The Victorian Conference office in Nunawading, , . Photo courtesy of Craig Gillis.

Victorian Conference, South Pacific Division

BARRY OLIVER

Barry Oliver, Ph.D., retired in 2015 as president of the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists, Sydney, Australia. An Australian by birth Oliver has served the Church as a pastor, evangelist, college teacher, and administrator. In retirement, he is a conjoint associate professor at Avondale College of Higher Education. He has authored over 106 significant publications and 192 magazine articles. He is married to Julie with three adult sons and three grandchildren.

The Victorian Conference is a constituent of the Australian Union Conference. Its headquarters are located at 141 Central Road, Nunawading, Victoria 3131, Australia. Its unincorporated activities are governed by a constitution which is based on the model conference constitution of the South Pacific Division of the General Conference of Seventh- day Adventists (SPD). Its real and intellectual property is held in trust by the Australasian Conference Association Limited, an incorporated entity based at the headquarters office of the SPD in Wahroonga, . Current Territory and Statistics Most of the Victorian Conference functions are managed by three corporations that act as trustees for the conference: Seventh-day Adventist Church (Victoria) Limited which oversees the day-to-day operations of the conference itself and was registered on November 3, 2003,1 Seventh-day Adventist Schools (Victoria) Limited, which oversees the operation of the education entities within the conference and was registered on November 3, 2003,2 and Seventh-day Adventist Aged Care (Victoria) Limited which oversees the operation of the aged care facilities within the conference and was registered on March 24, 2004.3 The territory of the Victorian Conference is “the state of Victoria, excluding the municipality of Wodonga adjacent to the New South Wales city of Albury, and including the populated area adjacent to Mildura on the northern side of the Murray River, extending from and including the town of Gol Gol through the district of Sunraysia to and including the town of Wentworth.”4 In the 2017 Annual Statistical Report of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Victorian Conference was listed as having 78 Churches and 17 companies. Church membership at the end of 2016 was 10,873 making it the third largest conference by membership in Australia.5 The conference had 735 active employees. Its tithe receipts for 2016 totaled US$10,501,459. Its tithe and offerings per capita were US$1478.94.6 Schools Edinburgh College, formerly operated by the Australian Union Conference and known as Lilydale Academy, was transferred to the Victorian Conference in 2013.7 It is located at 33 – 61 Edinburgh Road, Lilydale, Victoria, 3140, Australia. Gilson College, currently operating on two campuses, is located at 450 Taylors Road, Taylors Hill, Victoria, 3037, Australia. The Taylors Hill campus was formerly known as Keilor College and commenced operations in 1986.8 The Mernda campus was opened in 2012.9 It is located at 370 Bridge in Road, Mernda, Victoria, 3754, Australia. Henderson College commenced operations on February 6, 1951.10 It is located at 606 – 616 Cowra Avenue, Irymple, Victoria, 3498, Australia. Heritage College currently operates on two campuses. The elementary school campus at Narre Warren South commenced operations in 1988.11 It is located at 333 Centre Road, Narre Warren South, Victoria, 3805, Australia. The campus at Officer commenced operations in 2008.12 It is located at 66 Startling Road, Officer, Victoria, 3809, Australia. Nunawading College currently operates as both an elementary and a secondary school. The was established in 1964.13 The campus is located at Laughlin Avenue, Nunawading, Victoria, 3131, Australia. The secondary school commenced operations in 1974. It is located at 161 Central Rd, Nunawading, Victoria, 3131, Australia. Nursing Home and Retirement Facilities Adventcare Whitehorse, formerly known as Coronella, was established by action of the 66th session of the Victorian Conference on January 22, 1953.14 It has 134 beds and is located at 163-165 Central Road, Nunawading Victoria, 3131, Australia. AdventCare Yarra Ranges was established in 1973.15 It has 42 beds and is located at 5 Woods Point Road, Warburton Victoria, 3799, Australia. AdventCare Bendigo, originally known as Bendigo Homes for the Aged, was approved for construction on November 7, 1974.16 Later, the facility was named Alawara and then renamed AdventCare Bendigo.17 The facility hostel ceased operations on March 7, 2018,18 following action taken by the Seventh-day Adventist Aged Care (Victoria) Limited Board on December 12, 2017.19 The Independent Living Units continue operating.20 Camp Facilities Nunawading Camp Ground, located on Nunawading Central Road, was purchased in 1946.21 Annual camp meetings were held at the site until 1999.22 The site remains as the property of the Victorian Conference. The Basin Youth Camp ground was purchased in 1936.23 It is located at 151 The Basin-Olinda Road, The Basin, Victoria 3154, Australia. It operated as a youth camp for the conference until it was sold in 2001.24 Camp Howqua youth camp was established in 1977.25 It is located at 127 Howqua River Road, Howqua, Victoria, 3273, Australlia. The conference operates an Adventist Book Centre, located at its conference office, 141 Central road, Nunawading, Victoria. It was formerly called the Book and Bible House. The Origins of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Victoria, Australia , Victoria, was chosen as the location for the initial activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia. The year was 1885.26 The first missionaries, all from the United States, were S. N. Haskell, J. 0. Corliss and family, M. C. Israel and family, Henry Scott, a printer, and William Arnold.27 During the first evangelistic series of meetings which concluded on January 10, 1886, the first Seventh-day Adventist church in Australia was organized at North Fitzroy. The church had 28 founding members.28 It was reported that “the following Sabbath seven were baptized and united with the church, and the next Sabbath ten more united, swelling the number to forty-five. Last Sabbath three more were received into fellowship, making a church of forty-eight members.”29 Other churches were organized in Victoria within a relatively short period of time. By 1888, it was reported that there were already churches organized in Ballarat, Trentham, and Castlemaine.30 Ballarat was the first provincial city outside Melbourne to attract an evangelistic series. By August 1886, M. C. Israel was well underway with his presentations.31 In a letter written on September 20 of that year, Israel wrote that “a church has been organized at Ballarat with twenty-one names on the roll of membership. To these will be added quite a number of others in the near future.”32 A Bible Institute was conducted commencing on September 14, 1890. It lasted for four weeks. Study was concentrated in three broad areas: prophecy and history, Bible exegesis and doctrines, and Christian work. Every effort was made to give attention to both doctrinal and practical teaching.33 The first camp meeting was conducted at Middle Brighton in 1894. It was also a workers’ meeting. Quoting from The Bible Echo,

