Rockhampton's Early Clergy By Fitzroy
Courageous Ministers of the Gospel.
Rockhampton, as well as other districts of Queensland, owes much to the courage, earnestness, and self sacrifice of those clergy-of all denominations-who were called to face the rigours of a hot and dry climate with other disadvantages of which but little was then understood, in order that the Gospel tidings should be spread among those pioneers who had penetrated into a new country to better of their fortune and to establish themselves in life.
Among those pioneers there were but few who gave much thought to spiritual matters, and the greater became the necessity that they should have people whom they could revere and respect to remind them of their duty to God as well as to their fellow man. In settled districts, where people had established their homes, the clergy were shore of a welcome, but among a heterogeneous crowd from strange places and countries, experience were quite different. Ministers of the Gospel had to feel their way, as it were, two they got a few of their adherents together, so that they could consult and devise means for establishing the Church and a following. This was an undertaking that usually required patience, pertinacity, and a determination not to be beaten. Added to these qualifications there was needed a hopefulness to carry them through every setback they encountered, and a faith that gave them the power to convince.
It will easily be recognised that what was needed was men of almost special qualifications as well as those of good physique. No doubt these things we duly considered when clergy were send out to do the pioneering in Central Queensland, for future results proved that many of the advance clergy made quite a success of their undertaking, and in spite of hardships, the diseases of the new country, and other disabilities, lived to a venerable old age, and were beloved and respected not only by their own special flocks, but by the community at large. The Anglican Church
The fact of efforts being made in 1859 for the separation of Queensland from New South Wales put all religious denominations on the alert to send representatives to the new colony. The new state was established in December, 1859, and it was only right that the Established Church should be the first in the field, and before that year was out the right Reverend Edward Wyndham Tufnell was ordained the first Anglican Bishop of Queensland, and with all expectation settled himself in Brisbane.
Then came the appointment of the clergy to their different towns and districts, a somewhat slow process because of the few men are available. As had been already pointed out Rockhampton was left a few hundred of enterprising men who had gone to the Canoona rush, and thus it had jumped into a sudden importance that did not extend to all places. The man chosen to take charge of Rockhampton was the Reverend Thomas Jones, then apparently under 30 years of age, and the sturdy little man arrived in Rockhampton in 1861.
It will be an indication of his lovable character to state that almost from the day of his landing his adherants and the public gave him the familiar name of "Tommy," which stuck to him. The Reverend Thomas once was considered to be very High Church, for at this period or a little earlier, there had been innovations in church observances, which were anathema to followers of the low-church. As compared with some churchs of the present day Thomas James would certainly be regarded as a follower of the low system, rather than high.
From a purely personal point of view, few, if any, who have followed Mr. Jones at St Paul's, have ever been held in higher esteem. As a consequence, though other denominations followed the establishment of the Church of England with some speed, and the fact that the population was very small, the Reverend Mr Jones soon had a fairly numerous and faithful gathering.
The initial trouble was of course to find a place in which to hold services. Almost the only structure for such gathering was the Court House, and that building was given up to Mr Jones and also to the Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics, as will be shown. Rockhamptons first Anglican Church
Meanwhile Tommy Jones did the best he could, and also started to make provision for the erection of a Church, the land having previously been secured at the corner of our Alma and William Street, where St Paul's Cathedral now stands. So active was he in his endeavours that the plans were drawn, the contract let, and the edifice erected early in 1862. Then came the consecration by Bishop Tufnell, and Rockhampton had its first Anglican Church, with the Reverend Thomas Jones as its rector. The building, with subsequent editions, did duty till 1883, when the present beautiful cathedral, every stone of which is said to have been laid by the late George Sanderson and, of Stanwell, was consecrated by of the late Bishop Hale and put into use instead of the old wooden building.
The Rev. Mr Jones was transferred to Brisbane in 1864, and soon became equally beloved in his new spere of action. As Canon James he was the pastor of All Saints and Indoorapilly. A dozen years or more ago he paid a brief visit to Rockhampton and held services in the Cathedral which replaced the church he had built. He was then a very old man, but the same kindly spirit remained "Tommy" still hold a warm place in the hearts of those who remembered him in the old days. Mr Jones quite naturally was a greatly admired, respected and liked in the metropolis as in Rockhampton, and the splendid response to the call for a memorial to his memory proved that he had endearedd himself to thousands. Cannon Jones had nearly became a nonagerian at the time of his demise.
After the hard pioneering work it might have been thought the duties of Rector had become less burdensome, but be that as it may, there were rather rapid changes of ministers. The Reverend W Wright, J R Black, R. Leigh, J Gilbrtson, and others followed in rather rapid succession, and of these rather numerous rectors the Rev. W. A Diggins and A. Richards remained the longest till more recent times. It is only fair to state that the Cathedral was built during Mr Diggins incumbency, and that he took the greatest interest in the slow progress of the erection, which lasted a few years.
