The Western Australian Historical Society (Incorporated) JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS

VOL. I.] 1930 [PART VII.

The Society doe' "01 hold itself r~sp(ms;ble for statements made or opi"ions e:rprfSsed by "uthors of the papers published in this Journal

BISHOP HALE AND SECONDARY EDUCATION [By MRS. E. D. COWAN, O.B.E.] [Read before the Society. June 27, 1930]

I must preface this paper by saying that its scope is necessarily very limited. It is not possible in it to give a biographical sketch of our first Anglican Bishop, Matthew Blagden Hale, who expended thought, money and time in stabilising, by endowing liberally from his own means, the Church of E'ngland in this Colony; neither can I give an account fully of the practical interest taken by him in education generhlly. as well as that of the aborigines. A detailed paper of that description must be left to the able pen of Canon Burton (our chairman here to-night) or to some research student of the f"ture. I can deal with only one phase of the Bishop's work here-his college-and his interest in furthering secondary education. It is difficult, in a paper such as this, to do justice to the fine Christian ideals evident throughout the life of the late Right Reverend Matthew Blagden Hale, the first Anglican Bishop of Western Australia, who was beloved and appreciated by not only his personal friends, but by the community as a whole. It was no light task he undertook, that of overseeing and helping to evolve and foster the ideals of Christianity in the schools of the State and of founding its first secondary school for boys. The Bishop. then Archdeacon Hale, arrived here to take on the responsibility of his new office in July, 1856. He had previously visited the West in 1848 with the Adelaide Suffragan Bishop Short. Meeting then Miss Sabina Molloy, eldest daughter of Colonel and Mrs. Molloy, he induced her to become his second wife, and they were married at Busselton on December 30, 1848. Mrs. Hale was a handsome woman possessing ability, charm of manner, and great dignity. I can remember her from 1868 onwards as a close friend of my g-rand­ mother, Mrs. Thomas Brown, and we often visited at The lVestern .-lllstrulian Histol'iI'lIl Societl] Bishop Hale lind Secondary Education

Bishop's House and Mrs. Hale and her husband came omission showed a want of gratitude to her father frequently to see my grandmother. The Bishop always wrote to say: "Since I wrote last we have had acces~ took an intense interest in denominational education to the se:ie:, of. my f,:t~er's letters' of which (told you, for every section of the settlers, wherever he found and. to dla:les In addItIOn. These gave us much infor­ himself, and was never. narrow or sectarian in his out­ mation whIch we had forgotten, cr did not know before. look, but truly spiritual. At Poonindie, in South Aus­ Amongst o~her items about the Bishop's School for tralia, while in that diocese, he had founded an ~oys, of whIch I spoke to you in my last, it appears the aboriginal mission settlement with, on the whole, good trtle was altered by himself and his co-operators in the results, and on coming here naturally took an imme­ government of the school, when some change had been diate interest in our Western Australian aborigines, ~Cl:de in its constitution; also we found he had opened doing much for their welfare by inculcating in the ~t In 1858, an.d that it was carried on till (I think) early minds of the pioneers a higher sense of responsibility in In .the seventres, when on account of want of support or every way as to their education and training. If I ?emg taker: advantage of by the settlers and their sons, remember rightly he established for a short time a It was ob1Jgcd t? be given ~p-to my father's deep half-caste mission in the grounds of Bishop's House and regret. From hIs !etters, \vntten to us in England aided one conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Camfield at mont~ by month WIth my stepmother's, we gather with Albany, Mrs. Millett in her book-"An Australian Par­ wha~ Im~ense labour and anxiety and great expenditure sonage" (Edwd. Stanford, London, 1872)-speaks of this. of hIS pnyate means. (he being a wealthy man) it had In 1857 he journeyed to England, where his consecration