The camp-meeting which is just now closing at Middle Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, is the first meeting of the kind ever held by Seventh-day Adventists in Australia. And it has indeed been a refreshing season. Including the workers' meeting, it has been in progress since Dec. 29 [1893], or for a period of about three weeks...Sr. White's talks have been most excellent, as they always are. She urges the people to prepare for the end, and says she has not come to Australia to fold her hands, or to give a peace-and-safety cry.34

The Beginnings of the Organized Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia At the annual session of the General Conference, held at Battle Creek in November 1884, the committee on resolutions reported that it had “resolved, that in our judgment, steps should be immediately taken to open a mission in Australia.” The resolution was adopted by the floor of the session.35 The committee on fields of labor then presented a partial report in which its fourteenth recommendation read, “That Eld. S. N. Haskell go to California in time to attend the fall camp-meeting, and as soon after this as possible go to Australia to superintend the establishing of a mission there; and that Eld. J. 0. Corliss, and other laborers who may be selected, go at the same time to labor in the mission.”36 There was considerable discussion on the recommendation with some dissenters. After remarks by Elders Haskell, Butler, White, and Waggoner, it was referred back, without instructions, to the committee.37 After reconsideration of its recommendation, the committee on fields of labor brought back their report with a 25th recommendation as follows, “That in view of the great importance of spreading the truth to earth's remotest bounds, and of opening a mission in Australia as soon possible, Eld. S. N. Haskell go to Australia next May, taking with him a competent corps of laborers to establish a mission; and that he return in time to attend the next General Conference.”38 In May 1885, S. N. Haskell, J. 0. Corliss, and M. C. Israel, (the two last-named with their families,) Henry Scott, and W. Arnold set sail for Australia. They reached Sydney on June 6, 1885, after a voyage of twenty-nine days. They moved on to Melbourne and commenced work, thus establishing a foothold for the Church in Victoria and Australia.”39 As early as 1888, it was reported that work in Victoria was self-supporting. “The tithes from the churches meet the expenses of all employed in that colony.”40 On the basis of the financial strength and the availability of local human resources, the Australian Conference was organized in September 1888. Attending the session were twenty-two lay delegates, representing the churches at Adelaide, Ballarat, Hobart, Melbourne, and the company at Wychitella, and four ministers as delegates at large. A constitution as used by all conferences was adopted, with some alterations. The elected officers were G. C. Tenney, president and Stephen McCullagh, secretary with Echo Publishing House managing the treasury.41 The Australian Union Conference was organized during the time of the Australian camp meeting, January 15-25, 1894. It composed District No. 7 of the General Conference districts, and included the conferences of Australia and New Zealand. The stated object of the union was “to unify and extend the work of the third angel's message, under the general direction of the General Conference, in the Australasian field.”42 It was anticipated that as the work expanded, additional conferences would be organized.43 Arthur Daniells described the further steps taken to organize the conferences in Australia. He wrote:

At the beginning of 1894, it was felt that the Australian Conference had more territory than it could well manage, so the colonies of and West Australia were separated from the Conference, and placed under the care of the Union Conference as Mission Fields. Near the close of 1895 another change was made. New South Wales was separated from the Australian Conference by the organization of the New South Wales Conference. At that time the name of the Conference was changed from the Australian to the Central Australian Conference.44

