February 7, 2004
Michael Bradshaw Chapman was one of the first Catholic laymen to attend an RS1 weekend, here in Australia in 1968. Ray Richmond was the Methodist minister in a small country town, Rylstone, five hours drive from Sydney. Mike and his wife Nan first came over to Chicago in 1973. During the years that followed Mike and Nan went to many countries; visiting ICA projects.
For the last 2 years of his life Mike had been a volunteer with a Catholic Lay organisation- living in a small village about an hour from Dili, East Timor. He was very keen to offer his talents. He was a skilled community developer, and trained the local people in just about anything – especially in mechanics. He had only finished his two year sojourn on December 20, and flown back here to spend Christmas with Nan and his six children and their families. Mike died peacefully at his home at the breakfast table. Yesterday Jim and I and the Telfords and Richmonds were among a very large group of people at his funeral to say goodbye to him.
~~ Isobel Bishop
