Florence Young
Encyclopedia
Florence Selina Harriet Young (10 October 1856 - 28 May 1940) was a New Zealand
-born missionary
who established the Queensland Kanaka Mission in order to convert blackbirded
labourers in Queensland
, Australia
. In addition, she conducted missionary work in China
and the Solomon Islands
.
, South Island
, the fifth child of an English
farmer. Her parents were both Plymouth Brethren
. She was educated at home in addition to two years in a boarding school
in England.
She moved to Sydney, Australia in 1878, and in 1882 to Fairymead, a sugar plantation
near Bundaberg, Queensland
owned by her brothers Arthur, Horace, and Ernest Young. She started holding prayer meetings for the families of the planters, which became the Young People's Scriptural Union. Eventually the group attracted 4000 members. Increasingly, she focussed on the kanakas
, whose "heathen" customs she detested. She began conducting classes in pidgin English
, and used pictures and a chrysalis to illustrate the resurrection
.
In 1886 she founded the Queensland Kanaka Mission (QKM) at Fairymead as an evangelical, non-denominational
church. It spread to other plantations and met with considerable approval from plantation owners and officials. In 1889, Government Inspector Caulfield noted that the behaviour of some South Sea Islanders had been improved by religious instruction. Stressing "salvation before education or civilization," it aimed to prepare the imported labourers for membership in their local established churches when they returned home. At its height, in 1904-1905, the mission employed 19 paid missionaries, and 118 unpaid "native teachers," and claimed 2,150 conversions.
Between 1891 and 1900, she spent six years with the China Inland Mission
. She suffered a nervous breakdown
, but recognized the work as preparation for the launch of the South Seas Evangelical Mission (SSEM), established in 1904 as a branch of the QKM in response to pleas from Peter Ambuofa
and other repatriated converts who solicited help establishing and teaching their own congregations. In 1904 she led groups of white missionaries to Malaita
in the Solomon Islands, hoping to nurture the newly-established churches of her protégés.
Young continued to administer the organization, from Sydney
and Katoomba, and made annual trips to the island until 1926. She wrote an autobiography, Pearls from the Pacific, which was published in London in 1925. She died in Killara, New South Wales
and was buried in Gore Hill
cemetery with Presbyterian forms.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-born missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who established the Queensland Kanaka Mission in order to convert blackbirded
Blackbirding
Blackbirding is a term that refers to recruitment of people through trickery and kidnappings to work as labourers. From the 1860s blackbirding ships were engaged in seeking workers to mine the guano deposits on the Chincha Islands in Peru...
labourers in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In addition, she conducted missionary work in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
.
Life
Young was born in MotuekaMotueka
The town of Motueka in the South Island of New Zealand lies close to the mouth of the Motueka River, on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is, after Nelson and Richmond, the third largest centre in the Tasman Region, with a population of 7125...
, South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, the fifth child of an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
farmer. Her parents were both Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
. She was educated at home in addition to two years in a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in England.
She moved to Sydney, Australia in 1878, and in 1882 to Fairymead, a sugar plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
near Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...
owned by her brothers Arthur, Horace, and Ernest Young. She started holding prayer meetings for the families of the planters, which became the Young People's Scriptural Union. Eventually the group attracted 4000 members. Increasingly, she focussed on the kanakas
Kanakas
Kanaka was the term for a worker from various Pacific Islands employed in British colonies, such as British Columbia , Fiji and Queensland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
, whose "heathen" customs she detested. She began conducting classes in pidgin English
Pidgin English
Pidgin English is a non-specific name used to refer to any of the many pidgin languages derived from English. English-based pidgins include:*American Indian Pidgin English*Bislama...
, and used pictures and a chrysalis to illustrate the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
.
In 1886 she founded the Queensland Kanaka Mission (QKM) at Fairymead as an evangelical, non-denominational
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
church. It spread to other plantations and met with considerable approval from plantation owners and officials. In 1889, Government Inspector Caulfield noted that the behaviour of some South Sea Islanders had been improved by religious instruction. Stressing "salvation before education or civilization," it aimed to prepare the imported labourers for membership in their local established churches when they returned home. At its height, in 1904-1905, the mission employed 19 paid missionaries, and 118 unpaid "native teachers," and claimed 2,150 conversions.
Between 1891 and 1900, she spent six years with the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
. She suffered a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
, but recognized the work as preparation for the launch of the South Seas Evangelical Mission (SSEM), established in 1904 as a branch of the QKM in response to pleas from Peter Ambuofa
Peter Ambuofa
Peter Ambuofa was an early convert to Christianity among Solomon Islanders who established a Christian community on Malaita, and a key figure in the history of the South Seas Evangelical Mission ....
and other repatriated converts who solicited help establishing and teaching their own congregations. In 1904 she led groups of white missionaries to Malaita
Malaita
Malaita is the largest island of the Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. A tropical and mountainous island, Malaita's pristine river systems and tropical forests have not been exploited. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with 140,000 people or more than a third of the...
in the Solomon Islands, hoping to nurture the newly-established churches of her protégés.
Young continued to administer the organization, from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Katoomba, and made annual trips to the island until 1926. She wrote an autobiography, Pearls from the Pacific, which was published in London in 1925. She died in Killara, New South Wales
Killara, New South Wales
Killara is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Killara is located north of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. East Killara is a separate suburb and West Killara is a locality within Killara.-...
and was buried in Gore Hill
Gore Hill, New South Wales
Gore Hill is an urban locality on the North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gore Hill is located in the western part of the suburb of St Leonards....
cemetery with Presbyterian forms.
Further reading
- Janet and Geoff Benge. Florence Young: Mission Accomplished. YWAM Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1576583139
External links
- Page from a descendent, including photograph of Young in China
- Christian History Research Australia books page, including PDF of Pearls from the Pacific