been earned on, hopmg and hoping that the colonists to the Bishopric of Western Australia took place in would be led to take advantage of it for their sons' March of the same vear. While in the Old Country he education, instead of allowing them, as soon as they engaged five additi~nal clergy to come out and also a were old enough to be of any use to them, to be put headmaster for the secondary denominational school for to any sort of labour on the stations, with cattle, horses, boys that he was even then planning to launch in his etc., and ?o i~eas beyond. The few who profited by the new see, his choice for the post falling on the Rev. G. opportUlllty dId the school much credit and became most H. Sweeting, M.A., of Oxford, at (I am told by Mr. useful, valuable and important members of the com­ George Sweeting, his son) a salary of £ 1,000 per munity. Amongst them, as I think I said before. were annum guaranteed by the Bishop himself. The Rev. :Maitland Brown. John Forrest and some others vou (afterwards Canon) Sweeting was a learned and cul­ would know of." . tured man. He educated Mr. Septimus Burt, Mr. G. Barrett-Lennard, Sir J. Forrest and Chief Justice Sir From other sources I find that among these "some Henry Parker; and your humble servant also had the others" were Messrs. Sept.. Oct. and Alfred Burt; \Vil­ privilege of tuition under him at the rectory of Guild­ liam, Alexander and David Forrest; Richard Sholl; ford, where he took regular pupils. Gervase and Edward Clifton; Tohn E. Mitchell; Charles ~dwards; Henry George James; Stephen Henry, \Vil­ This school, called Bishop's College, was opened on l'am and Fred Parker. also George Parker; William June 28, 1858, by the Revd. Mr. Lynch (who acted as Chidlow: Wiliiam Morgan; Andrew and Tohn Maw; temporary headmaster) with 23 pupils. On his arrival, Tohn and William McKail; Henry S. Ranford; Henry November 28, 1858, Mr. Sweeting took over the duties, T. Saw; Morton and Frank Craig; Tames and William with Mr. Roach as second master. In a letter dated Ra.msay; A. McPherson; George Teede; Edward February 9, 1929, Mrs. Wilkinson--the Bishop's eldest ~Ithers; Edward Newman; John Bateman; Tohn daughter by his first 'wife-having mentioned in a pre­ HIgham: Andrew and William Corni~h: Edward and vious letter to me how disappointed she had been that Frank Wittenoom; Chas. Shenton; Herbert A~hton; Bishop's School, when the change of name was made Clement Birch: William Lowe; S;1 mllel Moore; Geonre. to Church of England Collegiate School, had not been Charles and Maxwell Lefrov: Fdwarrl Bruce: Boh named directly after him, and that she thought the Quinn; Stockley and Robert M. King; Henry Stewart The Western .'luslralian Historical Societ!l Bishop Hale and Secondary Education --~-

Carey; Joe Bovell; Fred Liddelow; William F. Samp­ School, nor the Church of England Collegiate School. son; Fred, George and Augustus Roe; Major Logue; After the Church of England Collegiate School closed Mervyn Bunbury; Fred Brockman; Jack Hare; Samuel in 1876, the late Colonel Haynes, who had been second John Phillips; VVilliam and Henry Leeder; Charles master, then carried on a orivate school, renting the 0T ewland; Alfred vVakeford; Laurence and Geoffrey Collegiate School Building. Bishop Hale's School Eliot; Samuel Burges; Hawkins Sewell; Charles F. ceased to exist in 1865 and was followed by the Church Ferguson; Ernest Shenton; Charles Knight; Harley L. of England Collegiate School. which also ceased to exist Lochee; Frank Stone; Forster Johnston; Henry in 1876 and was then followed by a private school up to deBurgh; Edward Lee Steere; Arthur Knight, and March 1, 1878, on which date the High School was others. Many of the above-mentioned certainly did opened by the Government, Colonel Haynes going over hold quite high positions later on in the State. to the said school with his bays on its inception. I There can be no doubt whatever that the school was would point out that Act 29, Vic. 12, stated the head very dear and near to Bishop Hale's heart and that those master of Bishop Hale's School must be a Clerk in Holy principles of Christian teaching held to by him as the Orders holding the licence of the Lord Bishop of Perth; foundation stones of character to be inculcated in its and Act 49, Vic. 19, Sec. 2, which repeals Act 29, Vic. scholars, and so essential to the making of a gentleman, 12, yests the land in the standing committee of the were self-sacrifice, truthfulness, honesty and religious Synod of the Western Australidn Branch of the Church purpose. That his efforts to sow these seeds had good of England. 