Welcome to our first Interactive Exhibition!
- Welcome to our first Interactive Exhibition!
Click through the images below to learn more about our pioneers.
- Click through the images below to learn more about our pioneers.
1849
Albert Griffin (pictured) arrived in Sydney.
1849 - Albert Griffin (pictured) arrived in Sydney.
On the same ship from England was the Andrews family. Isabella Andrews and Albert Griffin got to know each other on the way from England to Australia.
Social snapshot: “In a new country like this, society is very different, no division of it is fixed; a great proportion of the population are recent arrivals, and the only permanent body is the Government.”
Accountant, Sydney Savings Bank, 1841 (Peter Proudfoot, Roslyn Maquire and Robert Firestone, eds, Colonial City, Global City: Sydney’s International Exhibition 1879, 2000).
1851
Albert and his wife, Isabella (pictured) set up a grocery business on Goulburn and Pitt Streets, Sydney.
1851 - Albert and his wife, Isabella (pictured) set up a grocery business on Goulburn and Pitt Streets, Sydney.
Albert and Isabella Andrews (pictured) had recently married. Social snapshot: “There is nothing on earth so elastic as a Sydney merchant. You may cast him down, but it is impossible to keep him down. He will work day and night to gratify his love of display; and in this he rarely fails, however thwarted for a time. From this passion spring the elegant suburban edifices which crown picturesque Sydney, as seen from the harbour.”
[Earp, G.B. The Gold Colonies of Australia... with every advice to emigrants, Geo. Routledge, London, 1852, p. 68 cit. Kingston. 2006:38.]
1851
Later the same year, Albert and Isabella establish a small church in a back room of their grocery store.
1851 - Later the same year, Albert and Isabella establish a small church in a back room of their grocery store.
They had met Henry Mitchell and his wife who had come to Sydney together from New Zealand. The two couples set up the church together. Social snapshot: “Down by the water at Circular Quay and the Rocks, the harbour was crowded with ships’ masts, merchants and chandlers, oil and paint and hardware shops, accommodation houses and taverns for the crews, and warehouses and bond-stores for the increasing variety of imports which the colony could now afford.
[Source: Beverley Kingston. A History of New South Wales. Cambridge: 2006, p39]
1852
Another pioneer, Henry Mitchell (pictured), begins meeting for worship with the Griffins.
1852 - Another pioneer, Henry Mitchell (pictured), begins meeting for worship with the Griffins.
Mitchell may have carried the small meetings whilst Albert Griffin experienced a crisis of faith. Albert was rescued from his depression by his brother, who sent him some books from England addressing faith and Christianity. Social snapshot: "The Sydney Mechanic’s School of Art, founded in 1833, was the centre of self-improvement and provided a library of several thousand volumes, and a public meeting space for writers and readers. Subscriptions to contemporary newspapers and periodicals from England and Europe ensured readers were widely and well-served."
[Kingston. 2006:49].
1852
Two leading laymen of the Wesleyan Methodist church, Joseph Kingsbury (pictured) and David Lewis, visited.
1852 - Two leading laymen of the Wesleyan Methodist church, Joseph Kingsbury (pictured) and David Lewis, visited.
John Roote Andrews, Isabella's father, was very worried about his son-in-law espousing strange ideas and sent them to visit Albert Griffin. The outcome of the meeting was that Griffin convinced Kingsbury and Lewis that he was right. Social snapshot: “... with a few exceptions, the public of Sydney is not a reading public. It is far too practical to waste much time on general literature. Those whose time is not wholly taken up by money-making pursuits, give all their leisure to politics …”
A squatter’s wife, 1860. [Kingston. 2006: 49]
1852
Joseph and Sarah Kingsbury (pictured) defected, together with David Lewis and wife, Edward and Mary Lewis, and John Standen and wife.
1852 - Joseph and Sarah Kingsbury (pictured) defected, together with David Lewis and wife, Edward and Mary Lewis, and John Standen and wife.
Along with the Griffins and the Mitchells, they formed the nucleus of the church in Sydney. Social snapshot: "Under colonial governors, Sydney residents could form groups and societies benefiting the community. But it wasn't until 1856 that Britain granted the colonies responsible government, resulting in the creation of the NSW Legislative Council. With widespread property ownership, up to 95 per cent of adult men in Sydney qualified to vote."