It may be stated that the See of Rockhampton was established in 1892, when Dr. Dawes D.D., was elected the Bishop of the new diocese. He was the first Anglican bishop consecrated in Australia. The Presbyterian Church
Smart as were the Anglicans and establishing the Church in Rockhampton, they were actually beaten by the adherence of the Presbyterian Church, who sent up the Reverend Samuel Kelly in 1861, earlier in the year than the Rev. Thomas Jones appeared. Being first on the ground Mr Kelly lost no time in making the arrangement for building a Church which took the form of a wooden building in Derby Street. The Church was erected and duly opened, it was the first edifice devoted specially to the worship of Almighty God that Rockhampton ever possessed.
Where the Rev. S Kelly was removed is not remembered by the writer, but he departed in 1863, and was succeeded by the Rev A C Smith, a Scotsman. He was a very earnest man, who delighted in plain speaking, a strong accent charmed the Scotish portion of his congregation, which was fairly large for those early times. Rockhamptons first Presbyterian Church
If no mistake is made the Rev. James Carson succeeded Mr Smith, and there were one or two other changes up to the year 1876, when the Rev. Alexander Hay, afterwards Dr Hay D.D. was appointed. The Rev. gentleman became a very important person in Rockhampton, and knowing and no institution of a learned character was ever introduced into the city but the Reverend Jones took an active part in its welfare and progress. But it is hard to please every person, and with age the old gentleman became more conservative, as some of his followers complained that his sermons which to learned. When nearing 80 years of age Dr. Hay resigned. That was in 1913, after an incumbency of 37 years. Dr. Hay was fairly vigorous, both mentally and bodily, when he retired. He proceeded to Sydney, where he died a few years ago. He was succeeded in Rockhampton by the Rev. J Walker, who in turn gave place to the Rev. J. Hunter and Mr Walker is the Minister of St. Pauls, Leichhardt Street, Brisbane.
Among the early prominent supporters of the Presbyterian Church were W. J. Brown, Water Police Magistrates and Sub-Collector of Customs. Dr William Callaghan, and Andrew Bertram.
The old Church that did service for so many years for public worship still stands, and is used as a Sunday school, but the handsome St Andrew's Church has long since taken its place for devotional purposes. TheRoman? Catholic Church
Soon after Queensland became a separate state Bishop Quin was appointed to the position of head of that Church. The bishop arrived in Brisbane in May, 1861, and by his vigour and administrative abilities soon proved he was the right man for the position. Very soon after the Presbyterian and Anglican ministers had been sent to open their churches in Rockhampton, the Bishop sent up father Scully to carry out the preliminaries for establishing the Roman Catholic Church in what was destined to be the central capital. Like the Rev. S. Kelly and the Rev. T Jones, father Scully obtained commissions to hold mass is the courthouse. According to the information possessed by the writer, father Scully came to Rockhampton alone, but soon after gave place to father Duhig, but Mr. J. Jagged states that "father Scully and Duhig came together, and held services in the Old Court House, at which I was present."
This seems to show that both priests took part in the initiatory services of the Roman Catholics. It is a matter of small importance at this time of day, because we may show both worked hard at getting their flock consolidated, and in getting the first church erected. This was done on a block of ground quite near, if not joining, the Presbyterian Church, at the corner of a Alma and Derby street.
Father Scully having departed, after a brief residence, Father Duhig was left in charge in 1862, and in 1863 a French priest named Father Murlay (afterwards Dean Murlay) arrived and took up the management of the church and congregation. Father Murlay was just the man for a mixed community. And during for many years he remained in Rockhampton he won not only the respect of his own followers, but of all classes of the community. He afterwards left for Sydney where he joined the Marit Brotherhood or some years subsequently being sent to the college and Gladstone, where after many years of spiritual subvention the good old man passed away honoured and regretted by every person, having obtained a great age. St Josephs Cathedral Rockhampton 1900
Among the other priests of the early days who will be remembered, was Father MacDonough?, who was a terror to those boys who so frequently "wagged it" from school.
The first Roman Catholic Bishop of Rockhampton was Bishop Cani, An Italian. During his occupancy of the See the good Bishop laid the foundation stone of the present handson Joseph's Cathedral, but he did not live to see buildings completed, its ection occupying several years. The building was consecrated in 1899 by Bishop Higgins, who succeeded Bishop Cani. The cathedral was opened by the late Cardinal Moran. Bishop Higgins after a few years was transferred south and was succeeded by Bishop Duhig, who is turned, when elevated to Archbishop Coadjudicator, made way for Bishop Shiel. The Congregational Church
The Congregational denomination was particularly strong and vigorous 60 years ago, and that persuasion was among the first to plant its colours in Rockhampton. Indeed the Rev. Samuel Savage, representing that Church was so quick to arrive after the Rev. Thomas Jones, that it is questionable whether he was not the third midges representative to arrive. Mr Savage like the others, put up with many inconveniences in order to form his people into a concrete body, but was prominent in getting a little Church erected on the ground in Bolsover Street were the John Knox Church now stands. There were few wealthy followers of the Church, but they were very earnest, and put down their places with a liberal hand. Among the adherents were John Palmer and John Ferguson, who formed a host in themselves. Later a larger church was erected, and still later that large and handsome buildings now in Campbell Street, which is much more convenient for the majority of worshipers.
