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This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only.

Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the

written consent of the author.

THE EPIOOOPATE OF E,H, EIJRGMANN

TO 1947

Thesis submitted to the Australian National

Universi~ (School of General Studies)

for the degree of Master of Arts

Hugh Roy Gil bert Oakes

January 1966

1

SUMMAR!

Bishop and diocese are not separable :f'rom each other. Goulburn's first bisoop, Mesac Thomas, set a standard of dynamic leadership am pastoral care that became a pattern for the future. The pb,ysioal features am the-manner of life of the people were limiting factors, determining much of what bishops and clergy could am could not do. :ElY 1934, church life and organisa-tion had been following the same fixed pattern for maey years, but the region as a woole was beginning to change. Disastrous events in the closing years of Bishop Radford's episcopate had left the diocese in an unstable condition. ChaJ?ter I •••••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• o. o. p. 7

The Synod of Goulburn in 1934 was looking for a new kind of bishop, or at least somebody who would have a new kind of approach to the problems facing the diocese. BE-nest Henry &lrgmann was not a self'-evident cooioe as Bishop of Goulburn; his personal background seemed wrong for the leader of a rural institution, and he was only nominated at the last minute. Nevertheless his election ooourred with surprising ease. Ch.a.pter II • •• •• oee • oo • • •• oo •• ••• • • • o• •• • • •• •• •• •• • •• •• •• •• •• oo •• Po 16

The city of Goulburn was symbolic of the old order that was passing. The pattern of parish life in this district was firmly set; it had served its purpose well in earlier years, but was liOil' tending to brsek down. Goulburn itself no longer held the dominant position in c.buroh affairs, and some changes were brund to occur. But it was not clear what soould be done, am fresh leader-ship was needed to regroup the diocese and perhaps change the traditional positlal of' GoulblU'Do Clla.pter III ..•.•...•••••...••••..•... o •••••••••••••••• •• ••••••• o p. 47

&lrgmann soon made himself familiar with ocmi tions throughout the Diocese. He reckoned the greatest need was for more positive leadership and informed teaching in the parishes, am instituted a campaign to raise the standard< of the clergy. Ordinams were better-trained, and the whole body of' clergy was given opportunity for in-service training. Along with this went a long-range policy of getting church-people generally to consider the relationship of Christian faith to the woole of life, and to break down parochial barriers. The diocese was called upon to work as a team in such matters as providing a Children's Home. The outbreak of war in 1939 inhibited much of what was being done, but by this time the pessimistic outlook found a few years earlier, had quite disappeared. Chapter IV • • • • • •• o. eo • •• • • • • •• •• • • o•• • •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• • • •• • • • Po 68

&lrgmann's own particular interests 183' in relating Christianity to the needs of the community, and its bearing on pressing social problems. While

2

living at Morpeth he had ma:cy opportu:cities to express this concern. As Bishop of Goulburn, occasions far carrying on this wark were much fewer. His interest in such matters was a positive result of his Christian belief's, not simply humanistic. Therefore he tried to continue his attack on social problems, and found a wey to do so through the Legion of Christian Youth; He founded a diocesan youth organisation with the same object in mind. Again, the outbreak of war curtailed these activities, even more seriously than the general work of the diocese. Clla.pter V •••••••••• o •••••• o. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • p. 1 03

The war, however, brought into fresh prominence a question that was bound to arise sooner or later, the question of Canberra, the relation bf the rest of' the diocese to parishioners there, the relation af the bishop to Canberm and the position of Goulburn. Burgmann decided he should live in Canberra, and so meet the difficulties that had oaused great trouble to his predecessor, Radford, when he had tried to make the A.C.T. a separate diocese with its own bishop ani a National Cathedral. Burgmsnn wanted a coadjutor-bishop to live in Goulburn. His ideas were accepted easily enough, but he came to grief over his choice for an assistant bishop. This caused a few years' delay in fulfilling his plans. Nevertheless, in 194-7 he moved to Canberra, although there was no second bishop until 1949. Chapter VI ••••o •• •• •• ao •••••• •• •• •• •• •• ••• • o• oa •• •• • ••• •• •• ao•••o P• 14.:3

In the post-war years, the Diocese, now named Canberra and Goulburn, was able to settle down to a period of' fairly steady expansion. Chapter VII (Epilogue) •••••• e ••. • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • P• 178

E.H. Burgmann hai given effective leadership, and had proposed. and carried out solutions to most of' the serious problems confronting the Diocese of Goulburn at a crucial time in its history. Chapter VITI ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• •••••••••• o •••••••• •••• • p. 1 83

3

PRIIDIPAL SOURCES

Unpublished material:

Letters and copies o~ letters; manuscript and typescript documents, sermons, addresses, talks, notes o~ addresses; diaries, ledgers, reports o'f meetings; unpublished reminiscences.

IDeated at:

1. Bishop Burgmann' s residence.

2. "Records Room" (lon above stable) at Old Bishopthorpe, Goulburn.

3. St. ~' s Collegiate Li. brary, Canberra,

4. Diocesan Registry o:t't'ioe, Goulburn.

5. Residence o~ D.E.K. Blanohe, llll'mington, Sydney.

6. Residence o~ A. J. lle.lzi el, Arncli:t't' e, Sydney.

7. All Saints' Rectory, Berridale, N.s.w.

~~ioial records am reports:

Register o'f the .Acts and Proceedi!J!:s ~ the Bishop o'f Goulbum, Diocesan Registry, Goulburn.

Minutes o'f the Bifilop in Council o'f the Diocese o~ Goulbur~ (Noter the Bishop-in-Council, or Diocesan Council, is the staaiing cO!lllllittee o~ the Diocesan Synod).

Report o~ the ( .... ) General S,ynod. o~ the Church o'f ~land in Australia and Tasmama, year .... } •

Report o~ the ( .... ) §ynod o'f the Diocese Of Goulburn, ••• Session, (year •••• ).

Presidential Address to the ••• • Session o'f the • , • , Sypod o'f the Diocese ~ Goulbura, , •••

Abbreviation used in f'ootnotes:

Private papers.

Old Bishopthorpe,

s. Vark's.

Registry.

Acts and Proceeding_s

D. c. Minutes.

General Synod report, (year .... ) •

Synod report, (year •• .. )

s~ Address Year •••• ~.

4 Report of the Proceedi nus of: the Church Society of' the Diocese Of' Goulburn, {year o ••• ).

Newspapers and periodicals:

The Southern Churchman, Goulburn The Newcastle Morning Herald The S;ydney Morning Herald The Sun, Sydney The Da.il,y Telegra"ph, Sydney The Ie.bor Dai~ Sydne:y Goulburn Elreni (Pemvl Post The Church Standard, Sydney St. Mark 's Review, Cad>erra

other Published material:

Published works of E. H. furgmann:

Factors in the Making of: the Christian Religion. The Oppq Lunity of the Church of' England. Justice for All ani The Case f'or the Unsployed.. The Regeneration of Civilization, Moorhouse

IActures, November 1942. The Faith of an Anglican, The Pliuoation of an Australian. Anglican Belief' and Practice,

other books:

R.T, Wyatt; The Histofi of' the Diocese of Goulburn, Sydney 1 37.

R. T, Wyatt: The History of Goulburn, N, s. W, Goulb1rn, 194J.,

J,T,R. Border: The Founi~ of the See of Goulburn. Canberra, 1 56,

J .T .R, Border: Church ani State in Australia. I.oaion, 196 3o

A,P. Elld.n: The Histor;y of' the Diocese of' Newcastle, Newcastle, 1957.

W,M, COiiPer: Episcopate of' the RisPt Reverend Frederic Barker, D. D., London 1B88.

H.L. White, ed.: Canberra, A Nation's Capital, Canberra 1954..

F. Watson: A Brief' History of Canberra. Cllllberra, 1927.

Church Society report, {Year o•··'·

s.c. U.H. S.M.H. Sun D.T. L:D. G.'i,{p,)p, 2:.§o

Morpeth, 1929. Morpeth, n.d, (1932?). Morpeth, 1933·

Melbourne, 1942. Sydney, 1943. Sydney, 1944. Goulburn, 1952.

Abbreviation used in footnotes:

Diocese of: Goulburn.

Histor;y of: Goulburn.

Diocese of Newcastle.

Frederic Berker.

History of Canberra.

5

F.W. Robinson: CanbeiTa's First Hundred Years and Af"ter. Sydney 1927.

L.F. Fitzhardinge: St. John's Church and CanbeiTa. CanbeiTa, 1941.

Abbreviations used for names appearing frequently in footnotes:

E.H.B. R.T.W. c.s.R. F.de W.B. A. J.D.

Ernest Henry Burgmann. Ransome T. Wyatt (Registrar of the Diocese of Goulburn). Charles Shearer Robertson (Rector ani Archdeacon of Canberra). Francis de Witt Batty (Bishop of Newoastle). Allan J. Dalziel (Secretary of the Legion of Christian Youth).

Convention concerning certain words:

The word 'church' is employed with an initial capital utter (Church) when meaning the Church of Englani in particular. Otherwise it means the Christian Church in general.

Similarly, 1Bishop1 and 'Diocese' with initial capitals refer respectively to the Bishop, and Diocese, of Goulburn.

ti BISHOP B UH(;MAN N

g, The 111:\'Ulf.\D C;\'\'U.\' G. /\. M . . \ELL, Th.Sclwl.

:\mung HI)' collection of 1'1wtos i~ o11e of a IO!IIlf!, t•irile mtlll, 11'itf1 J,fuc en's and a 11111.\S o(·I,Jmd Cllrls. It is tlult of I fit: Hl!l'crnul 1:. fl. Hun!)/101111, 1l'tlrtlcH of ~f. Jol111's ( ·(Jiin'J', Anuidale, ns I lwc!l' him. whl'fl 1 crlfL'1t·d the colle!!_c o1·er fort) )Cars o~o.

