"It seems to have gone by pretty quickly, but I can look back on it with a lot of satisfaction," he said.
Originally from Lower Hutt, Mr Davies was ordained on St Thomas’ Day, December 21, 1957, at Old St Paul’s Cathedral, in Wellington.
Since that time, he has been a vicar throughout New Zealand, spending time in Tauranga, Wellington, and Whanganui, as well as Wanaka.
In 1966, he received a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study overseas and contribute to life in New Zealand.
He undertook a postgraduate course in clinical pastoral education at Austin Hospital, in Melbourne.
But it was his time overseas as a trauma counsellor that really sets his career apart.
He was dispatched to provide spiritual assistance following major events including the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the Swissair plane crash in Halifax, Canada, in 1998 and the Queensland floods in 2011.
Mr Davies said being able to provide assistance to those traumatised was very satisfying.
"I had contact with people who had lost so much. Those events radically affected the lives of a lot of people. The atmosphere is one of loss, people are traumatised. It was shocking for those people."
However, his favourite memories are here in New Zealand.
He believed the biggest influence on his early Christian life was his dean at Nelson College, Eric Gowing, while his favourite parish remained one he worked at in Ngaio, Wellington, in the early 1970s.He moved to Wanaka in 2012 to be closer to his two daughters and grandchildren, and for a brief time he was the priest in charge of the Anglican Parish of Upper Clutha.
Mr Davies retired in 2014, but continues to give back to the Upper Clutha community.He is president of the Wanaka Pembroke Club and the Upper Clutha Senior Citizens Club, and vice-president of the Wanaka Croquet Club.
Looking back at his life, Mr Davies said he had no regrets.
"Involvement with people is what matters, trying to be true to my calling and true to the gospel, that’s what is most important."