'for such educational purposes as such com­ results is unchallengeable. mittee shall consider to be most nearly in accordance It seems opportune here to refer to the recent differ­ with the objects for which the said school was originally ences of opinion re the taking of the name of "Hale" by established.' " a secular institution, quite lately-the High School, This, and the facts that the Church of England Col­ Perth, which was founded by the Government of Wes­ legiate School Act was in force for some time after the tern Australia in 1876. I therefore quote Mr. Alfred High School started, and that parts of it are still in Burt (a pupil of Bishop Hale's School), many years force, give strength to Mr. A. Burt's contention that the Registrar of Titles, who in writing (and he is an au­ present High or Hale School had no right to claim that thority) to the Diocesan Secretary, Cathedral Avenue, their school was founded in 1858 (vide an advertisement on September 25. 1929, said: "I would like to bring of February thi'i year). or that the old Hale School boys hefore your Trustees the following facts: The Revd. should be called High School boys. As a matter of fact Bishop Matthew Blagden Hale opened a school called ·.he late Dr. Athelstan Saw admitted in Parliament last Bishop Hale's School on June 28, 1858. On August 18, year that: "The fundamental differences in the Acts 1865, an ordinance ,vas passed (29 Vic. 12) to incorpor­ governing them was the bct that Bishop Hale's Schools ate the Governors of the Church of England Collegiate were to see the Scriptures wen: taught in their original School. On September 7, 1865, Bishop Hale conveyed tongue, that they had to he governed by a body of per­ the school property to the Governors of the Church of sons all being Church of England members, three of England Collegiate School and their successors and whom must he clergymen of that Church, and that the <,ssigns for ever-viz., Perth Building Lots HI, and H7. headmaster mmt l~e a Church of England Clergyman." Bishop Hale's School then became the Church of Eng­ land Collegiate School, but was better known an¢ In the High School Act of 1876 the Government pro­ spoken of as Hale's School. In 1875 Bishop Hale re­ vided that it should be exclusivelv secular, and its head­ ,igned his episcopate and went to Brisbane. In 1876 master a University graduate and not a minister of the Church of England Collegiate School languished religion. Dr. Saw also said: ~The High School was for want of sufficient support; and in that year an Act established under the auspices of the State. its Gover­ (40, Vic. 8) was passed called The High School Act of nors were nominated by the Governor in Council. the 1876. This Act makes no reference to Bishop Hale's school was devoted to secular education." 6 The Western Australian Historical Soci_e--"ty'-- _ Bishop Hale and Secondary Education 7 It is only thuse ur us wnu remember Bishop Hale personally and his deeply spiritual and religious type of {or the said Governors to appoint or have as headmaster mind (yet broad and tolerant of the views of others) any minister of. religi?n.' If, as. I am informed" the pro­ O~111g who can leali~e the travesty of giving his name to ar: posed. change. IS adVisable to the State having I11stitution whose foundations are so unmistakab!v estabhshed high schools of Its own and it might be th?~ght opposite to the principles he invariably upheld. Cll1 It boys attending the High School, Perth, are re­ be wondered at that the Diocesan Council takes exceo­ celvmg a free .education, and in reality is not the out­ co,?