The :-:lltdt·nts' ~ung \H'Ilt .. ··\\'c lil't i11 (l l 1 11ildiu~ uf dt·al lnmrJ awl cracb, B1u ar·· tha11k{1d li'L' flt~l·c 1101 trJ lire likf! lfu:

H,1l·ks.·· . Tl1S n·.,;wLt•·,i till· ri;-:11! •1!' ••tlw1•: tn h.l\c contr;~ry con 1i('ti1•

7

Chapter I,

Introduction.

8

.)/ ' - 1 / 0,.. )/ ) ll ..... E.l Tl!o E.TTI6KoTT7S ops.yt:T~I, Kd.f\OU E..p)'ou E.)TIC7t..I)Ltl • .. I Timotey iii.l: 'I:f a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he

desireth a good work'. The more prosaic New :&lglish Bible renders: 'To aspire to leadership is an honourable ambition•.

The office of a bishop as known to nineteenth century :&lglish church-

aen was far removed troa the priaus inter pares of early- christianity-, wm

presided at the eucharist and officiated as chairllan at a;ynods of clergy-. He

bad become the actual ruler and mast ex of a pieoe of terri tory, a diocese, and

the bishop can hardly be considered apart t'rolll his diocese. To fill such an

office was a good work indeed.

When the episcopal ol'fice was translated to the Antipodes, the bismp

was not neoessaril3 reduced in stature because he was no longer an officer of'

the Established Church, for in effect he might be more absolute in his control

than a:cy- ola.-orld bishop who must keep one eye on Canterbury and the other on

Westminster. The colonial bishop might still play- his part in national affairs

or in matters not directly related to his diocese; but in practice bishops were

too busy to find much time for doing so. furgmann was one who used his

episcopal office in such external affairs; few others were doing so with much

effeot0

Ernest Henry furgmann, the fifth Bishop of Goulburn, may be in some

respects coapared with the first, llesac Thomas. They- each held office for a

similar period, twenty-six and twent,...seven years respectively; each time was a

crucial one for the diocese. Thomas, in 1864, bad to contend with the problems

of establishing a new institution; furgmam, in 1934., bad to rall3 a demoralised

diocese and tim a way to deal with the question of Canberra. There are other

9

points of comparison and contrast between :furgmann and some of his predecessors,

having a bearing on Burgmann's own episcopate. The separate dioceses of the

Anglican Church in Australia have tended to be so isolated from each other, that

a bishop's predecessors in office and the traditions inherited from ths, have

probably more influence on him than have his contemporaries in other dioceses.

Thomas brought to his work tremendous energy; ability to organise both

the hUIIan am material resources available, to great advantage; a personality

that c011111e.med co-operation or at least non-resistance; am sufficient

determination, and faith in the work he was doi~, to enable him to guide ani

superintend the firm establiabaent of the Church of Engl.am undaunted by the

difficulties of a strange and unpromiaing environment. He came to an area

ministered sparsely by a handf'ul. of isolated clergy. In UDder twenty years the

whole region bad been cayered with a system of parishes, involving the creation

ot twenty-three new parochial areas; the clergy had increased fourfold; there

was commensurate increase in the number of churches, parsonages and school

buildings; a system of church government am finance had been set up. :&.lrgmann

therefore inherited a tradition of sotm:i administration.

In one or two directions progress me;y have been too rapid. His seal to

see the whole countryside covered with fomall,y constituted parishes led to the

disappearance of itinerating clergy whose ministry in vm:y sparsel7 populated

areas was sometimes more effeoti ve because more adaptable to circumstances; the

record of pioneer priests in southern districts, such as E.G. Price and Robert

Cart'lfright before the creation of the diocese, had demonstrated the possibilities

of this kim of ministry; and other dioceses developed the idea into the 'bush

10 brotherhoods' , with good ef't'ect.

Goulburn Diocese began then with a f'im tradition of the exercise of'

episcopal authority, powerful, personal 8lld dramatic. Bishops subsequent to

Thomas overlaid the original highly coloured picture with more mellow tonesr

calmer ar.d better balanced, as a rule less t'oroe:f'ul, yet still in the same

tradition of' positive, SOIIIetimes autocratic, episcopal rulership. William

Chalmers, the second bishop, by contrast with Thomas, seems urbane and perhaps

rather negative. Christopher Barlow, the diocese's onl,y bachelor bishop, was a

fairly oolour.f'ul figure by comparison with Chalmers, but not having the

ooamar.ding personality of a Thomas, ar.d lacld.ng also the robust health am

mental vigour required, he f'our.d the going di:rticult. lilt he had qualities at'

understar.ding 8lld humanity somewhat lacld.ng in his predecessors. He was

considered approachable and not marked by the aloofness characteristic at' most

English bishops. lilrgmann felt himself' spiritually akin to Mesac 'lbomas among

his predecessors, but in this matter of' being accessible to people generally and

having underatar.ding of' them, he had muah more in common With Christopher Barlow.

Burgma.nn 1 s immediate predecessor was Lewis Bostock Radford (1915-19'3),

and the predominant memory of' him was of' a man defeated ar.d broken by events;

his passiomte concern f'or an adequate approach to the problem of' Canberra had

led him to take steps that ended in disaster. I£ ahurohllen had memories long

enough, they me;y have recalled that Thomas 1 closing years were clouded by

quarrels concerning the use of' Goulburn Cathedral, ar.d Barlow's by a failure of

persoDal relationships. I£ therefore the f'itth Bishop of' Goulburn inherited a

tradition of' episcopal decisiveness, he also had adequate warning of' the

personal dangers confronting ailf bishop whose decisions involved him in extra-

11

ordinary activities.

Of great interest to a new bishop was the ~sical nature of the

area, and the general characteristics of the people inhabiting it. The

countryside provides more oontrssts than is general in Australian dioceses.

A large propat"tion of the region is mountainous, with tablelanis ani undulating

slopes; in the east is na=ow coastal plain, and the western portion of the

diocese includes a comparatively small part of the inlani plains of New South

Wales. Occupations in 1934 were partly determined by these factors: on the

coast, dairying ani timber-getting with some fishing; in the 1N8t, the diocese

entered the wheat belt; but by far the greatest part was given to sheep-grazing.

The well-drained, moderatel;y well-atered uplands, with an average rainfall of

some fifteen to twenty-five inches amually, ani the generally cool climate,

provided ideal coniitions for this purpose. There was also a good deal at cattle-

grazing in the more rugged districts, particularly in the Monaro. Three-quarters

of the area was given to grazing pursuits.

The rugged nature of the terrain militated against ease of communica-

tion ani the formation of large towns; this in turn tended to discourage aJV

interest in cultural pursuits. Life on the whole was far from eas.r; opportuni-

ties for advanced education were poor ani the demand for it was not high except

among the oomparativel;y wealthy whose children received their seconiary education

at a private bearding-school in Sydney or one of the few large towns. Most

children left school at fourteen years of age to seek employaent, or work on the

faaily farm.

Most people expected to speni the 11hole of their lives in one small

locality, with visits ome a 110nth, or less frequently, to the nearby township

12

for provisions and entertailllllent, ani perhaps with an armual trip to a large

town or to Sydney. It was still not unco111110n before 1939 to :fim families whose

aumbers had never travelled 110re than a few miles fro11 their home, had never seen

a railway station or even a moderate-sized town, had no radio and received no

newspaper exoept the local twice-eekly sheet, am whose social occasions were

provided by dances ani scratch rao-eetings, illYariably called sports' days.

In smaller communities, often not even possessing a public-house, the only public

buildings would be the weatherboard one-teacher school, the public hall (a shed

made of corrugated iron), am the church.

Since the majority of rural dwellers were Anglicans, 11ost bush churches

were identified as Church of Etlgland. ~ 193q., since previous bishops, Radt'ord

in particular, had striven to aohieve dignified standards of warship, there were

few buildings, however small, that were not furnished w1 th traditional ornaments

am appcint11ents. The smallest country cburoh was recognizably Anglican, after

the pattern of the gothic revival, coaplete with gloo11 and CU11berso11e furniture.

The general pattern 1n 19_,q_ was that most parishes had several places

of worship, but only one priest; he lived nomally in the largest town or village

• in the parish, but parochial bouDiaries in ver,y few i:nstances coincided with the

natural cont'ines of localities. More often than not, the rector would :find

himself ministering to several communities, quite distinct from each other.

local loyalties were very strong. It was counted to :!brgmann tor righteousness

that he visited, not only ever,y parish, but almost every community within each

parish, within a year or so of his installation as bishop.

13 This general pattern was ccuplioated by the growing tendency for

people to look away from their own immediate locality towards the nearest

larger town as a centre for some activities. Thus, there were local loyalt:l.i:s

tending to fragment parish life; ther:"e were also wider loyalties beginning to

develop, with little relation to parish boundaries.

Under these comitiona, ther:"e was often little that a parish priest

could do other than provide the necessary ministrations, ani do his best to

offer pastoral care when it was needed b,y illdividuals and families. He hsd

little incentive to try ani arouse the interest of parishioners in affairs

beyoni their own iiHlediate concerns, or to relate their professed Christian

faith to the life of the nation or the 110rld at large. In ma.ey parishes, some

of them haT.ing as 1118.:1\Y as a dozen centres, the rector only saw even the best ~

his flock once each month - the ideal of worship every Sunlay -s realisable

only in towns.

When l3urgmsnn as SUllied office, he was boum to consider the questions

arising from these general conditions unier which people lived - conditions

which were beginning to change.

The education ani ability of the clergy were :fundaJIIental matters.

He had to examine possible ways of improving the standards of both the existing

boey of priests and those to be added by recruitment. Also, methods had to be

found and opportruni ties provided to enable ani encourage cmrchpeople generally

to understand the Christian faith end its relevance to twentieth century problems.

