Gathering at Redman Farm in Pomonal on the weekend of January 12, an open air church service was conducted by Mr Banfield for guests and parishioners from Ararat and Stawell on the Sunday morning.

A number of Mr Banfield’s friends, also in their nineties, were also in attendance. 

Mr Banfield has been involved in community work his whole life, and is the great-grandson of Jabez Banfield,  the founder of The Ararat Advertiser.

Mr Banfield’s first job was with the paper, where he worked for a number of years after leaving school.

He said that on one occasion the paper boy did not turn up for work, so he got on his bicycle and delivered the papers himself.

He also joined the Church of England Boy’s Society, where he became a leader.

He shared his love of the mountains and led many hikes and cycling trips in and around the Grampians.

Most weekends Mr Banfield helped his father, Walter, on the family farm.

The farm had been in the family for just over 100 years and in 1949 Mr Banfield led the first of a number of camps for boys there.

In 1953 Mr Banfield left the paper to study for the ministry of the Anglican Church at a monastery at Crafters, located within 500 metres of the summit of Mount Lofty in South Australia.

After working in parishes in the Diocese of Wangaratta, Mr Banfield was invited to work in a Parish in Leeds, United Kingdom.

On the way to England Mr Banfield spent time in America experiencing the latest developments in Christian education.

For five years Mr Banfield worked as the Bishop’s Chaplain for youth in the Diocese of Derby, with special responsibilities of working with statutory and voluntary youth clubs and centres.

He was a leader for a number of youth camps and he gave a high priority to giving young people the opportunity to join in outdoor activities like hiking and climbing.

Mr Banfield also took part in two courses run by the British Mountaineering Association while overseas.

During the courses he climbed a number of snow and ice peaks in Switzerland and Scotland, and went on to climb the Matterhorn in Switzerland.

Upon his return to Australia in 1967 Mr Banfield was appointed parish priest of St David’s East Doncaster, where he also conducted services in homes.

He also organised and led family adventure camps for the Diocese of Melbourne, with camps at Mount Buffalo and the Grampians. 

Mr Banfield promoted family camping as one of the best forms of youth work.

From 1980 camps were run at Redman Farm with hiking and rock climbing in the Grampians, and canoeing and sailing at Lake Fyans and others in the region.

This was the beginning of the establishment of a camping ground, Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Park, which continues to be run by Mr Banfield’s son Aidan and daughter-in-law Nessa.