![The Reverend Gavin Krebs will be installed as the new dean of Goulburn's Saint Saviour's Cathedral in early July. Picture supplied. The Reverend Gavin Krebs will be installed as the new dean of Goulburn's Saint Saviour's Cathedral in early July. Picture supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/054a495b-939c-4989-9791-1d4f71823895.jpg/r0_0_4608_3451_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A new Anglican dean of Saint Saviour's Cathedral has been announced following a 16-month search.
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The Reverend Gavin Krebs, 56, will take up the appointment in early July.
He and wife, Anna, are no strangers to Goulburn. In November, 2018 he was ordained as a priest at the Cathedral and divided his time between Saint Saviour's and Saint Nicholas Church, North Goulburn.
Anna is also a deacon and is president of the Friends of Saint Saviour's Cathedral.
Bishop Mark Short announced the appointment to the Canberra/Goulburn diocese on Sunday, May 26.
He said there were some 10 to 12 applicants for the position from Australia and overseas. Ultimately it came down to two people. The Bishop and a small Cathedral chapter sub-group selected The Reverend Krebs.
"Gavin has a clear vision for the Cathedral's ministry and is committed to building on the foundations laid by others but also exploring new ways of reaching out to the community," Bishop Short said.
"He has a history of growing and serving congregations and ministries but also reaching out to new people."
The Reverend Krebs said he was very pleased to be appointed to the role.
"It's a calling. I felt very strongly that I wanted to come back to the Cathedral. Since 2018 I've felt it was my spiritual place," he said.
It's been a rapid rise but The Reverend Krebs described his journey to ministry as a "continual drip."
He was born and raised on a Moree property and became a christian at a young age. He participated in youth groups and Inter-School Christian Fellowship.
![Anna Krebs with fellow server, Ray Bloomfield from Wagga Wagga, at a 2022 service at Saint Saviour's Cathedral. Picture by Louise Thrower. Anna Krebs with fellow server, Ray Bloomfield from Wagga Wagga, at a 2022 service at Saint Saviour's Cathedral. Picture by Louise Thrower.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/a45519c4-618c-4987-b679-83d51fc1a1b0.jpeg/r0_0_2849_2706_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He initially studied rural science at the University of New England and then worked as a research assistant at the institution. Later he transferred to pharmacy at the University of Queensland.
The then Mr Krebs worked as a community pharmacist for 18 years at Ipswich, Mudgee, Bathurst, and Goulburn.
All the while, he found himself in church leadership roles.
"At Bathurst, a couple pulled me aside and said I was called to the ministry and I needed to explore it. It had been slowly trickling through my mind...The two things married up at the right time," he said.
Mr Krebs was a lay preacher at Bathurst in about 2012 and worked beside the then Dean, The Very Reverend Anne Wentzel. She is now acting dean of Saint Saviour's Cathedral. The Reverend Krebs said she encouraged him and played a major role in his formation.
He embarked on a Master of Theological Studies at Melbourne's Trinity College Theological School (Melbourne), completing his part-time studies in 2019. At the same time he was working 50 hours a week as a pharmacist and was married with three children.
Following The Reverend Krebs' ordination and his ministry in Goulburn, he served as assistant priest in the Wagga Wagga parish and was Anglican chaplain to The Forrest Centre. He also provided pastoral care to the staff and parents of The Riverina Anglican College as their community chaplain.
Since 2019, The Reverend Krebs has served as the Rector of Saint Alban's Anglican Church Woden. In his impending new role, The Reverend Krebs sees many challenges.
![Acting dean of Saint Saviour's Cathedral, Canon Anne Wentzel and retired bishop, George Browning at a recent service officiated by Bishop Mark Short. Picture by Louise Thrower. Acting dean of Saint Saviour's Cathedral, Canon Anne Wentzel and retired bishop, George Browning at a recent service officiated by Bishop Mark Short. Picture by Louise Thrower.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/23cc4180-ec4f-4f31-8f1e-89cfc146eb75.JPG/r0_0_4288_2801_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Despite building on the shoulders of giants, the parishes throughout Canberra and Goulburn have an older demographic," he said.
"Part of the challenge is building up congregations but also encouraging people to see that it is their role too. I am just one person..."
"In a wider sense, my passion and drive is to see Saint Saviour's recognised as not just a beautiful building but the spiritual home of the Canberra/Goulburn diocese."
As in European countries, he wants the community to use the Cathedral more extensively. This could include public forums and school visits.
The Reverend Krebs marvelled at architect Edmund Blacket's detail at Saint Saviour's. The structure's restoration will be ongoing.
Towards the end of the year, Anna Krebs will also be ordained as a priest. The couple have three grown up children - David, Eleanor and Joanna.
The new dean and his wife will move to Goulburn from Canberra.
![The soon to be dean of Saint Saviour's Cathedral, The Reverend Gavin Krebs, would like to see the building used more extensively by the community. Picture by Louise Thrower. The soon to be dean of Saint Saviour's Cathedral, The Reverend Gavin Krebs, would like to see the building used more extensively by the community. Picture by Louise Thrower.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/f317cb41-804a-4808-9156-74bfe18b8739.JPG/r0_0_4288_2848_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Reverend Krebs will be installed as dean and inducted as a rector of the parish at a service expected to be held in early July. He replaces Dean Phillip Saunders who retired in January, 2023.
Bishop Short said he looked forward to working with him to "grow the Cathedral further as the spiritual heart of the diocese and of the city of Goulburn."
Canon Anne Wentzel will continue as sub-dean.
In related news, The Venerable Vanessa Bennett was appointed assistant bishop of the Canberra/Goulburn diocese in early May. Her predecessor, Carol Wagner, retired in March.
The Venerable Bennett was previously rector of West Goulburn parish and more recently served as archdeacon in the Melbourne diocese.