The bishop was confronted with the equalzy urgent need to 1118.ke people

see the clmrch as something more than the local congregation. Everything

affecting the ration's life was theoreticalzy the concern of every Christian;

14

furgraann hed a particular interest in the aPPlication of Christian principles

to social problems. When be bec!lllle a bishop he was given a wider opportunity

to get these pr:inal.ples awlied in some measure, provided he was not tied dovm

toe 1111ch by the demands of his own diocese.

As one who was regarded as a 'radical', furgmann might have expected

to ignore his diocese ani speDi his time promoting his heterodox beliefs. He

would not accept the designation of radical except in its basic meaning of one

who goes to the root of the matter. And at no time did he follow his 011111

particular interests at the expense of the diocese.

Apart from his own particular interest in the wider application of

certain prinoiples, furgmann had the general problem of overcoming the

fragmentation of the diocese, of integrating isolated congregations ani priests

into the life of the whole. This could not begin until the bishop hiiiiSelf knew

his diocese thoroughly.

He had to become aware, not only of the existing ooDiitions, but of

aey particular questions likel3 to arise as developments in the region took place.

One such problem was Canberra. Although not maey people were living in the

Capital Territory, it was a significant place. Already it had proved disastrous

to one bishop, ani Burgmam hed to find a way of avoiding Radford's plight,

without neglecting the question of Canberra's relation to the diocese ani to the

Church. An associated question was llhether, as Radford had proposed, a bishop

should live in Canberra, ani llhether therefore the diocese ought to have an

additional bishoPo

lbt all of this was immediately self-evident in 1934. The depre84lolid

15

condition o£ church affairs in JDaztf parishes was most urgent. !he need for

better-fitted clergy and better-inf'ormed laity was perhaps the most serious

question for long-range consideration, a need that would beooiiiB more acute!

as Canberra, with its comparatively cosmopolitan population, became an important

part of the diocese. A great deal of the interest of the first few years o£

E.H. 1hrgmam•s episcopate lies in examining the lines he laid down for dealing

with these problems.

16

Chapter II.

The early career of Ernest Henry Burgmann,and

his election to the See of Goulburn.

L. to R., back row: Bishops Moyes ( Acmi· dale), Crotty (Bathurst), Kirkby (Coadjutor ol Sydney), Front row: Bishops Ashton (Graf-ton), Burgmann (Gaul-burn), the Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan the Most Rev. Dr. Mowil, Bishop de Witt Batty (Newcastle) and Bishop Halse (Riverina).

17

Bishops of the Anglican Province of

New South Wales,Bishops 1 Conference,

1934.

~ 8 J

In common with other pionP.er bishops, l.lesac Thomas in bringing tho!

benefits of Anglicanism to colonial Australia, attempted to transplant as manlf

of the customs arrl institutions as could be ma,le to adapt themselves to

conditions at Goulburn. Some of these institutions, such as the parochial

system, were so much a part of traditional church order that they were forced

to fit, however square the peg and rourrl the hole. In time, manlf modifications

were found. necessary - or else the c ;.stom, such as the pew-renting system e.rrl

the centralised control of church finance, fell into disuse. The disappePrance

of the first of these two was generally welcomed; in the second instance, the

result was a mixture of' blessings: it led to greater local lay responsibility,

but less independence for the parish priest.

The episcopacy itself was one institution that of necessity underwent

considerable modification. The outward forms ~nd traditional ceremonies

surrourrling it were unaltered, but its f 1-tnctions were varied in several -...vays.

The process took a long time. The Church was slow in ~inging its 'TIOSt venerable

institution to the color.y; almost half a century pa sed from the first settlement

to the consecrE•tion of Broughton as Lord B-;_shop of Australia, in 1636.

Further Cievelopments were not rapid; by 1863 there were still only

seven dioceses for the whole country (1); Goulburn became the eighth, arrl

although the coloey was three-quarters of 2. century old, Mesa.c Thomas had to

function, like his fellow bishops, as a pioneer of episcopacy in Australia.

Prestige arrl authority were still accorded bishops in nineteenth-century Britain,

1. Diocese of Australia, 1036 (renamed Sydney 1847); Tasmania 1842; }Jelbourne, Adelitide and Newcastle, 1847; Perth 1857, Brisbane 1859.

19 but collditi«mB in Australia soon required that they be leas men~ aff'airs

ani publio f'igures, and b._ paatora and adJRiniatratora to a IIIUCh greater

extent. Broughton had tried to maintain the f'ull authori t;r ani privileges

beloDging to the Established Church and to hiaaelf' aa its representative, -but

had been coapelled to change his grouul. (1).

Successive bishops, coming f'ront Englam, ~ere equalq reluctant to

vary their customs; but af'ter the trials of' Oolenso, Bl.ahclp ~ Natal, in 1865

and 1866 had made it clear that the !.etters ~ Patent appointing colonial

biahclpa up to that time, had m legal standing (2), it becaae necessary f'or tbe

bishops to concern themselves with questions of' cburoh gcnre:maent alii!

adllinistratiOI'lo The-.f were uncertain about such questions as the relation ot a

bishop to his diocese, to the local legislsture, and to the Church of' Engl!!Dd.

Reaote as SOJRe of' these matters now s"em, they were long the subject of' close

stua,- by bishops am oollllllittees, (:~).

What emerged f'rom all this was the modern dioceBSJl legislature, the

ayDOd, f'aailiar to Australian Anglice.ns, Synodical government is liD new~

in the obta.rch, but in s011e respects the Australian version that eYOl'Nd ill

unique: partioularl,y in the legislative power possessed b;y the diocesan ayDOd,

and in the extent of' lay JWpresentation. (4). 'I'he synod of' each diocese is in

effect supreme within the diocese, and in most 111atters oamiOt be overtuled b;y

other bodies, the proviDoial IIIJ'DOds or the Australian~ Synod; legialsti.an

of' these boiliea IIUst be aooeP'ed by the diocesan ayDOd to lie ef'tective there.

1. See:&:. Gro.ee, 'The Mucational Oollpro.ise of' the lord Bl.shop ~ Australia', ~~!Pi· Deoeaber 1961, p.245.

2. \A: 4,mato17 ot the Aua~a Cllurc:h, P• n. 3. Ibi4, pp 75 T~diiiii'oh aJid state insti'81ia, pp 166 tt. 4. Border, op,oit. pp 255 tt.

laityo

.,....._, ,.,,..,"" _ ..... cv·- 1

20

I• ) \..i.. • ?-.cr·;n this came ~.,_ll

:'hl. s ~ rw c.n t 1

rnore desirable. 1--Tis !'r::adine'::;S to get "''~t ~ople, to mn.ke 1ong

·}j los, op. ci to p.., 93~ 'Jya.tt, Diocese of Goulhurn, Pol~}; ,, • Cav~""'cr 1 The Sot.lthern Churc}unan., ~bvember 1]08.

I1'rederic 3arker, chs. TII J~ Dr.

21

of t~e reln.ti:Jnship, legal a:nci c-Cller, Oetween bishop, church anC: sta teo Tf_ .-::.hops

h&d beer- accustomed. to exercising their functions as :r:,1ch as possible afte:."' the

menner of their English counteJ:1'l.:.>,rts; most were English b,;' birth r.ncl e;::1ucation;

and this had been particulerly t!'~le in Goul:burn. (1), ~arly in his career there,

Bi~hop Burgmann was told, ~erh.aps not :?,ltogether vrith approval] by the Vico.r-

generol, Joseph :-ik~, th:Jt he w&_s ip:L8neering a new kind of bishop'. (2). So,

almcst a century Eftc,r ?J•,oughton, the c'mglican Church in Australia was still

pioneering with its bisho:ps. In Goulburn 'Jiocese, Thomas had demonstr2.ted tlwt

episcopacy we.s ada-ptable; but the kini o:f b'i~sl~op needed was sti11 being slovrly

Goulburn was not alone in acquiring a new bishop about this time; the

early 'thirties saw several Australien dioceses, particularly in New South ',7aJ~s,

replace their respective leaders. In 1931, Francis ,:e 'Nitt ratty succeeded to

the See of Newcastle, vacant since the death of Bishop Long in 1930; socn after,

J,G, Moyes replaced W.F. Wentworth Shields at i

22 It is note>vorthy that these chang"s in leadership tended to isol:·.te

the various dioceses of the ecclesiastical Pr-ovince of New South Fales from

each other. For the new 1 eaders of three d;_oceses in particulc.r - Sydney,

Gouli,urn and Bathurst - were each repres.entative of three somewhat divergent

schools of tho•.1ght in the Church of "&lglarrl: the evangelical, lilJeral and

anglo-catholic viewpoints respectively. Such div'"'gent attitudes of the bishops

accentuated existing inter-diocesan differences, m&king agreement on such matters

as a Constitution for the Church of Engl2.nd in Anstralia harder to rPach. (1).

These new faces on the episcopal bench did not mean aey grat increase

in the expression of a peculiarly 1\.ustralian point of view there, OnJ.y twc of

the new men, Moyes a.rrl Burgmann, were Australian-bon!; in Newcastle, whose

formr bishop had been Australian, the new man w:>s of E:nglish birth and o•.1tlook.

(2) o Burgmann mig,ht have seemed an obvious ~hoice as next Bishop of Newcastle

in 1930, for the three :1revious occupants of the See had all been of Australian

birth, John Francis Stretch, Assistant Dishop of Brisbane in 1895 and Bishop of

Newcastle from 19c6, was the first Australian-born Anglican bisLop; Stretch's

successor in 1919, Reginald Stephen, and G.E. Long who followed in 1928, were

also Australians, (3), furgmann, then '•'!arden of s. John's College, w"s one of

two nominees receiving strong support in the Synod of 1930. He was favoured by

the clergy, but was regarded as too radical by the laymen. The choice was )eft

to the Diocesan Council, who appointed an oc1tside party, F. de Witt Batty. (4).

1. For a brief account of how pa.rtisan feeling affected plans for the Constitution, see Giles, op,cit. pp 183 ff, Agreement wqs not reached till 1962.