~ tion, as do other members of the Church of England, to of a deSire to associate the High School with a the present High or Hale School's use of the old Bishop relrglOus founder, why the necessity to choose the name ~o J-lale's School badge, to the foundation date on its new of .' H,:le' which, for the reasons given, such strong buildings and the incorrect statement that Bishop Hale obJectIOfoi IS taken? As a matter of fact, is not the pn';-­ founded the High School. posed Bill, as a reference to the foreword in the school p,rospectus will show, an attempt to obtain legal sanc­ I append the following letter from Mr. J. O. Fisher. tion to Use a name to which the school is neither mor­ Diocesan Secretary of the Church of England, deal;ng all~· nor legally entitled and thus seek to establish a with the subject: "Whatever grounds may exist for claIm ~as the for~w6rd referred to endeavours to do) changing the name of the High School, Perth, thel c is tha.t HIgh School IS the successor of 'Hale School.' Th is no reason for and grave objections to the suggested c.lalm is effectively disposed ot by the letter you pub­ name of 'Ha!e School.' Secondary schools, such as those hshed from Mr. Alfred E. Burt." .' founded by the revered Bishop Hale and devout men of Gther religious communions, are the outcome of a belief that: (1) True education should be founded on definite The Bishop's Letters Christian teaching and principles; and (2) traditions I will. now give you extracts from Bishop Hale's let­ worthy of influencing the boys throughout their live~ ters to hIS daughters on the old school, which I received "re the outcome of such teaching and the atmosphere lately:- which it alone can create. Thu~ Bishop Hale's object in "Bishop's House, Perth W.A. August 17 1860 -_.- founding his school was not so much to provide second­ The Boys' School goes on very w~ll. ...'. Clry education in the State as to ensure that such edtlca­ lion should be definitely based upon 'the princ:-, des ()f "Decen:ber 23, 1861.-The volunteer movement has extended Itself to West Australia. It began at the the Christian religion' and naturally (being an Anglican V~sse.: l1ishop) as those principles are interpreted by the .. In Perth and Fremantle the Corps are some­ Church of England. For this reason when Parliament thIng hke 79 or 80 men each.. . They have two drills. by the Act of 1865 (49 Vict. No. 19) incorporated the one at 5.30 111 the morning and another at 4 p.m. Young ;;overnors of the Perth Church of England Collegiate Roach and several of the School Bovs have enrolled in th~ Perth Corps. • School that Act provided that 'the headmaster shall he ;l Clerk in Holy Orders holding the licence of the Lord "J une 23, 1863.-The Boys' School has been to me a Bishop of Perth' and made definite regulations with heavy expense and a source of great anxiety; and I am regard to Crristian teaching as referred to above. Fa!" truly thankful that it is beginning to produce some fruit. these reasons alone the suggestion to associate High There a.re several youths about the Colony who would School witl~ the name of the late Bishop Hale cannot do. credIt to any School and the schooling- -has been to commend itself to the Anglican Church authorities and thIS lad Parker* a first step from which, if he is spared. those who believe in definite religious education. The he n~av confid.elltly expect to rise to the highest position Act of 1876, which brought the Hig-h School into exist­ and lI1fluence In the Colony. Without this steo he would ence, not only makesno reference to Bishop Hale's School have beeniu!"t a farmer. a stock breeder like the rest but provided 'the education to he given at such school So that if the school does not effect all the good' ~~~ shall be exclusively secular and that it shall not be lawful * "p~~,el~'~]j~ater Sir Henry Parker, Chief Juptice of We. tern Bishop Hale and Secondary Education The Western Australian Historical Socie-.:ty=---__ whole, he likes it though he ;s sometimes very vexed can wish, it certainly will with God's help be extremely when the bovs will not do theil' work. I am afraid Rob­ beneficial to the Colony. bie, for one,"has caused him a good deal of annoyance, "September 25, 1863.-1 am thankfu,l to say we h~ve and I am very sorry for this, for he is a real good fellow made a great step forward in that Import~nt object is Tohn Bussell. He lives in the House with us so we which I have always had so much at heart, VIZ., to con­ are going to dispense with Robbie's boy tutor~Henry vert the Bishop's School into a Public and Permanent Parker. Institution. I had Statutes and regulations printed a "March 16, 1864.