Researching Max Davis

Davis made a solitary official international appearance for New Zealand as a substitute in a 3–3 draw with Australia on 16 March 1973.Davis was a member of the Gisborne City team that in 1969 won entry into the inaugural New Zealand National League in 1970.He was with Mount Wellington when they won the National League in 1972, the Chatham Cup in 1973 and the Air New Zealand Cup in 1975. He also played in the 1972 Chatham Cup final that went to two replays before Christchurch United beat Mount Wellington 2–1 in Auckland, after the first game had ended 4–4 in Wellington and the second, 1–1 in Christchurch.In 1979, he returned to Gisborne City, who had been relegated to the Central League in 1976, and helped them win the league that year and, with it, promotion back to the National League.Davis had been to Britain at the end of the 1969 season and trained with West Ham for several months. Manager Ron Greenwood offered Davis a contract until the end of the 1969–70 season but he returned to Gisborne to play in the first season of the National League and try to make the New Zealand team. He was selected for three New Zealand team tours but each time missed out through injury.Davis played for Auckland against overseas teams that included Stoke City (Davis scoring a goal against England goalkeeper Gordon Banks in a 3–1 win), Wolverhampton Wanderers, Dundee, Hertha Berlin and Radnicki.He now lives in Australia with his wife Sharon.

Davis grew up in Perth. In his late teens, he served in the Royal Australian Navy in 1962–1964. He returned to Western Australia. Davis worked as a teacher at Saint Benedict's College in New Norcia in the late 1960s. He was ordained in 1971. He worked as a chaplain in the Army reserves and as a priest in the Archdiocese of Perth.

Davis was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1998 for service to the navy, particularly as Director General of Chaplaincy-Navy.

On 16 July 2003 Davis was appointed bishop of the Australian Military Ordinariate. He was consecrated bishop on 22 August 2003 by Bishop Geoffrey Mayne with Archbishop Francis Patrick Carroll of Canberra and Goulburn and Archbishop Francesco Canalini, Apostolic Nuncio to Australia as co-consecratirs.

In June 2014, Western Australian police charged Davis with having indecently assaulted a 13-year-old boy in 1969, before he had been ordained. Davis denied the charges and stood aside from his roles of office while the charges were heard. On 7 August 2015, he pleaded not guilty, and a six-day trial was set down to start on 6 February 2016 in the District Court of Western Australia. The six counts related to the period between December 1968 and October 1972 when Davis was dorm master at St Benedict's College at New Norcia. The Defence case accepted that the boys were abused, but denied that Davis was the culprit, identifying other (now dead) possible offenders. He was acquitted of all charges on 15 February 2016. He returned to public ministry in December 2017.

Pope Francis accepted his resignation on 24 May 2021.