2. A.P. :>':lkin, The Diocese of Newcastle, p.676, 3o Ibid, p,622 ff, p.G7lo 4. ~~kin, op,cit. p.676.

23

The predominance of rc1ral interests in Newcastle Synod (1) made Burgman.'l an

unlikely choice. Newcastle 1 s A'J.strali~.n-born bishops had each been proven,

orthodox churchmen, already biehops elsewhere, each the product of Trinity

College, Melbourne. Batty, although an ·''nglishman, fitted this pattern be-tter

than Burgmann. (2).

It is easy to see why Burgrnann f'aileO. to become seventh Bishop of

Newcastle; how he became fif'th Bishop of' ·~oulburn f'our years later is harder

to uirlerstairl.

Ernest Henry furgmarm was born at Lansdowne on the Manning River in

1885, Fis father was engaged in varioC!s f'arming pursuits, and his home and

upbringing were f'airly typical of' aey Austre .. lian rural home eighty years ago,

except that the level of' education in the home was higher than normal. From

his father and grarrlf'ather he ac~uired an interest in political and economic

af'f'airs, ani especially in the f'ormation of' the Australian Labour movement and

the ~c1ssian Revolution, (3).

His f'ormal education took place at the small school at Koppin Yarrat,

with a period of' one year also at Clevelanl. Street, Syc1ney, lie hated the city

school, s.Irl was glad to return to his father's farm in 1900, He spent a few

years in a logging business in partnership with a cousin; the lonely bush lif'e

aided the development of' his indepenl.ence of spirit ani his capacity f'or

contemplative thinking. (4),

1. See EJ.kin, p.625, About 70}& of the diocese's P.nglicans lived in 24 town ani city parishes; the other 301; Jived in 34 rc1ral ;oorishes, Since ee.ch parish haC the sa:r:e m.unber of }~;y :~'yn:Jd. re:9resent;ttives, the ru.cul vote dominated the l.a.y \rote in ~ynodo

2o Elkin, p.h71. )o 2~.H. Burgma.nn, The ·&lucation of D.ll t_~.:.strz.lian, ch.l. l1~o Ibido

24

One effect o~ fvllCJI!ling is8l:-.ted pursuit::: 1,72-s 2~ rel'..lctance tbro~-~;llout

L.iz li~e to vrork as 2_ !!lember of D . .srouiJ ::or team; he creferred to pl:-· .. Y

25

[lin something of the need for a proper s·~:heme of training, an1l tbe ::.ru-Jdeq::} ··r;ic::\'_ly c.s v:e11 as academicblly. ~"rom

this P""'riod ca.rr.e BurgmP..nn's int~·rest in de::7th-psychol.ogy, an l_nt-:orest f'ocu::-sed

bef-:n·e long in the writil'l.[\s of Freud, at a time when 2uch a.n intr.r~~t on the

pe.rt of e. cle.::g;yrnan was highly S',1S~.Jer;t~,~

S, ,John's was at this time a small college, origir.ally ir:tend.ed to

trFoin cJ.:·rgy for tbe Diocese of !U"mi :-o.le which owned an:l cont!·olled ito Sir1ce

there vm.s no othPr college for Clers:r in r

26 line; ·..,y dint o-r much cor-.res1:--onClence he perst:.aQed th~se concerned, chiefly the

bishops o:f' the "rnvince, thnt tJ:e colJ.ege ~Jho~.llcl. be loc~ted at a ce:r..trol site"

(l)o This t~ok soCJe time to 'lOhieve, b•.:t ln 1926 the oollege was open'O

27

This aim of avoiding extremes sprang from his conviction that each

extreme was out of touch with contemporary Australian thought. S •. John's, by

contrast, was to keep abreast of moc:err. liberal thought, and not a little of

Greek thought too. It vms indeed the Greek ideal of education of the whole man

that the Warden re.ther naively songht to symbolise in the principal building of

his college, which was to have three storeys, the ground floor a gymnasium, the

next a library, and finally a chapel. Students were to gain practical training

in the manua~ arts am to partici1Jate in a course of physical training; they

were to be encouraged to combine their theological training with studies in the

liberal arts, as far as possible at university standard, and with this in mind

Burgmenn began to seek support fer his i

28 wg;: not e theological publication in any narrow senseo Contributors, who were

speciAlists in their own fj_elcl, discussed a 1vic.le ra.nge of social, poli ticnl 1

cultural, economic and scientific themes, as well as religious topics: por.sibly

the journal terdec. to defeat its object by being too diverse. One ise.ue, · t,cken

at random, (1), hes these articles: The Cure of Souls (by the Wan:len), On

Seeing Life (Rev. Dr Kenneth Herr:erson), The Antomobile (F. R. 1

29 ·~·!oved b,:,r '-rchC r~nct:r:. }~_::ynnt, s•""c::ond.ed Cu.n

30

y ec_rs be was e_cti vc in the -;r01"ker:-::; 1 1\c-:ucc.tinn:-'!_l r~.ss::Jcia.tion, :::_nci ·;;hen the

: :se--~. In this w:v he becn.f.\e familiar with +:he life ::·~ those empJoyeO. on tfe

coa~fields anC. in tbe hea'V'Y in:l~1ctries of ~:e-.vca:Jtle.

the causes of ulliterpri>.rilegeci groups.

F.n op-portunity fer 2.ction carne in June 1932, with the ~"Ver.t }::!1Jy,,,n

31 The Tighe 1 s Rill e,ffair gained Burgma.nn some renown, but already

thro•Jghout this period he we.s becoming e;eneral]y known as a speaker on topics

related to the q-~estio!'l of unemplo:;ccent. The generel drift of his lecturing

can be discerned from a few examples. In IiJcy 1932 he told the Mayf'ield-J~ra_tah

branch o.f the Unemployed ':lorkerz' ','ovement that 'Ne need no destructive

violence, but we need persistent ••• stateL1ents ... made by the best spokesmen ,,,•, (1). A month later he urged Stockton A.l",.P, branch to e.pply the methods

of science to economic affairs, and to D.Void class wr,r, (2). Contemporsry

capitalism was 'a limping, nerv-ous, fearful old miser' and must be radical]y

changed, he informed Newcastle Toe H, and other church groups were confronted

with similar statements, (3), The need for a fundruaentally changed attitude to

property we.s impressed on the Merewether Methodist Brotherhood (4) en:l the

Conf'erence of the Australian Stuc'ent Christian :-,Iovement (5). He told the

congregation ins. John's Cathedral, Br-isbane, th,t the day of competitive

individualism was past. (6),

The common inspir~tion of these topics was the pressing problem of

unemployment, its causes and those of poverty general]y, The Mo:rpeth !{eview

was slso pressed into service, and an ar~icle on 'The Fight against Poverty' (7)

received acclaim in a leading article in the Newc~stle Morning Herald of

22nd October 1932, The editor differed vrl th Burgmann in politics but was

1, 2. 3o 4. 5. 6, 7.

Newcastle ):!orni;!' Herald, 10 !.lay 1932. N.l!. Herald, 1 June 1932. N.M. Herald, 13 Ju]y 1932, N.M. Herald, 22 August 1932o Sydney Morning Herald, 11, Janaary 1933. Daily Mail, Br-isbane, 31 October 1933. October 1932,

The venue of the trial was then chcmgecl to Singleton, ostensibly to

ensure an impartial jury, but in fact (it ·;we; believed) to make conviction

certein,. A jury 0f country:nen vro~;ld surely be unsympathetic to aeything bnt

the strict letter of the law in 3_ matter outs4..(Le "bheir ovm sphere. Feeli"rig

ran high. 1\ public mc>~ting in Newcastle '1'own Hall on 8th ~Tovember protested

in the strongest terms. (1). Burgmann haci partici"x•.ted in the public disc•Jssion

of the a.ffa.ir, an:l was called on to address the l)Ublic meeting on the proper

·,vorking of the Jxry system. Pe l're_s not one to miss such an Dpportuni ty, and

the aclc'ress, on the theme that '••• the cPse belongs to the Newcastle people

a:n.d. the Newcastle 2tmos::9here •• o ', arous~1 gren..t enthusiasm. (2)10) The address

was printed in leaflet fnrm an:l distributed throughout the Singleton distr;.ct.

The jury there also refused to convict aey of' the defen:l.ants, and rightly or

not, the Warden 1 s pamphlet received 'nnch of the credit.

Burgmann"s :9articipBtion in this aff'

33

'impressed by the article and by the burning ~eal for humanity which it

expresses 1 ani offered to print virtually scything he cared to write concerning

Christianity and capitalism. He accepted with alacrity. (1).

The Herald, in:ieed, had been consistentl;y generous with its space in

reporting Burgmann's public lectures (2) as well as printing in full the text

of his addresses to W. E. A. classes. For the W. E • .'. too became a channel for the

propagation o:f:' his views. In January 1933 Burgmann presented their classes vrith

a series of" lectures on "The Bourgeoisie", which concluded with the statement

that 'The unemployed, the insecure, the red·J.ced salariat, the professional

classes ••• are awakening to the essential in,justice of the ey.isting order. (3).

By mid-1933 Burgmann was 3t:l.ting hiz conviction of the need of

impending great changes in the private enterprise systemo Fnless it found some

way of "bsorbing the J.abour sc1rplus it would be superseded 0 •• the State

wou1cl learn its job by degrees, ;crL. end as a Co--operative Commonwealth. 1 (4).

