With his well-known interest in ecclesial history, Brother Ian Hyndman has produced a significant summary of the early ecclesias in country Victoria.
The appreciative Australian Christadelphian reader is going to find much pleasure in perusing these pages, either to discover where grandpa and grandma found the Faith, or putting together occasional references to such proverbial names as Beechworth, Traralgon and Daylesford, long established in the history of Victorian ecclesias.
There is inspiration too, in the fact that two of the past editors of The Christadelphian spent time in Victoria, so far removed from Birmingham, UK. Brother C.C. Walker spent 13 years of his boyhood in Ballarat due to the gold mining interest of his father. He spent another 7 years from 1881 to 1887 in Ballarat before returning again to England. Many people heard the Truth from his confident presentation, especially in beautiful Daylesford in the years 1886-87. When Brother Robert Roberts died in 1898, it was Brother Charles Walker that took over editorship of The Christadelphian magazine. Both brethren had spent considerable time in country Victoria.
There have always been large fluctuations of population in country Australia. Uncertain markets, droughts or other weather variations drive waves of labour-seeking families from town to town, to the city or even interstate. Much of this has been impossible to avoid and this history of Victorian ecclesias in the 19th century draws an accurate picture of labour insecurity. Many ecclesias have ceased to exist and others are well down in membership.
Other areas, however, have provided relatively stable work opportunities, and there the ecclesia has prevailed into the 20th century and now into the 21st century.
Is it not desirable that our light stands in the country regions of the states of Australia grow both in members and in the strength of their witness?
Here lies a responsibility for the larger, established ecclesias of our large cities. Should we not extend our love and care to our members in the country regions? There is a short paragraph on page 82 which puts it well, “The involvement of Melbourne ecclesia with Daylesford was to last for the next seventy years”. Doubtless it is a two-sided responsibility: the country ecclesia needs to make provision for willing-hearted visitors of the Faith, and the city ecclesias should reach out to their fellows in the “bush,” and encourage them both spiritually and with hearty fellowship. The focus of this care includes the needs of the children of these outlying families, even as their parents should embrace opportunities for their offspring to find and build strong relationships with faithful families of other ecclesias.
Brother Ian’s book is brim full of circumstances that evoke both our interest and our responsibility. It represents a wealth of research, for which we are very thankful.
The book of 130 pages is available from the Christadelphian Scripture Studies Service for $14.30 plus postage.
