The passing of Father Bob Maguire is incredibly sad news.

I first met Father Bob way back in 1983 when I was 15 and at school doing a social work program. I spent a week with him seeing how he helped kids on the street.

I don’t often talk about religion, but the way Father Bob lived his Catholic values was an inspiration to me and to many, many others.

He would have been the best pope we never had, but he would have laughed at this because there was no way he was going to be constrained by convention.

There are a lot of things in life that if we don’t do someone else would. But occasionally you meet rare individuals that but for them things would never get done.

He would poke fun at those in power but he never stopped fighting for those without power.

Last August, Father Bob and I came up with a new plan to help vulnerable people get back into the system, along with our great mate Major Brendan Nottle from the Salvation Army.

The community partnership pilot was designed to better support Australians experiencing homelessness and other complex circumstances to access essential government help through organisations like the Father Bob Maguire Foundation.

God Bless, Father Bob. I’m sure heaven has its gates wide open for you, but goodness knows they are in for a ride.