Author Archives: A tribute to Influential Australian Christians

Bill Ferguson (1882 – 1950) aboriginal leader Bill Ferguson stood tall, with a calm and reliable manner, and his strong Presbyterian faith supported his pride in Aboriginal people  In 1949 he went to lobby the national Chifley Labor government in Canberra as … Continue reading →

William Bernard Ullathorne (1806 – 1889) Catholic priest, commentator, pamphleteer William Ullathorne persuaded the English Colonial Office to allow passage money of £40 each for ten schoolteachers, whom he recruited from all parts of the British Isles. He published a … Continue reading →

Jeremiah Francis O’Flynn (1788 – 1831) Catholic priest Simple but impulsive, Jeremiah O’Flynn managed to conflict with authority wherever he went, yet his clash with the Colonial Office helped to publicize the needs of Catholics in New South Wales and … Continue reading →

James McColl (1844 – 1929)  Senator James McColl was a senator in the Federal Parliament.  He was also a Presbyterian who taught Sunday school at St Andrew’s in Bendigo for 55 years.

Robert Bruce Plowman (1886 – 1966) patrol padre, author Robert Bruce Plowman was the first Australian Inland Mission Patrol Padre at Oodnadatta, South Australia, 1913-18.  He wrote `Camel Pads’, `The Boundary Rider’, and `The Man from Oodnadatta’.

Frederick Llewellyn Heriot (1884 – 1956) Cloncurry minister The Rev. F. L. Heriot, of the Australian Inland Mission, may be fairly described as a hero.

James Dixon (1758 – 1840) Catholic priest, convict (political) Reverend James Dixon was tried and sentenced to death for suspected complicity in the Irish rebellion. The sentence was commuted to transportation for life. He arrived at Sydney on the Friendship … Continue reading →

Agnes Bennett (1872 – 1960)   medical practitioner, army officer, flying doctor Agnes Bennett was a committee-member of the (Church of England) District Nursing Association and gave free medical assistance.  She was the first female commissioned officer in the British Army … Continue reading →

John Dunn (1938 – 2013) railway engineer, Bible teacher You could say that John Dunn had a two-track mind, or rather that his life ran on parallel rails according to design, because the two great passions of his life were … Continue reading →

John Clifford Peel (1894 – 1918) aviator, visionary John Clifford Peel wrote to John Flynn advocating the use of aircraft to overcome the distance and isolation of the outback.   John Clifford planned to become a medical missionary but was killed as … Continue reading →

Reginald Moffatt Fulford (1892 – 1945)  Australian outback worker Reginald Fulford was a council member of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He was a representative of Bush Church Aid Society. “A real friend” who would “do anything for anybody” and … Continue reading →

Francis Xavier Gsell (1872–1960) autobiographer, missionary, bishop Gsell lived and worked on Bathurst Island. He understood Aboriginal life, spiritual values and rituals and sought the people’s advancement; at this time even some anthropologists believed that they would become extinct.