A. E. Illingworth

Illingworth was born at 289 Lygon Street, Carlton, Victoria, the only son of Frederick Illingworth (1844–1908) and Elizabeth Illingworth, née Tarry, who married on 5 September 1867.^[2] His father was a lay preacher with the Church of Christ in Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, from around 1875, moving to Sandhurst in 1886.^[3] The son studied evangelism at the Bible College in Melbourne.^[4]

Both father and son moved to Western Australia around the end of 1895, and A. E. Illingworth began preaching at the Protestant Hall, Fremantle in March 1896.^[5] His father, about whom there were stories of shady land deals with other people's money, was meanwhile settling into politics as Leader of the Opposition.^[6] In 1897 he was registered as a marriage celebrant^[7] In 1898 he was elected treasurer of the newly-established Association of Churches of Christ,^[8] and secretary in 1900, with his father as president.^[9] In 1902 he left Perth to become minister of the Cannon Street, Petersham, church and attend the seventeenth annual conference of the Churches of Christ at The Tabernacle, Metropolitan Road, Enmore.^[10] In 1908 he left Petersham for Paddington.^[11] In 1911 he was elected organising secretary of the NSW churches^[12] and transferred to the Mosman church.^[13] The following year he was elected president of the Conference of the Associated Churches of Christ in New South Wales,^[14] and transferred back to the Enmore Tabernacle.^[15] In 1915 he was elected federal president,^[16] succeeded by W. C. Brooker.^[17]

He resigned the Enmore pulpit in 1918^[18] to take the church at Malvern, Victoria at the corner of Alma and Dandenong roads. His successor was Henry G. Harward.^[19] In April 1924, while still president of the ecumenical Council of Churches in Victoria, he was elected president of the Victorian Conference of the Churches of Christ.^[20] In September 1926 he transferred to the Church of Christ City Temple, on Campbell Street^[21] but resigned in January 1928 and returned to Melbourne, taking the Northcote pulpit.^[22] In 1931 he left Victoria for the Robert Street, Hindmarsh, South Australia, church^[23] He was elected president of the South Australian Conference in 1934.^[24] Mr and Mrs Illingworth returned to Melbourne briefly in 1934 to participate in the Centenary celebrations,^[25] briefly then permanently in 1936 to take charge of the Buckley Street, Essendon, Church.^[26] On 18 February 1942 the Illingworths celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.^[27]

He died in 1942, and after a service at the Church of Christ, Parkdale, his remains were interred at the New Cheltenham Cemetery, Holloway Road, Cheltenham, Victoria.