The Victorian Conference On October 29, 1899, the Queensland Conference was organized,45 and on November 25, 1899, the South Australian Conference was organized.46 On January 1, 1900, became a mission field under the care of the Australian Union Conference. What had been known as the Central Australian Conference was renamed the Victorian Conference.47 It now comprised only the colony of Victoria.48 The first session of the “Victorian” Conference was held between August 6 and 12, 1900. Pastor G. B. Starr who had been the President of the New South Wales Conference and who had been asked to be the President of the Victorian Conference when Pastor A. T. Robinson left at the beginning of 1900, was elected President. J. Johanson was elected vice president and J. Gillespie was elected as secretary and treasurer.49 At the Australasian Union Conference council held at Wahroonga in September 1909, action was taken to recommend the amalgamation of the Victorian Conference and the Tasmanian Mission. The name of the amalgamated conference was the Victoria-Tasmania Conference.50 In 1915, the conferences were separated into the Victorian Conference and the Tasmanian Conference.51 But then in 1922, they were once again amalgamated into the Victoria-Tasmania Conference.52 This arrangement lasted only four years and in 1926 the conferences separated once again with Tasmania being organized as a mission under the care of the Australasian Union Conference.53 No further amalgamations have taken place. Significant Institutions of the South Pacific Division that Commenced in Victoria Three very significant institutions of the South Pacific Division of the General Conference had their beginnings in the early years of the Church in Victoria. These were the Bible Echo Publishing House (now and the Adventist Media Network), the Australiasian Bible School (now Avondale College of Higher Education), and a bakery in Northcote, Melbourne, which became the Sanitarium Health Food Company. In January 1886, just seven months after the first missionaries arrived in Melbourne, the publication of a 16-page monthly journal entitled, Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, was commenced. During the first three months of the publication of the paper, about four hundred paying subscribers were obtained and many thousands of individual magazines were sold.54 The office in which the Bible Echo was printed at the beginning was a rented building, equipped with the necessary fixtures and material for carrying on the printing and publishing work. BY 1888, the editorial staff consisted of George C. Tenney, with E. J. Burnham as assistant, and S. N. Haskell and J. 0. Corliss as corresponding editors.55 In 1888, land was purchased in Best Street, North Fitzroy, and a building–33 x 65 feet with three stories and a press room, 22 x 36 feet–was erected under contract by J. T. E Hellier at a cost of about US$13,000. On January 1, 1889, the first issue of the Bible Echo and Signs of the Times to be printed in the new building rolled off the press. Beginning with that issue, the paper was printed semi-monthly rather than monthly as is had been previously.56 In February 1906, publishing commenced at Warburton, Victoria, 46 miles east of Melbourne, and outside the metropolitan area.57 The first meeting of the Signs of the Times Publishing Association, with premises based in Warburton, was held at the Australasian Union Conference session held at Cooranbong, September 13 – 23, 1906.58 At the same session, W. H. B. Miller, manager of the Echo Publishing Company who had been operating the presses of the company in North Fitzroy, reported “all that can reasonably be expected of us now is that we die gracefully.”59 Publishing and printing has continued at Warburton as the “Signs Publishing Company” to the present time. It comprises the publishing and printing arm of the Adventist Media Network of the South Pacific Division. By 1891, it was recognized that there was a need to commence an education program for the growing church membership in Australia. At the General Conference session held at Battle Creek, Michigan, March 5–25, 1891, an action was taken as follows:

We recommend, 1. That as soon as practicable, an English Bible school be opened in Australia, to continue from twelve to sixteen weeks. 2. That at least two teachers be sent from this country to take charge of this school. 3. That the expense of maintaining this school be met by the brethren in Australia in such a manner as may seem best to them. 4. That the establishment of this school be regarded as the first step toward a permanent school for children of all ages, in case the brethren in Australia so desire.60

After some challenges, “at a meeting of the committee held July 21, 1891, it was voted to open the school at Nos. 1 and 2 George's Terrace, St. Kilda Rd., Melbourne; and that the term should open Wednesday, August 24, and continue sixteen weeks.”61 A prospectus was printed which proposed two courses of study: grammar, grades 1-4; and a Biblical course.62 Thus on August 24, 1892, the school was formally opened. Keynote speakers included G. B. Starr, A. G. Daniells, E. G. White (who was in poor health), and W. C. White.63 There were 25 students present.64 With the formation of the Australasian Union Conference in 1894, the oversight of the school was placed in the hands of the union.65 The sixth session of the Australian Conference held in conjunction with the camp meeting at Middle Brighton beginning on January 8, 1894, adopted the recommendation of its committee on resolutions as follows:

WHEREAS, The Australasian Bible School has been established for the benefit of the whole of the Australasian colonies, and WHEREAS, The said school has hitherto been carried on by the Australian Conference, therefore, Resolved, That we request the Australasian Union Conference to take over and carry forward the same from Jan 22 1894.66

In 1897, this school was transferred by the Australasian Union Conference to the newly acquired Brettville estate in Cooranbong, New South Wales, and was renamed the Avondale School for Christian Workers. It opened on April 28, 1897.67 Later, it became the Australasian Missionary College, and now Avondale College of Higher Education, the senior Seventh-day Adventist tertiary institution in the South Pacific Division. Beginning in 1898, Edward Halsey worked for the Australian Union Conference at Northcote, a suburb of Melbourne.68 In March 1898, it was reported that

Brother E. C. Halsey has been sent out from the Sanitarium bakery [at Battle Creek] to take charge of the manufacturing, and the work has now begun [in Melbourne, Australia]. We have had to begin slowly and experiment to some extent, but thus far our success has been very encouraging. We are now making Granola, Caramel Cereal, and Nut Butter, which is quite equal to that being put up by the Sanitarium in America. It is being enthusiastically received, and the business is becoming quite brisk.

The report concluded, “Please do not delay in this matter, but take hold of this new enterprise with a snap, and we will be at your service to please you.”69 At around the same time, it was reported that Dr. Edgar Caro's “lectures and health talks at the Sydney and Melbourne camp-meetings, also addresses which he was invited to give in Melbourne before the Vegetarian Society, and other organisations, have resulted in a wide-spread interest in, and demand for, the various lines of health foods. We believe this branch of the work will prove a very important factor in the work of the Association in these, colonies.” 70 Edward Halsey and his wife moved, with the food manufacturing business in early 1899, to the newly established Avondale School for Christian Workers at Cooranbong, north of Sydney, in New South Wales,71 where on May 29 that year Halsey produced his first peanut butter.72 It was there that the fledgling Sanitarium Health Food Company was to build its first factory to produce a range of health foods for Australia, New Zealand, and eventually, the wider world.