Howevccr, tl-.e sih1ation called for immediate o.ction, and so Purgmann

e-11d others launched the '~)ouble the -~)ole • ca.'!lpaign. The consei"Vative Syn·:xi of

Ne·,rcastle was IJersuaded to take £ides in a political contr

34 th;~,t fatali;:;tic :ncotl in wl':~.ch we inWL"'.l\~.ly l~-ecide that nothing can be C.one.

hope to tho:.~s.:c:r~c"is. 1 Ietters were ".gr:.i.tter< to the :press (1), meetings v1ere

c~.l1 ed (2), 3nc"; the urt::ent need f'or :rrf.cticr_l ste})S towards relu:.bili tecting the

distre2-seO an::!. c~.epresser:: •:r:..'.S insisted on. }};erJtually a reJ:...:ctent ;;cvo:r.:rrn.er;.t

.:.:eDponD::b1e. It i~ ne-t quite cJ.ear hew ::;uch of the 9.ctivity, o:::· eV~!1 of the

idee., origi.na.te

Tile s:.:bjects he chose to ::;resent tc: thc!Ol reveal some of his

contin,;.ing interest so ~SJ3 '.N~ 1 ::'. r.s tl~e ~~ociclogic.::_I topics alrec.dy :'lent:.0r...ed1

and religious themes, he nhov1ed ::_·.articul,:rr interest in psy~;,.o~_og~{, e~.peci~"\:;

:f'o'J.r lectures on ithe ·'"..:ycholnz~' o.f the ?ami1y anr.l Religion. i (l)o The

'Regulction o:f the e>1otional life of the fc,mily', h,J seid, is fsr -oore

lmpe>rta'ct then :fa::tily teaching o.rrl ideals; he expleins the libido; the mother

is the primacy c.ouJ..·ce of a chilCits eens··;;al ~.k.t~_sf'~'ction; 'we are F..go-L.ibido :Lr..

rel~ti.on, inter-rela·1:ion anc1 conflict i; he spoke of repressed_ desires in the

unconsci('us, err: their st:r·e .. lgth, especially the desire for tr~e mother, arrl

jeBlo•Jsy o:f the fathero Later he !'roceeded to e:xnound the idea of the primal

father, ani such developments as totemism.

The lecture is signi:ficant. Hot only was it most unusual :for a

churchman to be more tha·,, super:ficially aware o:f Sigmund Freud in 1924, it was

really quite uncommon to find any public lectures being given on depth

psychology, a.rrl on Freud there were probably none at all. 'ibis in turn accounts

:for the almost complete le.ck of' any atte!".pt to criticise or evaluate the

1, Burgmann's lecture notes (unpublishoo), S, Mark's Library, Canberra. The next paragraph is based mainly on the f'irst of these :four lectures.

36

materia~ th..qt he presented, Freud 1 s ov::n theories, or }irnest .Jones' (1)

interpretations, are presented a.s informction to be received, rather than

hypotr.eses to be criticised. The only criticism Ihrgmann offered was an implied

one, when in the closing stages he reletted religion to depth psychology and

pointed out that science, including psychology, 'cannot bring us to God',

It is at least refreshing to fim a churchman who was willing 'bo

present such a topic objectively in 1924, and to do so without being on the

defensive or finding a danger to religion in Freudianism. It would be unjust

to Burgmann to say that he did not see the possible dangers to traditional

christian teacJ..ing aaout, e.g, , origiM~ sin, if Freudian teaching were to be

populerised, He was more concerned that the church should not err tovre.rds

obscurantism, and believed that at this time the need was for clear exposition

recther tr.Ecn critical ey.aminHtion. Furthermore, he htcd Mready foum

psychanalysis to be of practical use in pastoral matters. (2).

It wss not academic curiosity tho.t aroused his interest in

Freudianism, but a desire to explore new nethoe.s of practising Christian

pastoral care for those needing it. The sene tr2it became a feature of his worlc

1, Jones ])resented Freud's ideas to the Erlc'llish-speaking world, Burgm2I'n referred espec:'.ally to his book, The Island of Irelani, (Date of "clition used not indicated).

2, Among Burgrr.ann's students at h--,oi·c:ale in 19l9-1920 were ex-servicemen whose WB.rtime experiences had led to, or had helped to foster, abnormal behaviour, including homosexuelity, College living conditions further encouraged these abnormalities, and the ;:araen was deeply perturbed because normal counselling, advice an:J. exhortation failed to solve the problem. He turned to depth-psychology as a possible aid in dealing with such oifficulties, This is his o·nr1 private explanation (in 1963) for his interest in Freud. Subse'}uently he exp,.,rimented with Freuc".ian-style psychoa.lliJ_lysis an". has privately claimed considerable success with several individuals, before professional, trained psychoo.n&lysts had begun using these methods in A~J.st!'aliao

as a college wardeno Farticul.uly vras this so, af•ter his marrio..ge in

1920 to Efi112~ Crowhurst. l.'r ancl lJrs Ilurgmann worked together for the College,

contriving not orlly to make it an academic institution, but also to provide r·

healthy end cheerful atmos:cese; he had only visited it

once officially, os e S!Oea.

J8

:eneral c :_tlooko

::-10minees vvere e.lso t,:_,::tral::i.an by bir~llo "'·•--·~ :":ention was mc_:de of his inter- ~::.t

in ::::c1c.~:: 1 questionso

concernecl in the

1100

tc ':1avc been r:• _

_ ;\_ln:l_r.i .:..:.t l":l tc'r, '_.:r:cb:~r:~o..con '7:;s not

the r, '. ... !... ) ,

J B_yrnen, sixty-six in f': _ct, -::Arf: z_2:·~~-ziers :-r r~ _r:.lers

1. 1\~.\) :Jtherz ·.yece ab::.':":nt. !~:ight r:'o!nm· rr..i ty -Jf -1:: ~e !-:..sce~~~si.::n, r:b.o T'--e "'ou• ·n,~r' n'l,..,, ...... -.~'"1'1 ,, ,.... ( ~ ,... ',

-~ ...} ..... .-.. ~ · .. ·!~ ........ ..,................ \.::.::.:.....;.• /

.f: JO~ r..c r::-Drt in ?et::.: .. -,_t;::,ry J.9_3-l;.o

~rc_l:t' the

-.-.-~-~re !")ric;;;: .. ~-.: 1:he L.he vot::.r..c:;.:o

Sixteen of the youP.gei' clergy, i.eo the bulk of the younger ms111, hut

fe·rrer th2n. one-third of the total number of' clergy, were ex-students oi~ S •. Tohn't:

·nho h2d come un:ler the Warden 1 s influence. In retrospect, this seemed to Joceph

Pike 2.ncl others the decisive factor. Pike recalled, ' ••• when the- election of

the new bishop was proceeding ••• Y'"uth made itself felt. One by one the

youngstc;rs spoke, eloquently an:l with com'iction, until the older folk fourrl

themselves being carrieC. 'vith them to o.pC>rove the man they na'lled, 1 (1).

This is the myth, but it seems to have little fo:.m:ls tion. Certainly,

severs_l ex-students of S. t.Tohn 1 s spoke on Burgmann' s behalf' when his name was

proposed, but there is no evidence at all for e. rising tide of youthi'ul

enthusiasm sweeping aside all oojections.

In his opening address, Archdeacon Pike drew attention to the anomalY

the t only 878 persons had participated in the election of aynodsmen out of

30,000 eligible to vote. (2), This figure is much inflated; the diocese

numbered only 10,000 communicant memoers at the time (3), but even so, on]_y a

very small proportion of church people was participating in the church 1 s affairs.

Pike himself seems to have airneG. at discrediting the institution of S,ynod, but

despite the way it was elected, it was quite representative of the region, in

its composition. (4). Some contemuoraries Eu.tici?ated that the synod would be

divided between High-church an:l Tow-chu.rch factions, but nothing of the kinl.

1. ,s.c. !.larch 1934. 2.- S:C. March 1934. Pike overlocoked the fact ths.t the Synod in its

;;; quite t"eirly represent&_tive cf the charo.::_cter of the diocese" 3, Returns for 1934 show 1n,233 corornunic:•nts. (s.c., May 1935). 4. g. l.lar"h 1934.

oompo si ti on

40

~· J. ~-lt;

tvro others, 1J' ~~r•.:J".f

Collins s.nd.

nc:n:.n: tor,

I, ' \t-i--}.

But the:r·e Y.'

41

~ght cle-rg;:;c sr.oke on hi:::: bel--of!_] f', -l:ogether with abO'.lt five l:::.ymen.

!J. though nnt yo'.Ang, mast of' those 'r.tlo spoke could not be ca ,J eel ~ncn

.,,..i tr_ sn~7 weight of s.·1thori ty.

wasH dignitary; rl10~---: nf 'he ::.,ynod's .?.ckno·::J.e:lgeC ,_ez-.de~s r.ro c.J..rt?ad~7 ir1":1~.ca·:ed

E'"rgn:anr:. was 'e_ straight ~ed, an enemy o.C: the Chur'Ch'. (2).

c:.?._r:C.i .. rttr:-s, nor 'prestige' ::;ur)po1·t f·.)r hirr,, nor even an upsurge of y-~uth.ruJ.

fror2. th~ ~ime of his nc:;,.irc..:;tion.

of ::u::_·port for Rile;] :).~..d Srotty, viho thus ;c,ncel1ed. each other, b,1t tl'.e

decisive f.nfluence m2.y h:::,re bc:·'3n th~ content c:" the spr~eches supportir.g t~Je

to the issues of ~he .is flexibiJity, his syr!lpat}-~r with tbe c::_x:J.:non r:_::_,r.~., ~Jic

o_s ~~ teo_cher.

