”
Before stepping into chaplaincy, Graham built a career shaped by service, leadership and care across several sectors. “Previously I’ve been an educator. I was a teacher for 22 years. I did everything from classroom teacher to principal. Then I worked in the church for four years, and then for 10 years, I would be in workplaces in the transport industry as an emergency response chaplain,” he said.
“I’ve got a real heart to care for people that have been entrusted in my care. 1 Peter 5 talks about care for the flock that has been entrusted in your care. That’s always been my mission.”
Bruce Tindale, Chaplaincy Ministry Leader at churches of Christ, believes Graham is uniquely suited for the position. “Graham’s extremely relational and has a great gift of discernment. He brings a non-anxious presence into just about any situation and I find those very fine qualities of a chaplain.”
What makes these roles vital, is the emotional support chaplains provide to first responders. “These are spaces where people carry deep emotional wounds and moral injuries. Graham is well placed to support and care for them in that context,” Bruce said.
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