Some Significant Evangelistic Events in Victoria73 Ray Stanley Evangelistic Programs 1966 and 1967 Ray Stanley conducted a number of evangelistic programs around Melbourne in 1966 and 1967.

Year Baptisms Profession of Faith Total Accessions

1964 222 26 248

1965 195 60 255 Year Baptisms Profession of Faith Total Accessions

1966 337 20 357

1967 324 22 346

1968 256 28 284

1969 304 48 352

Earl E. Cleveland Mission 1973 E. E. Cleveland conducted an evangelistic series in the Dallas Brooks Hall in 1973. Austin Cook conducted regional programs in Melbourne in 1972.

Year Baptisms Profession of Faith Total Accessions

1971 230 25 255

1972 334 12 346

1973 333 18 351

1974 346 9 355

1975 225 8 234

1976 334 17 351

John Carter Mission 1980 In 1980, conducted an evangelistic series in the Dallas Brooks Hall.

Year Baptisms Profession of Faith Total Accessions

1978 226 14 240

1979 294 29 323

1980 266 38 304 Year Baptisms Profession of Faith Total Accessions

1981 196 21 217

1982 173 9 182

1983 235 21 256

Kenneth Cox 1992 City Wide Mission In 1992, Kenneth Cox conducted a full message series at the Dallas Brooks Hall in Melbourne City. The preparation for the program was significant. A lay committee was involved in the organization and promotion in the lead up to the program. The Cox program saw a significant increase in baptisms after the program. Of great interest is that the year before the Cox program–when preparation was in full swing– baptisms also increased significantly as pastors and churches came together with a positive focus on evangelism. An unbroken record number of baptisms took place in Victoria 1992. The Cox mission of 1992 was marked by widespread support from the churches, well thought through preparation, generous lead time in preparation, and the appointment of a coordinator who prepared for this program for at least twelve months in advance. It is also worth noting that 1992 also marked a period of great turmoil in Victoria. The government was crippled at the time of the programs, there was industrial turmoil, the Pyramid Building Society and State Bank had gone broke in the preceding years, the state was deep in debt, and unemployment was high. Later that year, Jeff Kennett was elected premier leading to radical changes.

Year Baptisms Profession of Faith Total Accessions

1990 275 18 293

1991 315 14 329

1992 331 45 376

1993 157 31 188

1994 185 11 196

1995 173 21 194

Mark Finley 2007 City Wide Mission In 2007, conducted meetings in three venues across the city: Eastern Melbourne– Ringwood at the Karralyka Centre, Melbourne City–North Melbourne Town Hall, and Western Melbourne–Keilor at the Ultima Function Centre. These three venues ran 21 sessions each. They were followed by Revelation Seminars and other follow up in local churches around Melbourne. There was a noticeable increase in new members for the Church during this period as shown on the following table.

