John Wollaston
Encyclopedia
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Wollaston was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
where his father, Edward Wollaston, was a master. After taking holy orders, in May 1819 he married Mary Amelia with whom he had five sons and two daughters. In 1840 Wollaston applied for the position of Chaplain for the Western Australian Land Company, a speculative venture that was seeking emigrant settlers to go to Australind, Western Australia
Australind, Western Australia
Australind is a satellite town and outer northern suburb of Bunbury, Western Australia, and is located 12 km north-east of Bunbury's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Harvey. At the 2006 census, Australind had a population of 8,717. -History:Prior to European...
near Port Leschenault. The company failed to appoint him officially but continued to promote the venture by saying Wollaston was available. In the confusion, Wollaston proceeeded to the new colony believing that he had been appointed as Colonial Chaplain and that an official stipend would be forthcoming on his arrival.
By the time he arrived, the Australind settlement was on the verge of collapse, largely due to its isolation from the rest of the colony at the Swan River
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
. Wollaston found himself nearly destitute and without a parish but with an offer from the Governor
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
, John Hutt
John Hutt
John Hutt was Governor of Western Australia from 1839 to 1846.Born in London on 24 July 1795, John Hutt was the fourth of 13 children of Richard Hutt of Appley Towers, Ryde, Isle of Wight. He was educated at Christ's Hospital, and in 1815 inherited Appley Towers...
to pay him a stipend of 100 pounds a year once a church had been built. Together with his sons he purchased some land alongside the Preston River
Preston River
The Preston River is a river in the South West region of Western Australia.The river has a total length of and rises near Goonac siding then flows in a North Westerly direction until discharging into the Leschenault Estuary....
and a dilapidated ex-whalers cottage which he called "Charterhouse" and built a small timber chapel nearby. The church opened without consecration in September 1842 and is the second oldest still standing church in Western Australia, after All Saints Church
All Saints Church, Henley Brook
The All Saints Church in Henley Brook is the oldest church in Western Australia. It was built by Richard Edwards between 1838 and 1840 with the first service taking place on 10 January 1841. The site is on a small hill overlooking the Swan River and near the conjunction of the Swan and Ellen Brook...
at Henley Brook
Henley Brook, Western Australia
Henley Brook is an outer rural suburb of Perth, Western Australia, part of the Swan Valley wine region. The Ellen brook and Swan River meet in the northeastern corner of the suburb. This is also the farthest upstream Captain Stirling's 1827 exploration reached before deciding on the settlement...
. It was later consecrated as St Mark's and is now located at the corner of Flynn and Charterhouse Close, Picton.
In February 1842 he convened a conference of the five Anglican clergy in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, in an attempt to revitalise falling church attendances. The conference called on Bishop William Broughton
William Grant Broughton
William Grant Broughton was the first Bishop of Australia of the Church of England....
from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to visit Western Australia regularly, however the request was denied.
A new Governor, Charles Fitzgerald
Charles Fitzgerald
Captain Charles Fitzgerald was the Governor of The Gambia from 1844 until 1847, then Governor of Western Australia from 1848 to 1855....
transferred Wollaston to Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
in 1849 and shortly after was visited by Bishop Short
Augustus Short
Augustus Short , was the first Anglican bishop of Adelaide, South Australia.- Early life and career :Born at Bickham House, near Exeter, Devon, England, the third son of Charles Short, a London barrister, offspring of an old English county family, and his wife Grace, daughter of Humphrey Millett...
and Archdeacon Hale
Matthew Blagden Hale
Matthew Blagden Hale was the first Bishop of Perth and then the Bishop of Brisbane.Born in Alderley, Gloucestershire, England, Matthew Hale was the son of Robert and Lady Theodosia . His maternal grandfather was The Earl of Mayo, Lord Archbishop of Tuam...
of the new diocese of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Bishop Short was impressed with Wollaston and appointed him Archdeacon of Western Australia, an office he held from 1849 until his death in 1856. Although now nearly 60, he spent his remaining years travelling his diocese extensively, always on horseback. He died aged 65 of a cerebral hemorrhage due to exhaustion.
Wollaston campaigned vigorously in his latter years for the establishment of a Bishopric
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in Perth, and this was finally granted in 1857 with Matthew Hale appointed the first Bishop of Perth.
The John Wollaston Theological College (est. 1957), the John Wollaston Anglican Community School
John Wollaston Anglican Community School
John Wollaston Anglican Community School is a private school located in Kelmscott, Perth, Western Australia. The school was founded in 1988 and offers K-12 education.- Notable alumni :Past John Wollaston attendees include:...
in Kelmscott
Kelmscott, Western Australia
Kelmscott is a southeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Armadale, and it is located southeast of Perth along Albany Highway....
and the Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
suburb of Wollaston
Wollaston, Western Australia
Wollaston is an inner southeastern suburb of Bunbury, Western Australia, located 4 km from the centre of Bunbury. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bunbury, and it contains the Bunbury Passenger Terminal, the terminus for the Transwa Australind service....
are all named after him.