27 Facts About Bob Maguire

From 1973 to 2012, Maguire was parish priest of Sts Peter and Paul's Church in South Melbourne.

Robert John Bob Maguire was born on 14 September 1934 in the Melbourne suburb of Thornbury.

Bob Maguire's father, James Maguire, was a violent alcoholic who migrated from Glasgow in 1922.

Bob Maguire's siblings were Eileen, Kathleen, James and Marguerite.

The family was very poor and the young Bob Maguire rarely had socks and had to borrow his brother's old services overcoat to hide the holes in the clothes he wore to school.

Bob Maguire "looked up to his long-suffering mum" and saw her as a "model of Christian piety".

Bob Maguire attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School in Armadale from 1940 to 1947, and became an altar boy when he turned eight.

Bob Maguire received a scholarship from the Returned Services League to attend the private school Christian Brothers College, St Kilda, from 1948 to 1953.

Bob Maguire's father died from lung cancer in 1947, aged 63, and his mother died in 1950, aged 61, leaving Maguire orphaned at 15.

In 1953, at age 18, Bob Maguire began studying theology at Corpus Christi College, Melbourne, where he received his training for the priesthood.

Bob Maguire was ordained on 24 July 1960 at age 25.

From 1973 to 2012, Bob Maguire was parish priest of Sts Peter and Paul's Church in South Melbourne.

The Father Bob Maguire's Foundation began in 2003 "in an attempt to gather all my social investments together under one Board of Governance".

Bob Maguire was known as a "social justice warrior", one who cared deeply about the well-being of the poor, disadvantaged, the homeless and other vulnerable members of society.

Bob Maguire was the patron of Dance World, a local dance studio that offers scholarships and opportunities to local children.

Bob Maguire was previously chairman of Open Family and involved in Emerald Hill Mission, having been an integral part of the establishment of both organisations.

Bob Maguire hosted a radio show on Melbourne radio station 3AW.

Bob Maguire made a guest appearance on the Special Broadcasting Service television program John Safran vs God with the Melbourne satirist and documentarian John Safran.

Bob Maguire was co-host of Sunday Night Safran on Australian national youth radio station Triple J on Sunday nights from 2005 to 2015, and accumulated more than 120,000 followers on Twitter.

In October 2009, Bob Maguire started working as a judge for the public speaking contest Strictly Speaking, which aired in late 2010.

Bob Maguire joined other judges, including Jean Kittson and host Andrew Hansen.

On 7 September 2009, Bob Maguire announced on his blog that he had been contacted by church authorities and asked to tender his resignation on his upcoming 75th birthday.

Bob Maguire replied with a public announcement that he would leave the decision of whether he should stay or go to his congregation.

Bob Maguire held his last service at the church on 29 January 2012.

Bob Maguire continued his work at radio station Triple J until the end of 2015.

Bob Maguire died at Cabrini Hospital in Malvern, Melbourne, on 19 April 2023, at age 88.

Bob Maguire was posthumously made an Officer of the Order of Australia.