Year Baptisms Profession of Faith Total Accessions 2005 173 57 230

2006 157 37 194

2007 284 35 319

2008 209 95 304

2009 209 39 248

2010 214 72 286

Mission and Strategic Plans of the Victorian Conference The Mission Statement of the Victorian Conference is: To make disciples for Jesus Christ of all peoples, communicating the everlasting gospel in the context of the three Angels messages of Revelation 14: 6-12.74 The Victorian Conference is fulfilling its mission by embarking on a 5-year discipleship plan called “Harvest Victoria.” At its core, Harvest Victoria follows a five-phase disciple-making process: Prepare (Come and See, John 1:43-49, John 4:29); Sow (Come and Follow me, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 9:9); Cultivate (Be with me, Mark 3:14); Harvest (Remain in me, Acts 1:8, John 20:22); Multiply the Harvest (Go and make disciples, Matthew 28:18-20). At the end of the five years, the Victoria Conference will have gone through two cycles of the discipleship process. As a discipleship process, it involves the conference employees (pastors, chaplains, Bible workers, youth Bible workers, International), and laypeople. It also brings together the work of the personal ministries/Sabbath School, health, youth, education, women’s ministry and ministerial departments. Recognizing that Melbourne is the fastest growing city in Australia, Harvest Victoria is concentrating the efforts of the conference on three of the main growth corridors of Victoria, where housing is affordable, and the heart of the city. These communities include the northern suburbs, western suburbs, and southeastern suburbs. Many students are also settling in the city. Recognizing that we now live in a technology-saturated world and people are using technology for a wide variety of reasons (news, sports, and entertainment), Harvest Victoria is engaging people in this environment through social media and a user-friendly App. The Victorian Conference is currently working toward the goal of training 1500 members as a missionary movement over five years. As of April 30, 2018, the Victorian Conference membership had grown to 11,114. The conference had six schools across eight campuses with a total enrollment of 2397 for 2018. In 2018, the independent living units for aged clients and retirees operated profitably after many years of deficits. The aged care ministry of the conference has ministered to thousands of residents over the years. 75 Remaining challenges for the Victorian Conference include aging infrastructure, high ocst of land and construction for new churches, secularism, and a slowing growth rate, which is falling behind the population growth rate for the state of Victoria. The Conference’s schools struggle with an Adventist ethos in schools that largely enroll non-Adventist students, finding committed Adventist staff members, and funding strategic purchases for future schools. Finding committed Adventist staff members and maintaining an Adventist ethos is also a challenge for the aged care ministry, which also works hard to achieve financial viability.76 List of Presidents G. C. Tenney, 1888-1892; A. G. Daniels, 1892-1897; A. T. Robinson, 1897-1900; G. B. Starr, 1900-1901; W. A. Hennig, 1901-1905; W. L. H. Baker, 1905-1908; S. M. Cobb, 1908-1909; C. H. Parker, 1909-1911; E. H. Gates, 1911- 1913; M. Lukens, 1913-1916; W. J. Westerman, 1916-1920; A. H. Piper, 1920-1923; F. A. Allum 1923-1926; W. G. Turner, 1926-1928; G. G. Stewart, 1928-1936; E. H. Guilliard, 1936-1939; James Pascoe, 1939-1942; H. E. Piper, 1942-1945; H. G. Moulds, 1945-1946; T. W. Hammond, 1946-1950; W. T. Hooper, 1950-1954; P. A. Donaldson, 1954-1959; H. White, 1959 (Jan.-Nov.); L. S. Rose, 1959 (Nov.)-1967; C. F. Hollingsworth, 1967-1971; H. B. Christian, 1971-1975; H. C. Barritt, 1975-1978; K. R. Low, 1978 -1985; C. A. Townend, 1985-1993; D. W. Croft, 1993- 2000; D. Hankinson, 2000-2009; G. Wayne Stanley, 2009-2013; G. Christian, 2013- SOURCES 2017 Annual Statistical Report 153rd Report of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for 2015 and 2016 . Accessed April 30, 2018. http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Statistics/ASR/ASR2017.pdf “Actions Taken by the Union Conference Council Held at Wahroonga, New South Wales, September 9-20, 1909.” Union Conference Record, October 4, 1909. “Australian Seventh-day Adventist Conference Proceedings.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, February 5, 1894. Colcord, W. A. “The Australian Camp-Meeting.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, January 22, 1894. Daniells, A. G. “Organization of the Queensland Conference.” Union Conference Record, December 1, 1899. Daniells, A. G. “Our People in Tasmania.” Union Conference Record, January 1, 1900. “First Annual Report of the Signs of the Times Publishing Association, Limited.” Union Conference Record, October 1, 1906. “Health Foods.” Union Conference Record, March 1898. Hughes, C. B. “Avondale School for Christian Workers.” Union Conference Record, January/February 1898. Israel, M. C. “Ballarat and Majorca.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October 1886. Israel, M. C. “Melbourne Church Quarterly Meeting.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, May 1886. “Lantern Views of Warburton.” Union Conference Record, October 1, 1906. “Medical Missionary Work.” Union Conference Record, January/February 1898. “Meetings were continued in the tent...” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, February 1886. Miller, W. H. B. “Report of the Echo Publishing Company.” Union Conference Record, October 1, 1906. Morse, G. W. “The Health Food Business.” Union Conference Record, September 1, 1899. “Notes and Personals.” Union Conference Record, April 26, 1899. “Organization in Australia.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October, 1888. “Our School.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, August 1, 1892. “Prospectus.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times Supplement, September 1, 1892. Robinson, A. T. “The Work in Victoria.” Union Conference Record, February 1, 1900. Seventh-day Adventist Aged Care (Victoria) Limited Board Minutes. December 12, 2017. Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2016. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association. Years 1885-1927. Tenney, G. C. “The Bible Institute.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October 1, 1890. “The address of this office is no longer...” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, January 1, 1889. “The Bible Institute.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, September 15, 1890. “The month closing October 15...” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October 15, 1890. “The School.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, September 15, 1892. “The series of meetings...” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, August 1886. “The work of building...” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, December, 1888. “Victorian Conference.” Union Conference Record, September 1, 1900. Victorian Conference Executive Committee minutes. 1936-2013. Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.