[Kingston. 2006: 55]
1853
The church moved to the home of John Standen (pictured) which was likely in Newtown (address unknown).
1853 - The church moved to the home of John Standen (pictured) which was likely in Newtown (address unknown).
The little band of believers continued for some time to meet at Griffin’s shop but the location became inconvenient. Social snapshot: "Sydney was becoming a busy place. Up George Street, shops sold everything from tea to musical instruments, books and stationery, jewellry, silks, laces, fine clothing and riding boots. Visitors were usually impressed by the range and quality of goods available and the evidence of such civilised life (though they almost always found the roadways bad and the footpaths execrable). Nothing could be further from the idea of a convict settlement or even an English provincial town than the sight of the Sydney market."
[Source: Beverley Kingston. A history of New South Wales. Cambridge: 2006, p39]
1856
Griffin, Mitchell and their wives moved to the Victorian goldfields. Lewis left Enmore to teach at a school in rural NSW.
1856 - Griffin, Mitchell and their wives moved to the Victorian goldfields. Lewis left Enmore to teach at a school in rural NSW.
Albert and Isabella, nine daughters and three sons and their effects went all the way to Victoria in a horse-drawn van. The move is why Griffin is buried in Barnawatha, Victoria. Social snapshot: “While New South Wales remained a convict colony, there were good reasons for discouraging gold discoveries. As the effort to control squatting and sporadic outbreaks of bush-ranging had shown, law and order were hard to maintain, especially beyond the settled districts. Nor was there much need of the economic stimulus which gold might bring.”
[Kingston. 2006:51]
1861
Isabella Griffin and her daughters joined the 160,000+ women who were amongst the 600,000 arriving in Victoria between 1851 and 1860.
1861 - Isabella Griffin and her daughters joined the 160,000+ women who were amongst the 600,000 arriving in Victoria between 1851 and 1860.
They were headed for the diggings. Social snapshot: “Most of the women available (in NSW) as marriage partners were, in fact, currency. Like their brothers, they grew up early. It was common for currency lasses to be married at 16. The shortage of women, a legacy from convict days, remained a matter of concern, violence and lawlessness in remote rural areas were attributed to the absence of women’s civilising effect. But even in the towns, New South Wales was a notably masculine society.”
[Kingston. 2006:59]
1864
The Women's Gallery in the Hebrew School Room, Pitt St Sydney began use for 'Sunday School Work'.
1864 - The Women's Gallery in the Hebrew School Room, Pitt St Sydney began use for 'Sunday School Work'.
Miss Sarah Hawkins (left), Miss Hester Hawkins (right), and their brother obtained permission for its use. The Hebrew School Room (on Pitt St near Bathurst St) was used by the church during 1864-1865. The disciples had added to their faith courage enough to hire a hall to worship in, keep the ordinances, and preach the Gospel to anyone that might be induced to attend the meetings.
1864
On the first Sunday in August, the church opened Christians’ Lord’s Day School.
1864 - On the first Sunday in August, the church opened Christians’ Lord’s Day School.
This was “a school to be held for the instruction of children in the scriptures, to be held twice each Lord’s Day morning and afternoon, and the name to be Christians’ Lord’s Day School.” Social snapshot: “By the 1860’s the eight-hour day had become a reality in most of the building trades. After work, people had time and energy to walk in Hyde Park, go to the theatre, listen to the band in the Botanic Gardens, play cricket, or swim in the crystal clear baths of Woolloomooloo Bay. Every Sunday, coaches to Botany Bay, Cooks River, Parramatta and South Head carried crowds to enjoy the seaside or the country.”
[Kingston. 2006:60]
1867
Pictured is the Kingsbury's house at Francis Street, Enmore which was became the basis of the Enmore Church.
1867 - Pictured is the Kingsbury's house at Francis Street, Enmore which was became the basis of the Enmore Church.
Dr. Joseph and Mrs Kingsbury lived in this house for so many years and both died there. Social snapshot: “King St, Newtown was then little more than a track, and was so much lower than the path in front of the chapel that the brethren had a rail erected to prevent anyone falling over.”
[Source: Hilder, p7]
1868
The Elizabeth Street church became the foundation for the City Temple.
1868 - The Elizabeth Street church became the foundation for the City Temple.
Social snapshot: “Up to this time, Newtown residents wishing to visit the City had been compelled to rely entirely upon their own resources, if they owned a horse and saddle, they could ride or journey by horse drawn vehicle, the other alternative being to walk. It was therefore a matter of considerable public interest when a horse bus began to services.”