2, ~:l.anche, 2s before; e.lso letters ·,_il c.'_i(;.~;ess.n files~; '21:_-:.J.J.Ghe, r~s beforeQ

'"" t.J.lS

42

'j.ot~lt-_'rn should ch ·::se a b':_.:.hop ~-·r\"":;o -:::-,::;_.. "l . .,_ . .l{~:(i :1n as a raciie2l ir;. ~x,liti(:s 1

1~c come to a rec:is.i.on; 'T.eE:·Jers: ip sr::e:n.Ei:L :;?:n~al;:,r::.eC. 1 1 he vn·ote later. (l)o T_;_:

to seek s bishop: "::;_-._e

.sc:~id., 1EO th:=:J.t the Chttrch o•• was civen fr:!m :..-~bove 3Hl not r:1erAly tJl. .. gan.ised.

f b 1 t (c·,' ror.1 e ow • ". LJ. He beli~ve..-=J. the churchmen cc·:nprisinz 3ynod w~re too

poorly-equipped, mentaJly and. S!_)iri tuc.lly 1 tc make a right choiceo A siuilar

pee.simi~Jtic nnte was he.~::._rd in the sermon at the opening ser.rice, preached by

Canon Hirst, the Vice-Dean: ••• the Church to-c!~zy is poorer than she was arrl

her safe and snug position is gone •o•' (3).

But a~:titudes che.ngec' aftervn,rds. P. synoC., or at l~ast this one, was

no longer an institution to be discrec2ited; its cecisions might be 'given from

above', and in Pike's estimation this had haopened, '~here seemed moments when

one almost saw that Presence,' he wrote ear,erly, adding, 'Nobody doubted for a

moment that the right conclusion had been reached.' (4). Re had expected

divie.ion and indecision, end found unity and urumimity. His comment tlozt it

L ~OJ May 1934. 2. .§.&., March 1934 • 3o Ibid. l;., .§_&., May 1934.

was a 'synod of reconciliation' is as l:JE,rd to juctify as e_re his remarks that

yo•Jth prevailed (1), but both judgments ref1.ect the Administrator's changed

mood, and that in turn reflects tl:e altered tone of Synod, (2).

The Synoo has been considered at some length to emphasise two

observations, ]econii, the unanimity of the convention shows

the readiness of the Diocese at that particuler time to accept and f:ollow its

lf"ader, in the hope of' better clays nheacl. There was no attempt tc critic::..se

the poerson chosen oc" analyse his strengths and weakne~ses (3), except by those

who spoke in his favour; but instead there WE' s a wi1lingness to accept him at

the valuation given by his proponents, Perhaps the difficult years they had

come tC1ro'1p,h helps to account for thiso

1

44

.APPENDIX TO CHAP'l'ER II

Population trends before 1934

Population of' the diocese in 1934 numbered (Anglicans) 75,290 (1),

fairly evenly distributed over the 32,780 square miles of' its area, for there

were no large concentrations of' people. Only" 3,785 lived in the A.C.T.. .About

twice that Illllllber of' Anglicans lived in Goulburn (2), and considerably more

lived in Wagga and Albury, than in Canberra. (3). 'lhe principal concentrations,

such as they were, ocourred therefore in the extreme north, and in the south-

west, of' the diocese -districts distant from each other with little to draw

them together. This made a:qy real diocesan unity dif'f'icult to achieve while

Goulburn remailled the See oity.

The rate of' population growth of' the diocese had slowed down during

the twentieth century. In the first few years of' its life, the total population

of' the region had increased from 61,301 (in 1864) to 94,909 (in 1871), an

inorease of' 5lt%, but it took a further forty years for the pop1lation to grow

in the same proportion again: to 144,329 or 52% greater (in 1911). 'lhe

Anglican population growth rate was at first slower than the general rate - from

28,740 in 1864 to 39,659 in 1871 (38",k imrease), but thereafter it increased at

1. Figures based on 1933 census, compiled by the diocesan registrar for the Church Assembly Year Book {England), and presented (annuall.y) as an Appendix to the Registrar's .Annual Report. other information from this Appendix is used in this am following paragraphs, where not othenr:l.se indicated. (Registry).

2. Figures for A. C. T. from Canberra Parish Notes, June 1934 (from 1933 census). Figures for Goulburn Parishes (i.e. Goulburn town and soae surrounding countryside) from Registrar's estimates: 7,250 Anglicanso

3. Registrar's estimate, Parish of' Wagga: 5,000 Anglicans; Parish of' Albury, 4,000 Anglicans.

45

about the same rate as the general population, reaching 62,112 in 1911, about

56% greater; and from 1911 to 1933 the Anglican rate of increase was

maintained. (l)o

It is oot easy to evaluate the meamng of these pieces of information

in the onl3 way they have value for this study 1 as evidence for the strength

and impact of the Anglican Church in relation to the total ooauni ty. In 1864

Anglicans formed 47% of the oommuni ty; by 1871 the proportion fell significantly

to 42%; thereafter, there was if aeything aelight increaae (43% in 1911 after

the separation of Riverina). Since the proportion of Anglicans in Riverine. in

1911 was onl3 34%, the a:r:parent decline in relation to the total population in

the first few years may have been cbiet'l:,y in the Riverina area. But it may also

have been due to the influx of gol~ggers, of whom relatively few may have

professed Anglicanism. The largest town in the diocese in 1871 was Araluen,

greater in population even than Goulburn; yet of its 5,301 people onl3 1653

claimed Anglican Church membership. (2).

Another possibility is that there was a general drif't from Anglicanism

during the 1860's - chtef'ly among nmroomers to the diocese, or because

relatively f'efl new settlers were Anglicans - but that this dri:f't was halted as

1. In considering these figures, allowance must be made for the separation of the Diooese of Riverina (in 1884) which had a total of 95,066 people in 19ll, but onl3 32,169 of' these were Anglicans. Unfortunately the figures for 1884 are :not known. The figures are from (i) Church Sooiety reports for 1871, 1873, 1884 eto. (;ii) Abstracts from census inf'omation, 1911. All at Old Bishopthorpe.

2. Church Society report, 1872. (Old Bishopthorpe).

,16

the Anglican Church in the area became :t'inll.y grounded. This conclusion

would be very debatable however, siooe there is no evidence that AnglicaniBIIl

was losing ground be:t'ore 1864-, when it numbered nearly halt' the community.-

47

Chapter III.

The relation or Goulburn to the rest or

the Diocese,and ita decline as a centre

of ecclesiastical affairs.

48

S.Saviour1 s Children's Home,Goulburn,

in 1936.

Cathedral

Church of'

s.saviour,

Goulburn.

Completed

in 1884. ·

49

The entr:y in Burgmann • s pocket disr:y for lloni~ey" 26th Februar:y 1934-

reeords that he was 'Elected Bp of Goulbum by Goulburn Synod'. (1). The

followiag days were spent answeriag letters 8lld telegros of oongratulation

8lld 118ld.Dg plans, alllid the normal rouni of college life. On 5th !larch, the

Rector ot Bega oalled (2); from March 7th to 9th, the Burparns were in Syd:rley

eDrolliag their son Victor at the University, and visitiag Bishop H.W.L llowll,

Archbishop-elect ot Sydney (3); on the lOth, l!'ather Joes Benson of' the

Coaulli.ty ot the Ascension, Goulburn, came for aorniag tea, am Archdeacon Pike arrived to apend the weekeM. (4-).

Benson ani Pike were able to give their bishop-elect soae first-hal:ld

information, not ollly about the diocese but in particular about Goulburn

itself. He knew little about the town that was to be home for himself' am his family froa DOW on. In Jamsr:y he hail been in Canberra far the suaaer school

of the Australian Student Christian Movement, ani in October 1933 he had

visited Wagga for the Oxford lloveaent centuary; but he did not know Goulburn.

Several 110nths passed bei'are the Burgmsms could talre up residence

there. The bishop-elect himself spent a few days, 2nd to 6th April, st~~,Ying

with the Comatmity of the Ascension ani interviawiJJg the Registrar. On

4-th IIIey', he was enthroned in the cathedral. There were visits to Newcastle

1. Burpann's personal disr:y, 1934-. (Private papers). Only a ferr of these diaries have been preserved.

2. Ibid. 'l'he Rector of Bega was the Re'l". Rouse Upjohn. 3. Ibid. llcnrll had been Bishop of Western China. He was installed at

St • .Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, on March 13. 4-o Ibid. The Community existed in Goulbum troa 1920 to 194-3, liviDg in am

renovatin& the burnt-out CD.d Bishopthorpe. It was enoounced Bishop Rsdtorc!l but was not a diocesan institution. (ll'lenmce Stacy

50 and Sydney; interviews with bishops am with the Premier (1); another trip to

Goulburn to unpack furniture and prepare the house; and at length on 29th lley,

the household - including tour ot the five children - becue ooaplete. 'lhe

n- bishop's ooapanion that dey from llorpeth to Goulburn -s the Rev. Kenneth

Clements, on his way to Hay. (2). Eltactly twenty-seven ;rears later, Cl-ents

made a sillilar journey :troa Gratton, to succeed Bargmann - but to Canberra this

time, not Goulburn.

Bishop Burgmann had the capacity to be at ease with men of all sorts

and coalitions; he very soon became a popular figure in the Goulburn coiiiiUIIit;r,

even aJIIOng those who could nat overlook his leaning towards socialiSII. Yet it

is doubtful whether he was really at horae in Goulburn town. 'lhose who, in

later years, created the legend. of the :lbshlaan Bishop, suggested that his :f'irst

love was for :i'ugged :trontier lite. J:Qt this needs aodif'ying somewhat.

He was reared, it is true, on a f'Bl'lll. Bat he did not care :tor tan

lite because of the unchanging routine; he lett home as a young man :f'or this

reason, although his father wished him to stay. He loved the bush, enjoying

the soli tude while hewing tillber (3); but his nature requireil. stisulation ani

he was most at home in the exchange ot ideas, among students or on the platform.

Io~~g before he thought of moving his of'f'icial home to Canberra, he was drawn

there, avte:7 :f'roa the steady pace of' li:f'e in Goulburn. Canberra's star_.

rising; Goulburn had seen little chaDge in church a:f':f'airs. l:Qrgllann felt drawn

towards the ::rOUJISer city, and ill at ease in the sedate ecclesiastical

lo s.c. July 1934; diary entries, as before. 2. Diary entr;, as bator.. 3. See The :&!uoatio:n of' an Australian, chapter 1.