NOTES 1. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, September 15, 2003, Action 2003.10, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 2. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, September 15, 2003, Action 2003.10, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 3. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, March 24, 2004, Action 2004.113, Victorian Conference archives, Nunawading, Victoria; Craig Gillis, Secretary, Victorian Conference, email message to author, April 26, 2018.? 4. “Victorian Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2016), 339.? 5. 2017 Annual Statistical Report 153rd Report of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for 2015 and 2016, accessed April 30, 2018, http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Statistics/ASR/ASR2017.pdf.? 6. Ibid.? 7. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, May 27, 2013, action 2013.459, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 8. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, February 18, 1986, action 1986.148, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 9. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, November 14, 2012, action 2012.394, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 10. There are no official executive committee minutes for the establishment of this college. However, there was an action to appoint teachers recorded in 1950. See Victorian Conference Executive Committee, action 1950.268, Victorian Conference archives, Nunawading, Victoria; Craig Gillis, Secretary, Victorian Conference, email message to author, May 11, 2018.? 11. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, September 7, 1988, action 1988.1330, Victorian Conference archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 12. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, May 26, 2008, action 2008.190, Victorian Conference archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 13. There are no official executive committee minutes for the establishment of this college; see Craig Gillis, secretary, Victorian Conference, email message to author, May 11, 2018.? 14. Craig Gillis, secretary, Victorian Conference, email message to author, May 11, 2018.? 15. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, June 5, 1973, action 1973.102, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 16. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, November 7, 1974, action, 721-73/74, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 17. Craig Gillis, secretary, Victorian Conference, email message to author, May 17, 2018? 18. Ibid.? 19. Seventh-day Adventist Aged Care (Victoria) Limited Board Minutes, December 12, 2017, action 2017.32, Victorian Conference archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 20. Craig Gillis, Secretary, Victorian Conference, email message to author, May 17, 2018? 21. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, July 23, 1946, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria, 174 (at that committee actions were not numbered).? 22. Victorian Conference Session Minutes, January 17, 1999, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria, 30.? 23. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, October 27, 1936, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria, 315.? 24. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, April 30, 2001, action 2001.2039, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria.? 25. Victorian Conference Executive Committee, December 6, 1977, Victorian Conference Archives, Nunawading, Victoria, 108.? 26. “The Australian Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1888), 131.? 27. Ibid.? 28. “Meetings were continued in the tent...,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, February 1886, 32; M. C. Israel, “Melbourne Church Quarterly Meeting,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, May 1886, 80.? 29. “Meetings were continued in the tent...,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, February 1886, 32? 30. “The Australian Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1888), 131.? 31. “The series of meetings...,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, August 1886, 128.? 32. M. C. Israel, “Ballarat and Majorca,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October 1886, 160.? 