-John Bussell g-ives himself most long time ago-viz., those of the Adelaide Collegiate heartily to his work and is certainly extremely compet­ School adapted to our use, but one thing or another h';ls ent as a teacher. He is a most ;lgreeable companion and prevented my going on with it. It is quite uncertam I find it very pleasant to have him in the house..... whether Mr. Sweeting will or will not continue under Bussell, with his dear, good, kind manner; and love of the new reg-ime. imparting information, has benefited Robbie very "Fremantle, December 17.-1 am sorry to say we greatly. They are fast friends and have a good deal of shall have to close the Bishop's School until the new talk together. Master arrives from England. .. Weare now in com­ "August 24, 1864.-1 received from Mr. Bussell, who munication with John Bussell with a view to hi.s carrr­ is acting for me as Commissary in Eng-land, the very -ing on the boys in their Latin and Greek dUrIng- thIS gratifying intelligence that he has succeeded in seCtu:­ interval. He seems quite willing- to come to Perth for ing a Master for the School-the Revd, 1'. 1'. Taylor. the purpose, but at Rresent there being- no opportunity This is truly a relief to my mind foc, although the people of taking- boarders, we can muster only six pupils and I here are most apathetic about the School, yet feeling a, do not know if we can make up a sufficient sum from I do the immense importance of having at least a por­ so small a number of parents. tion of our youth really well educated, I have been most anxious that my attempt shoulc1 succeed. "December 24.-It is well I wrote the foregoing pages from Fremantle for I really have scarcely had a "January 26, 1865.-The school work will begin spare moment the last few days. The whole weight of (agam) on Monday-we shall open with 22 or 23 boys, the Government Schools Examinations has fallen upon which we consider very g-ood under the circumstances. me this 'lear, which at this otherwise busy time has kept The school having been suppo:;ed to be almost defunct me goin-g pretty briskly. , .. About our own scholastic during the last 12 months. affairs-the School, properly so-called, is shut up, but T An Early Cricket Match have written finally to John Bussell and I presume it is settled that he will come up to act as a sort of private "Perth, .T nne 30, 1865.-W c were more than com­ tutor to our six boys. The principal weight of the ex­ monly anxious about the weat!wr last week, because we pense falls upon the Judge* and myself.... Bussell wil1. had a cricket match appointed for the 17th, which cre­ I am sure, feel the greatest interest in his work and in ated considerable interest. The 'Bishop's School,' Mas­ the care of his own children he has certainly shown an ters and pupils, past and present had, as was supposed, aptitude for drawing out the mental powers of young the audacity to challenge any eleven which could be got people alld~iving them a taste for reading, etc. Tel1 together in the Colony. Happi;y the weather moderated Aunt Eliza that he and his family are great readers of before Tuesday and the match was played; the School Shakespeare; I am sure this will give her a favourable winning with the greatest ease.... All the School opinion of their literary tastes Eleven are resident in Perth except Laurie Eliot (Magi3trate's Clfrk and Post Master) who came up from "Extracts. 1864.-John Bussell has taken most admir­ Bunbury-he is considered one of the best players. The ablv to his scholastic dutieo:. Vou would think he had others were: Mr. Taylor, present master, Sept. Burt, bee"n engaged in them all his life. I think. upon the present pupil, Knight. Moore, Roe, Sholl (Clerks in * "The Judge": Sir Arcllihal<1 Feul Burt, I think. The lVestern A.usfralian Historical Societu Bishop Hale and Secondary Education 11 ------Government Offices), Hillma'l, Stone (Clerks in the W.A. Bank), Mitchell (2nd As:-"stant at Hospital), Par­ schola.rs, and as it was quite Impossible to keep it up, ker (articled to a Solicitor in Perth). So not only has he paId the return voyage also of the second mistress back to England." the School furnished to the Community a set of smart manly fellows, who have beaten the whole Colony in Thi<, ending of Bishop Hale's College in 1875, and this game of games, but see to what an extent it has of the girls' school earlier, marked the close of a gener­ furnished the Colony with sm3rt, intelligent fellows for ous and painstaking effort on h:~ part to supply this then the professions. It has been and will_be yet, I trust, a Crown Colony with secondary or higher education for most important institution. Several old cricketers were both girls and boys, particularly the latter. N everthe­ on the ground, who were cor'strained to declare that less, despite the seeming failu'c.