[Hilder. The Story of the Enmore Church p2].
1868
Evangelist Henry Samuel Earl (pictured), turbo-charged the evangelist posture of the Sydney network.
1868 - Evangelist Henry Samuel Earl (pictured), turbo-charged the evangelist posture of the Sydney network.
Earl was an English-born, Melbourne-based evangelist who had trained in the US. He delivered addresses in the Newtown Chapel and Temperance Hall in the City. His words turbo-charged the evangelist posture of the Sydney network, encouraging the setting apart of Edward Lewis, George Day, and English-born Matthew Wood Green and Samuel Halstaff Coles.
Social snapshot: "As affluence began to develop in the late 1860s, our churches were moved to evangelise to people taken by the great opportunities offered the major industries of horse breeding and racing; sheep farming and advances in refrigeration which precipitated the expansion of dairy farming on the south coast."
[Kingston. 2006: 62-63]
1871
Chinese settlers may have started engaging with churches of Christ as they made NSW their home.
1871 - Chinese settlers may have started engaging with churches of Christ as they made NSW their home.
The discovery of alluvial tin in 1871 attracted workers from around the world to settle in places like Glen Innes, NSW. Social snapshot: "Many tin-miners were Chinese. Some opened stores that became a resource for the community, growing fruit and vegetables where there was a steady local demand. Meanwhile, a Welsh-speaking community became identified with coal-mining and there were seven Welsh chapels in and around Newcastle."
[Kingston: 2006. 66-67]
1878
On 25 August, four women were ordained and set apart as deaconesses by the laying on of hands.
1878 - On 25 August, four women were ordained and set apart as deaconesses by the laying on of hands.
“On the morning of Lord’s Day, 25th August 1878, the church assembled at 10:30am when Joseph Kingsbury, Thomas Hawkins, and Edward Lewis, as elders of the church, and Brethren James Hunter and George West, as deacons of the church, and Sarah Kingsbury, Sarah Hawkins, Janet Bardsley, and Elizabeth Marshall, as deaconesses of the church, were duly and solemnly ordained and set apart from the work and office of elders, deacons and deaconesses respectively by the laying on of hands of the brethren.”
[Source: E. J. Hilder ‘The Story of the Enmore Church’.]
Social snapshot: “Manhood suffrage had been granted in 1858. In March 1891, Mrs Dora B. Montefiore invited a few people to her home in Sydney to discuss the formation of the Woman’s Suffrage League. This organisation was wholly directed to the winning of the franchise for women in New South Wales. It had been preceded as far back as 1887 by the agitation of Mrs Euphemia Bowes, President of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.”
[Miles Franklin. Rose Scott: Some Aspects of her Personality and Work. “The Peaceful Army: A Memorial to the Pioneer Women of Australia 1788-1938.” The Women’s Executive Committee and Advisory Council of Australia’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations. Sydney: 1938. 53.]
1881
Building began on the Enmore Tabernacle in Metropolitan Road, Enmore.
1881 - Building began on the Enmore Tabernacle in Metropolitan Road, Enmore.
Until the building was opened, members of the church continued meeting at Dr and Mrs Kingsbury’s home, the Church St property in Newtown (pictured), the Temperance Hall in the City and the Elizabeth St Chapel in the City.
Social snapshot: "In this momentous year, the results of the first Australia-wide census is released, revealing Australia’s population has passed 2 million. The Ashes series of cricket matches between Australia and England came into being; and Sydney’s Garden Palace building, erected for the International Exhibition two years earlier, is destroyed by fire. It is believed to have been deliberately lit. The building housed a substantial collection of historical items including irreplaceable Aboriginal artefacts and records from the convict days."
[www.australiaforeveryone.com.au Timeline]
1883
In April 1883, women were invited to vote on a ballot regarding church oversight.
1883 - In April 1883, women were invited to vote on a ballot regarding church oversight.
In March 1883, the chairman was asked if the sisters would be allowed to vote. Apparently becoming a burning question, the sisters probably wielded influence enough to bring about a complete change of opinion, for at a business meeting only a month later, a ballot was held to elect three brethren to do the work of the presidency and to take the general oversight of the church. Further, “all members of the church – male and female – [were] invited to vote on the question.” The motion was carried unanimously.