33. “The Bible Institute,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, September 15, 1890, 288; G. C. Tenney, “The Bible Institute,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October 1, 1890, 300; “The month closing October 15...,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October 15, 1890, 320.? 34. W. A. Colcord, “The Australian Camp-Meeting,” Bible Echo and Signs of The Times, January 22, 1894, 21.? 35. “General Conference Proceedings: Sixth Meeting,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association), 24.? 36. “General Conference Proceedings: Eighth Meeting,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association), 25.? 37. Ibid.? 38. “General Conference Proceedings: Twelfth Meeting,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association), 30.? 39. “The Australian Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1888), 131.? 40. “Support of Foreign Work,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1889), 77.? 41. “Organization in Australia,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October, 1888, 152.? 42. “Australasian Union Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1894), 61.? 43. Ibid.? 44. A. G. Daniells, “Our People in Tasmania,” Union Conference Record, January 1, 1900, 13.? 45. A. G. Daniells, “Organization of the Queensland Conference,” Union Conference Record, December 1, 1899, 12-13.? 46. A. T. Robinson, “The Work in Victoria,” Union Conference Record, February 1, 1900, 12.? 47. Ibid.? 48. Ibid.? 49. “Victorian Conference,” Union Conference Record, September 1, 1900, 11-12.? 50. “Actions Taken by the Union Conference Council Held at Wahroonga, New South Wales, September 9-20, 1909,” Union Conference Record, October 4, 1909, 2-5; “Victoria-Tasmania Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1910), 96.? 51. “Tasmanian Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1916), 136.? 52. Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook, “Victoria-Tasmania Conference,” (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1923), 168.? 53. “Tasmanian Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1927), 219.? 54. “Australian Mission Including New Zealand and other Pacific Islands,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1888), 131.? 55. Ibid.? 56. “The work of building...,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, December, 1888, 192; “The address of this office is no longer...,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, January 1, 1889, 16; “Foreign Conferences and Missions,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1889), 72; “Foreign Publishing Houses,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1889), 112.? 57. “Lantern Views of Warburton,” Union Conference Record, October 1, 1906, 13.? 58. “First Annual Report of the Signs of the Times Publishing Association, Limited,” Union Conference Record, October 1, 1906, 18-19.? 59. W. H. B. Miller, “Report of the Echo Publishing Company,” Union Conference Record, October 1, 1906, 22 – 23.? 60. “General Conference Proceedings: Committee on Education,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1892), 56.? 61. “Our School,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, August 1, 1892, 240.? 62. “Prospectus,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times Supplement, September 1, 1892, 13-16.? 63. “The School,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, September 15, 1892, 288.? 64. Ibid.? 65. “Australian Seventh-day Adventist Conference Proceedings,” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, February 5, 1894, 38.? 66. “Australian Seventh-day Adventist Conference Proceedings: Sixth Session,” Bible Echo and Signs of The Times, February 5, 1894, 38? 67. C. B. Hughes, “Avondale school for Christian Workers,” Union Conference Record, January/February 1898, 7.? 68. Ibid.? 69. “Health Foods,” Union Conference Record, March, 1898, 34.? 70. “Medical Missionary Work,” Union Conference Record, January/February 1898, 6-7.? 71. “Notes and Personals,” Union Conference Record, April 26, 1899, 11.? 72. G. W. Morse, “The Health Food Business,” Union Conference Record, September 1, 1899, 9.? 73. The information in this section was shared with the author by the Secretary of the Victorian Conference; Craig Gillis, secretary, Victorian Conference, email message to author, May 21, 2018. It was originally compiled by Darren Croft, secretary of the Victorian Conference from November 8, 2007-December 31, 2013.? 74. Craig Gillis, secretary, Victorian Conference, email message to author, April 26, 2018.? 75. Ibid.? 76. Ibid.?

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