Holiness and Hard Work: a History of Parramatta
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HOLINESS AND HARD WORK: A HISTORY OF PARRAMATTA MISSION, 1815−2015 Thesis submitted to Charles Sturt University for the award of Doctor of Philosophy by Elizabeth Margaret de Réland B.A. (Hons.) (USyd), M.A. (MU) School of Theology Faculty of Arts Charles Sturt University March 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORSHIP ........................................................................ 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... 3 EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE ................................................................................... 5 ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................. 6 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. 7 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 9 Definitions .......................................................................................................... 20 The City .............................................................................................................. 25 Macquarie Street ................................................................................................ 29 Methodism.......................................................................................................... 33 Literature ............................................................................................................ 37 Structure ............................................................................................................. 45 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 47 1. The Pioneer: Samuel Leigh at Parramatta, 1815–1832 ................................ 52 2. The Holy Hill: Walter Lawry, Parramatta Missionary, 1818–1825 ............. 85 3. A Calling to Fulfil: Parramatta’s Methodist Infusion, 1830–1855 ............. 118 4. Foresight and Folly: Parramatta Mission, 1855–1885 ................................ 150 5. Ascendancy and Angst: Parramatta Mission, 1885–1905 .......................... 186 6. Sons and Daughters of Empire: Parramatta Mission, 1905–1939 .............. 216 7. Shake, Rattle & Roll: Parramatta Mission, 1940–1960 .............................. 250 8. The Sixties: Parramatta Mission, 1961–1970 ............................................. 285 9. City Mission: Part 1, 1971–1990 ................................................................ 320 10. City Mission: Part 2, 1991−2015 ................................................................ 361 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 415 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 424 1 CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree of diploma at Charles Sturt University or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by colleagues with whom I have worked at Charles Sturt University or elsewhere during my candidature is fully acknowledged. I agree that this thesis be accessible for the purpose of study and research in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Executive Director, Library Services or nominee, for the care, loan and reproduction of theses. Elizabeth Margaret de Réland March 2018 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I pay my respects to the Burramattagal people of the Darug nation in Parramatta and Western Sydney, and their Elders past, present and future. The site of Parramatta Mission on Macquarie Street, in the centre of the City of Parramatta, is located within an area of sacred and ancestral significance to the Burramattagal people, the traditional owners of the land. I acknowledge this history and pay respect to those who have cared for the land for thousands of years. I am deeply appreciative of the support provided to me in the completion of this thesis. It has been a labour of love. I do not say that tritely, as my efforts in researching and writing a history traversing 200 years have been greatly assisted by my affection for, and sense of belonging to, my research subject: Parramatta Mission. Similarly, I have had the love, support and, above all, understanding of my husband Mario, and my two children, Callum and Charlotte. They have stood by me with unflinching patience and loyalty for the nearly ten years that I have been researching and then more recently writing this thesis. Sincere thanks go to my supervisor, Rev. Assoc. Prof. William Emilsen, whose wisdom, guidance, generosity and support have been invaluable to my process. William’s gifts as a teacher and academic have inspired me to try harder, work longer and seek more of myself. For all these things and more, I am truly grateful. My appreciation is also extended to the faculty, library, archival and administration staff of the United Theological College campus, North Parramatta, and to Rev. Assoc. Prof. Clive Pearson, whose kind support and belief in the worthiness of my research topic from the outset, have provided valued inspiration. 3 I also wish to acknowledge my father Colin, my late mother Faye and my brother Ian, whose unconditional love and generous support throughout my life, and in each significant step of my career as a student, have encouraged me towards the realisation of my goals. My thanks also go to Rev. Keith Hamilton, the Church Council and the staff and congregation members of Parramatta Mission for their support and encouragement over an extended period. Both the Mission and the Uniting Church ‘With Love to the World’ (WLW) committee have provided grants at varying stages of my research journey, and for these gestures, I am both grateful and honoured. The Mission has been helping people in Parramatta for over 200 years. I am indebted to all those, past and present, whose contributions, innovations and visions have contributed to this history and to this appraisal. More importantly, I acknowledge their mutual benevolence and courage in seeking a realisation of the ‘common good.’ 4 EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE I acknowledge with gratitude the efforts of Vicki Snowdon in the proofreading and formatting of this thesis. I have appreciated her time and skills during the final stages of this project's completion. 5 ABBREVIATIONS CBD Central business district CMM Central Methodist Mission IWD International Women’s Day LAMPS Ladies Auxiliary of the Patriotic Mayoral Services LGA Local Government Area MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly MOK Methodist Order of Knights MYF Methodist Youth Fellowship NCYC National Christian Youth Convention NSW New South Wales, Australia OK Order of Knights PM Parramatta Mission PRM Parramatta Regional Mission UAICC Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress UCA Uniting Church in Australia UDU Urban Discipleship Unit VAD Volunteer Aid Detachment WCTU Women’s Christian Temperance Union WMMS Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society YPD Young People’s Department 6 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the history of Parramatta Mission (1815–2015) via its interactions and reciprocities with the city and people of Parramatta – the second oldest European settlement after Sydney and now one of Australia’s largest and most diverse and expanding urban hubs. As an examination of how a church-mission and a town-city have related to each other for over 200 years, it is an original, ‘comparative’ study and one that offers a broad and inter-connected survey of key people and events. It is also the first comprehensive evaluation of the nexus between Parramatta and its Wesleyan Methodist/Uniting Church Mission, and as such, explores the nature and extent of such cross-influence within a succession of historical contexts. Further to this, it identifies the impact of the Mission’s presence in Parramatta and its capacity or otherwise to influence social revision, and the delivery of aid, in a region of profound significance to Sydney’s multicultural West. Moreover, within a church-civic environment defined by hard work, courage and conjoined effort for the ‘common good,’ the study is written from the perspective of an ‘insider’ historian. Of commensurate significance is that the thesis comes at a time when the city of Parramatta is being impacted by a large-scale re-development of its central precincts. Many structures on and around Parramatta Mission’s site on Macquarie Street have been, or will be, demolished and reconstructed as a part of this process and within the projected realisation of both ‘Parramatta Square’ and the Mission’s ‘InSpire Parramatta’ development plan. Implicit in such a transformation is the necessity to ‘take stock.’ This 7 thesis facilitates such a review, while delineating the Mission’s journey into the twenty- first century. 8 INTRODUCTION Holiness and hard work were the hallmarks of early Parramatta Methodism and qualities that set it on a path towards widespread resonance within the tough environment of Sydney’s West. With a divine ‘calling’ to discharge, a commitment to ‘word and deed’ praxis, and the motivation of a God-imbued task, Samuel Leigh, Walter Lawry