Social snapshot: “Woman’s franchise was one of the departments of work decided upon at the Convention of the W.C.T.U. of 1891. Sir Henry Parkes presided at the first public meeting of this Department and brought the subject into practical politics in November 1890, by introducing a Bill to give the right to vote to all those of no legal disabilities “without distinction of sex.”
[Miles Franklin. Rose Scott: Some Aspects of her Personality and Work. “The Peaceful Army: A Memorial to the Pioneer Women of Australia 1788-1938.” The Women’s Executive Committee and Advisory Council of Australia’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations. Sydney: 1938. 54.]
1885
Thomas Hawkins suggested a gathering of elders and deacons from the five churches to consider working together.
1885 - Thomas Hawkins suggested a gathering of elders and deacons from the five churches to consider working together.
Thomas Hawkins initiated the Conference through a letter he wrote to the Board, of which he was a member, in which he suggested a gathering of elders and deacons from the five churches to consider working together. Social snapshot: "Suburban Sydney experienced a land sales boom in the 1870s, ensuring the 1880s was a prosperous decade for the building industry. Suburbs seemed to spring up overnight. By 1881, 100,150 people lived in the inner city with 124,800 more in the suburbs, the major concentrations being Wolloomooloo, Darlinghurst, Glebe, Pyrmont, Balmain, Darlington, Strawberry Hills, Camperdown, Redfern, Surry Hills, Newtown and St Peters. The development of Sydney's suburban area mirrored the development of the public transport system. As tram, bus, train and ferry services were extended, so new home buyers followed. The demand for cheap housing quickly began outstripping supply. To cope, developers opted for very high-density housing, leading to rows and rows of terrace houses being built. Population density within the inner Sydney ring thus grew to around 18 persons per ha, compared to 10 per ha for the whole of Sydney."
[Adapted content from Visit Sydney ‘History-Victorian’ http://www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au/history-9-victorian.html]
1886
Enmore Tabernacle officially opened 'for business' on Sunday 24 October, 1886 with attendance quickly growing.
1886 - Enmore Tabernacle officially opened 'for business' on Sunday 24 October, 1886 with attendance quickly growing.
Within one year, attendance had increased so much that extra seating had to be provided. C. T. Forscutt was the inaugural minister, followed by Charles Watt. Social snapshot: “Only people who have experienced the traffic conditions of those days can have any idea of the noise made by iron tyres and horse shoes upon poorly constructed metal roads, resulting in the grinding of the road material into fine powder which every wind impartially distributed. The noise passing the chapel doors became increasingly distressing.”
[Source: E. J. Hilder. p12]
1886
The first NSW Conference was held in the Elizabeth St Chapel in Sydney City on Good Friday.
1886 - The first NSW Conference was held in the Elizabeth St Chapel in Sydney City on Good Friday.
Dr Joseph Kingsbury became the first Conference President for the Church of Christ in NSW. Social snapshot: "In 1887, BHP had a silver ore smelter on-site at Broken Hill, with 680 people in employment producing silver and lead – almost to the equivalent in value to the gold produced that year. Other mines helped contribute to a boom in NSW silver-mining shares - hence some ordinary people had at least some money available to contribute to community-focused activities, like church building."
[Kingston. 2006:66]
1889
churches of Christ had transitioned from early church plant to a now-established presence in New South Wales.
1889 - churches of Christ had transitioned from early church plant to a now-established presence in New South Wales.
This was evidenced by the large staff of the Enmore Lord's Day School Officers and Teachers (pictured). Social snapshot: “The neighbourhood into which the church had now entered...comprised an estate belonging to Simmons... the property was described as being 1 ½ miles from Sydney, about 15 minutes ride on horseback, or thirty minutes walk. The house on the estate, called Enmore House, was very large, being 96 feet long, and it contained 13 rooms, the front verandah was raised and trellised and there were two front entrances with spacious halls. In front of it were flower gardens and ornamental trees. Behind the home were outbuildings consisting of a 4-stall stable, coach and gig houses, haylofts, granary sheds, piggery, stock yard, laundry, harness room, servants quarters, etc. All these buildings were of brick. At the rear of the Estate grew about 300 fruit trees besides vegetable gardens, and there was a well there from which an abundant supply of water was always obtainable.”
[Source: E. J. Hilder. The Story of the Enmore Church, p13-14].