- it was the harbi'nger of they had never seen in the Colony, such an Eleven those further efforts on the part of State authorities and together, as the School produced on this occasion. Mr. religious bodies, which later finally paved the way for Taylor seems a most happy s~lection for the Master­ Our University. By the way, it is sometimes forgotten ship and hi'3 being a good cricketer is a qualification by that the pioneer worker for that University was Mon­ no means to be despised." signor Anselm Bourke, who ;",rrived here with Bishop Serra in 1855, he being a Catholic Cleric, who was An interesting thing is t~at in February, 1905, a admired and revered by all who had the privilege of cricket match took place bE'tween a Bishop Hale's knowing him. He was the Ch2irman of the Local Board School XV., and a Perth High School XI and we find of Education when the system of University Tests was among the list of names comprising the Hale School introduced. He lived to see the University founded XV., J. J. Higham, <:::. Kn}ght, Augustus Roe, Henry here. Many of us present in t!lis room to-night will see Ranford, Frank Craig, Sept. and Oct. Burt, R. A. Sholl. the permanent University builings at Crawley opened George Parker, Samuel Moor~ Gervase Clifton. Mer­ and will remember that towards that red letter day in vyn Bunbury, S. J. Phillips, David Forrest, J. E. Mit­ education BishDp Hale's unselfish endeavours played chell and W. J. Chidlow. Apparently the old Hale their part- and some of our minds will revert to the School and the High School w('re not regarded as hav­ efforts mad~ by Monsignor B"'.1fke Bishop Hale, Arch­ ing similar foundations as late as 1905. Mr. Laurence bishop Riley, and Sir WinthrLp Hackett, who, in their Eliot, who took part in both matches-I865 and 1905­ different \vays added further '3tones to this final edifice was the firs: boy to attend Bishop's School in 1858 and of \Vestern Australian learning. "Well done thou good it is to the credit of that fine pioneer woman. his mother, and faithful servants!" that she hart taught him Latin previously and g-rounded him so well that Bishop Hale complimented her on the excellent result. In her leters to me Mrs. Wilkinson mentions that her stepbrother". Matthew, Robert and THE BAXTER MEMORIAL Harold, were among the School's vupils, but the two ---.... -- latter were later on sent to St. Peter's College, Adelaide. Matthew having been drowned in the Swan River at 'L'he metal tablet illustrated on next page has been prepared 1Hill Point. In this same letter from Mrs. Wilkinson hy the ,.:oeiety to be plflClcd on a cairn that will be built to mark the spot where .John Baxter, the companion of the explorer. she also tells me that the letters "record the setting- up Edward .John Eyre. wa" killed by blacks on the night of April by her father of a school for g-irls, daughters of the 29, ISH. After Tah! nttempts to penetrate westward from colonists, and of his getting ant from England a second I<'owler's Bay, S011th Australia, Eyre had reduced his party to mistress for it, paying her vassage and the salaries of one other white man (Baxter) and three native boys. This party of five had made hazardous progress beyond the head of both mistresses and no doub+ many other expenses the Big-ht when, durillg' one ni!1;ht, while Eyre was absent from which were bound to occur." :lI1d adds that "it had cost ca~p minding the hor~es, Baxter was killed in hi~ sleep by the him over £700 and that when all was ready there was natlv,es, and the scanty stores were plundered. The camp was not one single offer of a boarc1er, but only a few day 011 a rocky waste, and Eyre, in danger of his own life ann with SlOres reduced, could do nothin~ but wrap his comrade in his