The Rev. S. Savage was transferred to Brisbane, and his loss was felt very severely by those who had learned to admire and love him. The Other Churches
It is believed the followers of the Baptist, Wesleyan, Methodist-and Primitive Methodist persuasions all held small open-air meetings, and also in a private houses, until such time as enough money could be raised to make a start with building a church for each denomination. These little meetings date back to 1861, but it was not till 1864 that all three had their curches constructed. The clergy sent, would call a meeting of their endherents, and urge on them the necessity for building a church with all speed. Worked up to a state of enthusiasm that listeners were induced to pledge themselves for comparatively large sums, and so there was soon enough to justify it a start being made in building. Most of these churches were in debt for a number of years, but on the whole the public responded much more generously than might have been expected.
The result of these efforts was that by 1864 the Baptists had a little Church in Denison Street, there Weslyans, a nice building in Kent Street (now the gospel Hall), and the Primitive Methodist Church in Fitzroy Street, between Bolsover and East streets by 1864. Again quoting Mr Jagger, it is found that the Rev. Mr Hinton was the first Baptist minister, the Reverend Mr Colley, the first to act in that capacity for the Primitive Methodists, and the Rev. B. Dixon the first Wesleyan Methodists.
All three of these sects now have got fairly large edifices in which to hold worship, so that the followers have no excuse for absenting themselves from the lack of room. The Primitive Methodist Church is in Archer Street, and was erected partly as a memorial church to the Rev. Robert Hartley, who did so much in furtherance of the Church is pioneering days.
Other denominations-Seventh Day Adventist, Plymouth Brethren, Church of Christ, Quakers, etc-were not strongly in evidence in the early times, but have attained some prominence since. These no doubt are endeavouring to do the work of the master to the best of their ability and according to their rights, and who shall say that they are not doing right? The Salvation Army
There was news Salvation Army under and that name, when the writer first came to Queensland. There are thousands who can remember how that form of religion first struck the colonies, and the struggles there were to obtain a footing. Their new mode of religious warfare-noisy, aggressive, forceful-was opposed to ideas of most people how the worship of God should be carried out. In practically every town in which they endeavoured to obtain a footing they were met by opposition of various kinds, they were laughed at, derided, and sometimes molested with violence. What was still worse the followers who were drawn into the net, were very generally regarded as having dropped in the socials scale in becoming identified with the army. These feelings have long since passed away so far as the general public is concerned.
If the memory served it was in 1887, about thirty-nine years ago, that the first contingent of the Salvation Army struck Rockhampton. Three officers were sent up from Brisbane-Captain David Buckingham, Lieutenant Switzer, and Lieutenant Redwood. They formed a stalwart trio, and in their dark trousers, red guernseys, and dark caps, were very noticeable. They called themselves "Devil thumpers." They sang, prayed, danced and capered, gave testimonies, made speeches, and fired follies in orthodox style, whilst the crowds around laughed, boohooed, and yelled at the, spat at them, and sometimes got in a punch. All was mixed with a "God bless you," and an appearance as though opposition was in enjoyed. Charles and Esther Mowthorpe married in their Salvation Army uniforms Rockhampton 1888.
It was easy to see the result, there are very few who can withstand the earnestness of those who persist in praying for those who are hurting them. British fairplay soon raises sympathy for the depressed, and that is what happened to be a Salvation trio. They secured compounds, and having rented a large empty store in Alma Street, they filled it to the doors. A larrikin crowd still followed, interrupted the meetings, sang ribald songs, smoked, scoffed, and generally behaved like a lot of unmanerly hoodlums.
Strange as it may appear, it was no unusual thing for a few who came to those meetings to anoy and curse, to go away and praise. The converts sometimes found it hard to put on the badge of the Army-the red jacket-but once it was worn and the first testimony given in front of their former companions, the ordeal was passed, and a look of happiness and resolution showed that the change had been beneficial-if only temporary.
The writer is is impelled to relate one little incident in connection with the Army. Among those who were most strongly opposed to the Salvation Army was Edward Trickett, the ex-champion oarsman, who at that time was landlord of the Oxford Hotel. The writer had seen him on more than one or two occasions, on a Sunday night, when the Army was mustered outside the Post Office, come across and mock and boo at people who were on their knees praying or testifying. His attitude always envisaged an active contempt and dislike, which was the more noticeable from a man in his position. But notice the other side of the picture. In the streets of Sydney, years afterwards, a conspicuous site was Edward Trickett in full uniform, with a figure towering above his fellows carrying the Salvation Army standard, with the red, yellow, and blue flag flying, and on occasion thanking God that he had been saved from sin and sorrow. Possibly some converts do not understand the change or it may be all emotional of a very transient character, but Ne Trickett was sincere enough and no doubt carried his faith to the end when he was killed by the ground falling in when sinking a well.
The kindy help given by the Salvation Army to the poor, and the needy, and degraded, will always give it a power in the land.