5~

1

at110sphere of Goulburn; he saw, or believed he saw, reasons for a break with

the tradition of focussing the lif'e of' the diocese in the original See City.

For Goulbum, Canberra 1 s rise was to mean all that was involved in a

retreat :from :f'irst to seoom place. The provinoial oity that had been th!i seat

of' Australia's senior country bishopric for eighty-three years was to beoou a

place where the :B:i.sbop resided only for short periods when aatters of' diocesan .

administration required it; even the oc-sdjutor bishop (when tme existed)

sometimes was to live in Canberra or Wagga instead ot Goulbum. The very naae

of the diocese was changed (1); threat of' removal to Canberra hung over the

Diocesan Registry am other sdministrative machinery; only the Cathedral looked

like being secure f'rom the olaims of the new city.

The story of' Goulburn's struggle with Canberra might therefore be

treated as a tale of' two cities 118.1'1ced by a contest f'or supremacy; it is howeyer

a contest 110 unequal as to hardly warrant the name, f'or the provincial city was

alre~ long past its ecclesiastical ~before the national capital olsimed

its position in the life of the Church. Canberra was not an urgent problem in

193lt-; the problem was the Clmroh' s inertia in general • am nowhere was this to

be seen more obvioual;r than in Goulbum.

The oity at Goutburn is the oldest cathedral tam in ilil.and Australia.

The Roman Catholic am Azlglican dioceses were each established about the BaH

tiae, and the respective cathedrals were begun within two years of' each other.

(2). This had beoot~e possible because of' the developaent ot the region f'or

pastoral purposes whioh began soon after Macquarie 1 s e:xpedi tion to lake George

1. It became 'Canberra am Goulburn' in 1951. 2. Wyatt, Histozx of' Goulburn, pp. 9, llt-; p. 39"- ff.

1Jl 1820.

The hiater1BDil to the aouthwud ae111a to hue beG 110atl,y telten up

in the 'thirtiea aJid 'tortiea, wbile the hill aolllltr7 to the aorth 'bepa te be

den1ope4 a little later on. GoW.bura waa gazattal a •towa• in 1833, .,.. allottaenta 'lnllr8 aurY..,-ed tor Teteran aoldiera (1); it 800il becaae a 1arriaon

t- with tu eatabllahact ot the prrlaon ud peN]. Ollltre at Ma1'b,r 1'owraJI&•

(2). It r-•1ned chief17 a paatoral 001\tre until the •..,..ntie•, when,

tollowiJII the arriYal ot tbe rai1wa,y 1Jl ].8t;9, OOMeroial intereata aDd llinar

1M100J11iiar7 illdwltriea began to oo-trate there.

!he tow.' a aore rapl.d ,rowth troll thllll on ia retleotN ia the OOli8WI

tigurea, tor ita popllation ro .. troll ~.~73 in 1871 to 10,916 in 1891. (3). 1fo

town ill tu IIOUth approaohed GoulllaJ'Jl in aue or -eroial illpOl't- du1'inc

the Jd.Deteeth oentur,r, nuepL Jraluen tor a brief' perio4 at the heipt ot tu

sol4-l'UIIh thee. (~). l!INil in 1955 the aurriYiJII niJifteeatiroent&u:') buildilt8a

gaTe it an arob:iteotuzoal obanoter yery different troa IIOl'e DOd.em rivala auch

u Waga Wacga ud Albar7o

illiwltrial d..,..lopaent oooun'ed. lfot ~ aiae but better ao n.lo•tioa witla

othor parta ot IIOUthel'1l. ._South Wales ..ae it the aaoeptecl oentre tor a ftl7 wicleaprewl relioJl, Were it attained -e:ruia1 iaportmoe. '!he earllen road

to the aouthera diaLri.cta puaed turLber to the east, throup Baagoll1a wbere a

1. W,.att, op.oit., p.~. 2. l'yatt, op.oit.. p.,.5. 3o Clatroh looi-'7 XvpGI,, 1.872, pp 81, 82o (Old Blalaopthorpe)o 4. Ibid.

5') tJ

t01R18hip was planned; but after the settlement of Goulbum came about because

of the richer pastures sroun'l it, BungoDia' s growth was arrested. Instead, from

Goulbum roads radiated to the South Coast, the Jlaneroo (Monaro), the south-est

and westward. Goulbum thus became linked with districts otherwise isolated

from eaoh other. Its poaition was strengthened by the advent of the railwq,

for Goulbum was made the junoUon for the two principal lines, one going south

to the Jlonaro, the other south-west to Wagga, Albury and eventually Jlelbourne.

People could more easily meet in GOulbum than in aiV other town; the bishop and

other diocesan officials could travel more couveniently :f'rom there.

To the first Bishop of Goulbum fell the task ot setting up tbe

parochial orgaDisation ot his new diocese; when he arrived in 1864 there s-

to have been nominally titteen parishes in existence, with up to titteen elergy

and an UIJCertain J1llllber ot olmrcbes variously estimated as from Dine to abo~

twenty-five. (1). Bishop Thomas worked with i1111ense energy and ability; for

llalV years new parishes were formed at the rate of' one or two eaoh year; d.ur1ztg

his t-ot office twenty-three were added to those alre&a.Y' existi:ag without

reckoning those f'OI'IIIed in the area detached from Goulburn in 1885 to f'ol'll the

Diocese ot Riverina. (2). By this time the Goulburn region had asSUIIei the

eccleaiastical structure and character it has held ever si.Doe.

Outwardly at least, the Church 1 s achieTeD~ents in and aroun'l the town

of' Goulburn between 1864 and 1885 were not ma:lapresaive. The cathedral was

1. See Wyatt, Diocese et Goulbum, pp. 29,50. 1he llUIIber varies partly because of' UDOertaiaty in detini~~g what constituted a church; e.g. Bishop 'haas disliked oallins aJV' wooden buil.u..g a 'church'•

2. WyaU, op.oit. '1'he IDDlber is not mentioned &J\YWhere; it has been reached by stud;ying Wyatt's parochial histories (pp. 175 f'f') and his chart on p.l74.

54

dedicated (1884). It BUpported three parishes; no other town o~ comparable size

in Australia in the nineteenth century had more than two separate permanent

Anglican parishes. The country districts geographically an:l economically linked

to Goulburn were covered by six ~rther parishes. A total o~ ten or twelve

priests ~onted the ooarplement o~ clergy - one in each rural parish, the rest in

the town, with the Catbedra.l oontally having a std~ o~ three. The Bishop lived

in dignified isolation at Bishopthorpe, two miles out o~ town (until the house

was gutted by tire in 1914.). (1). He was expected to :f'ul1'il a distinct pastoral

and social f'unotion in Goulburn, visiting the great ~amilies in and around the

town, at Spri~ield and Spring Valley, Imreralocey and Imrerary Park, Tirranna.

Taradale an:l Soaerton: rare indeed is the home bearing a n81Mrorld name. (2).

The custom persisted until :Bishop :&lrgmann came.

Pros about 1890, in coamon with other rural districts, the eoonomie

condition of the region seems to have stagnated ~or some twenty years; Goull:arn's

population ft'en tell slightly between 1891 and 1911. The period was not, however,

one of stagnation for the Church; although such activity as went on was not very

remarkable, froa about 1897 to the war there was a good desl of' steady develop-

ment. Some twenty-one new churches were dedicated in and around Goulburn in

these ;years, and IE10h the same -s hsppEIIing in other parts o~ the diocese. This

seems to have been the result o~ normal parish consolidation rather tha!l

expansion, since nearly sll of these new churches were in small country centres

lo w,yatt, op.cit., Po38o 2o An exception is ':&llallslita', one o~ the oldest properties in the Goulburn

district. It is shown on a map on 1831, with the anglicised (?) spelling• 1:&lla Melita '•

55

and often were to replace warn-out buildillgs; no new parishes were formed, and

the 1311111ber of clergy in the region remained unchanged. (1).

~e effect of theee years wae to produce in the minds of people an .

impreseion of the stability at lite; conditions appeared to have settled into

a pattern that could eaeily be regarded ae permanent. Apparently nen the

great Buropean war did little to upeet this e:~Cpectation; it was left to the

Great Depreseion to shake contidenoe in the rural establishllent.

For the Cburch, this time wae not onl,y one givimg an illpression at

peraanence to lite; it served al.so to fix the ps.ttem of the church organisation

and lll8mlel' ot e:x:l.stence. The work at covering the ooUJJtryeide with paroobial

districts on the ancient pattem beimg DOW largely cOIIIplete, it was felt,

particularly in Goulbum, that fUrther upheaval was unlikely and undeeirable,

and the chief work: ahead wae to consolidate. J!loren the building of new cmrcbes

in the more re1110te districts fell off mark~ durimg this and subsequent

periods; in the whole Goulbum region onl,y eleven new churches were built illl.

the hal.t-oentury after 1914, and some of these were to replace older structuresJ

(2); nearly as 11111ey fell into disuse through rednnilame.

lhe fal.ling-off in construction of churches is onl,y one guide to the

condition of the region, and might be the result of the supply of church

buildings having reached saturation-point. But in a nwaber of other wqs the

activity of the Church in the Goulbum region s-s depressed or stagnant in

the few decadee after 1914 when compared with the more poBitive attempts at

1. Wyatt, op.ci'li., pp.l75 tt. (parochial histories). 2. Ibid. See al.so The Disturber, Jeffreys and Bllckle, 1960. (Booklet

ooma01110rating Burpann 1 s jubilee). Pages not Dllllberedo

56

progressive action in the years froll 1897 to 1914. For eX811ple, from 1905

until the Bisbopthorpe fire in 1912, Bishop Barlow set up aDd carried on in

Goulburn two i.Jistitutions, Bishop's College for theological students aDl

Bishoptborpe High School for senior girle. Each was of considerable value

while it lasted; the fire, aDd Barlow's failing health, put an end to them,

aJid iutereat seemed to have waned by the time Radford came. 'l'he only comparable

attempt in later years was the foiUiding of s. Saviour's Girls' Home in 1929, and

even its eloeure was only avm-ted by making it a diocesan, rather than a local,

responsibility, by means of a special appeal. (1).

lbt only did the constructing ot buildings f'lag aDd the tondng of

institutions fail, but in their general activities the Goulburn clmrches were

content to llaintain their existence unchanged froll year to year, with nc

searchirlg-out of fresh metbcds to relate the churches to the rest of the

colUIUJlity - or even searching ot soul to discover reasons for their dryness0

Goulburn • s clmrches were not exceptional in these respects - the paraJ,ysio was

probab~ Australia-wide.

