Frederic Slaney Poole, generally referred to as F. Slaney Poole or Canon Poole, was an Anglican priest in South Australia.
History
Poole was born at Maidstone, Kent in 1845, the son of engraver Thomas Slaney and Elizabeth Martha. At age thirteen became a student at the Manchester Grammar School, followed by St John's College, Cambridge, where he took his degree in 1867. When Bishop Augustus Short was visiting England in 1867, he engaged Poole as a master for St Peter's College, Adelaide, but on Poole's arrival in Adelaide aboard St Vincent in 1867, it was found that this post had been filled, so a position was found for him at Poonindie Mission where he could serve as catechist until he reached the age of 23 and could be canonized. In 1868 he was appointed curate to Archdeacon Thomas Nowell Twopeny, of Mount Gambier, stationed at Robe. The following year he was ordained priest, and remained at Robe till 1870, when he was appointed headmaster of Christ Church Grammar School, Mount Gambier. He left for England aboard St Vincent in February 1871, returning in December that year, He was appointed to Christ Church, Strathalbyn, from 1872 to 1874, when he was appointed Rector of St John's Church, Adelaide, at the eastern end of Halifax Street. For the next twenty one years he was incumbent of St John's, which under his stewardship underwent a dramatic transformation. A fine new Church was built on Acres 581 and 582 in 1877, the parsonage rebuilt, new schoolrooms erected and St Mary Magdalene's Mission Church, on Halifax and Moore streets to the west of St John's, was built from material salvaged from the old church. The architect of the new church was R. Garlick Howell and the builder was William Rogers who also built the Jubilee Exhibition Building and Rymill House. In 1895 he was transferred to Ballarat, Victoria, the training ground for Australian Bishops, as vicar of St Peter's Church in that city. He remained there for three years but increasing deafness made continued service there untenable. He returned to Adelaide, where he was appointed chaplain to Bishop Harmer in 1900, examining chaplain to Bishop Thomas in 1906, Canon of St Peter's Cathedral in 1907, and was elected a fellow of the Australian College of Theology in 1910.
He died at home after a short illness; his remains were buried at the North Road Cemetery. Rev. H. J. Poole A.M., Dean of Adelaide in 1870, was not closely related, though Poole did have an older brother, a sailor aboard City of Adelaide who became an Anglican clergyman, serving in Fiji and Lismore, Grenfell, and Brewarrina.
Other interests
Poole was a keen cricketer, and vice-president of the Strathalbyn Cricket Club in 1872
