St Peter's, East Melbourne, has always been an Anglican Church with a difference—promoting a highly traditional liturgy while, at times, encouraging its congregation to a serious study of socialism and other political ideologies. It has had an eclectic mix of clergy, including a Chinese priest, a vicar who was a champion rower, and a vicar who had no qualms about promoting a political agenda. Colin Holden firmly places the history of the parish in the broader context of Melbourne and national history.