'lhl.s slow:I.J:I&"'down of the activity of the Goulburn district's parishes

may in part be explained as a by-product of a great war and a great depression,

all within one a-ration. ihese events hastened processes already in evidence

before J.914., whose effect was to changs Goulburn'a relationship with ita

i•ediate hinterland and with the whole region. ihese were: the greater

concentration of people in towns, as couaunicationa improved and the populaee

became mere 110bile; the mere rapid economic development ot other ooun'b:7

1. See Wyatt, op.cit. pp.l23 ff, for an account of diocesan institution~~ 'before 1935. Subsequent events are discussed in the next chapter. ( pp '!S:

57

districts 0011pared with Goulburn; am the advent o~ Canberra. These develop-

ments all had a restrictive ~ect on Anglican church lite in Goulb~

When Bishop Thomas arrived in Goulburn, it was a aodest town o~ so.e

~our thouslll!d inhabitants; but this aa;r give a false illlpl"ession o~ the

importance o~ the district. In 1871, when the town had 4,45} people, the

surrounding countryside had a population o~ 9,251; even i~ this IIUIIber was

aom-hat nollen by including gold-diggers in one or two small fields, there

were yet 11aJV more, permanent dwellers in the countryside than in town. (l).

Forty years later, the proportiolll8 had cbenged somewhat, but the rural

population was still conaiderably greater- apprarlaatel;r 10,000 in Goulburn,

12 0000 in the hinterland. (2).

:Ebpulation becue more noticeably concentrated in the Goulburn oit,.

area, with oomparatiTe depopulation o~ the oountryside, after the 19~1918 war.

B,y 19}} the city's population had increased troa 10,000 (ill 1911) to almost

15,000; by 1954- it exceeded 19,000. (}). And whereas in 1911 the countryside

around the town had the greater proportion of' the region's population, ill the

course o~ the next tf!lfl decades this was quite reversed: by l951t. the hinter-

lam's population was olll;r about half' that o~ the urban area. ( 4).

1. Clmroh Society report, 1872, pp.8l,82. (Fro• census, 1871). (Old B:l. shopthorpe).

2. From an UDpUblished repo1 t, prepared ~or, or by, Bishop Berl-, based on census tigures of' 1911. (Old Bishopthorpe).

}. In 1911: 10,02}; in 19}}: 14-,849; in 1954-: 19,122. 4. For this am tollowing three pages, see:

A Prelillina of' Resources Southern Hi IUlda on, Premier's Department, tate o th Wales, l • t ll Library). Atlas of' ~ralian ReSCIIlroes. Department of' National Development -Regionallopment Division, Canberra, 1952. (Map llhcwing population tretlds). (llitchell Library) .. 'Pariah Problems in Town and Countr.r', H.R. Oakes, in St. Mark's Rsview, l!bveaber 1962.

58

This trend was fostered by the increasing mechanisation of farms

which meant that where two or three station-hanis, ani their families, once

lived on a farm, only one was now employed. Properties produced more, ani

their employees were better paid - but fewer people lived on the laDi. Better

oo-unications encouraged the laDi-holders themselves to live awa:~ from their

properties, in Goulburn or Sydney; aDi the treDi was made more prollOUDCed by

the amalgamation of farms or the absorption of smaller ones by larger.

Goulburn acquired light iDiustr:l.es such as manu:t'actur:l.ng of shoes and textiles,

and became a wool-braking centre. Shopping aDi entertaiJIIIent facilities

encouraged more people to live in, or retire to, the town instead of remaining

in their awn villages or homesteads. This was a common trend throughout New

South Wales. (1).

Daring this period of ohangjng social ooDiitions, the Anglican ohurcb.

structure in the Goulburn area remained virtua.ll;y unaltered, aDi in 1965, as in

1911 (and 1885), there were six rural parishes ani three urban ones, with even

f-er city olergy than in former years. There was oo centralising of

organisation to adapt the Church's structure and ftllXltioning to the closer

concentrating of the region's activity in the town, nor was there 81\r

significant devel.O];aeat of parochial life or institutions in Goulburn; the only

sips of lif'e were minor developmel'lts such as the building of small suburban

churches. The ~ important new project was St. Saviour's Children's Home.

Ibid; also "Change in Population Structure", J. Kmenta, in A ~v Heritage - ANZAAS Jubilee, ed. A.P. KJkin. Sydney 1962. p.n: (noting espeoial.l;r a decline in absolute nwabers in rural areas in N.s.w. between 1933 and 1'47).

59

The Anglican Church in Goulburn therefore t'otmd i tselt' dspen:Ung on

a structure set up seventy years earlier, w:l. thout even superficial IIOdif'ication

to meet the changes wrought by a mild social aDi eoomlllic revolution in the

region.

In stueying this situation, an interesting t'act emerged: the

proportion of rural dwellers who are Anglican, in Goulburn's couiJtr,y districts•

-s, in 1962 ver,y high, about 70](,; in the city itsel:t' the pr."oportion was onl;y

about 35%. It is not yet possible to explain satiat'actorily w!v onl;y halt' as

III&!V' people claim allegiance to the Anglican Church in Goulburn as in the

adjacent couiJtryaid.e, and it is not clear therefore whether the rigid parochial

frame~rork is i tsel:t' a principal cause of this oOJ:Idi tion. Certainl;y the high

PJ."'portions of Anglicans in country districts has discouraged Sl\f modification

of parochial structure. Arq attempt to concentrate clergy in the towns at the

expense of rural districts is met with entrenched opposition. (1).

Whatever the reasons for Goulburn1 s inertia, by the time of Bishop

:&lrgmann • s election, the city was no l~er the sc- of vigorous am expanding activity that had once made it a wortey cathedral town; the rest of the diocese

could no longer look to it for leadership in coping with the particular

pr."Obleas facing the Church in 1934-. While there lillY be no simple explanation

t'or the disparity between Anglican influence in the country and that in the

city • the extent ot' the difference was clear evidence of the Church 1 s t'ailure

in Goulburn to adjust itself to changing circuutances. It was UDable to

resist a trend away t'rom its ral!ks, or at least it was slOW' in setting out to

1. Bee article ins. Kark's Reviq, N:wember 1962, as before.

60

gain the allegiance ot -era. 'lhe aettiDg-Up ot rallwa;y ani aotor work-

shops aDi other industries had largel,y altered the oharaoter ot Goulburn's

population, but tbe Church had not attracted workers in these indu.tnes

to its doors; the Cathedral Council consisted in 1934, as in former years,

entirely ot graziers and busines811len er members ot the learned professions. (1).

Goulburn did little to demonstrate the initiative to be expected in the See City

ot even a small diocese.

The dwindling abili t;y ot Goulburn to show leadership in Church af'f'airs

was compounded by the inoreasing iaportance ot other parts ot the diocese.

While GoulbQrn1s eoonollio develop~Hnt to 1934 was not unimpressive, it suttered

somewhat in comparison with the more rapid expansion ot other cities. This was

a tairl,y new development; not until well into the twentieth century did aiV"

serious rival appear to dispute Goulburn's status as principal town in southern

New South Wales. When Bishop Barker looked tor a likel,y See City tor the new

southern diocese in 1861, Goulburn was the onl,y possible choice; and when,

twenty years later, the Bishop ot Goulburn was seeking to separate the south-

west portion ot his dollain to torm the Diocese ot R:l.veri~~a, neither Wagga Wagga

nor Albury had yet emerged as a centre ot suttioient int'luenoe to be Jllade the

headquarters ot it, and both towna remained in Goulburn Diocese. (2).

'lhe census ot 1911 allowed Wagga ar.d Albury eaaerging as towns ot

soae oonsequenoe; the,r were the onl,y ones south ot Goulburn to haTe aore than

tour thousand people. (3). They were assulling ecclesiastical leadership ot

1. Article, as before, in st. llarlc's Renew, November 1962. 2. ll',yatt, Diocese ot Goulbunl., pp 166 H. 3. Goulburn, 10,187; Wagga, 7 ,4116; Albury, 5 ,862. No other towns in the

region had aore than 4,000 :eeople, and only tour (Young, Junee, Teaora and Cootemndra) above 3,000. (Bishop llar~'s report on 1911 census, Old Bl.shopthorpe).

61 the eastern Riverina, sout~stern slopes ani upper llu:rray; a southern ani

western region of the diocese was emerging, 110111ewhat different in character

f'rom the earlie~Wsettled Goulburn and Monaro regions: there were relatively

fewer large properties or rural villages each complete with its own "squire"•

l'jy 1934- these towns rivalled Goulburn in economic importance; this wu

to be expected as the eastern Riverine passed through the stage experienced by

Goulburn forty years earlier. (1). But there were 1:10 new dioceses to lea4;

these towns had to find their place alongside Goulbum within the existing

diocese. 'l'bis bad to mean some lessening of the influence of Goulburn i:n the

Church.

fill this time, the supremacy of Goulburn was symbolised by havi:ng

permanently stationed there al110st all the senior dignitaries. 'lbe Bishop, the

Dean of the Ce.thedral, and the senior Archieacon lived there; so did suoh

officials as the Registrar and the Organising Secretary (or Iloaesan CCIIIIIIssionea:',

the chief f\md-raiser for diocesan institutions). {2). Except for a short

period, 1892-1894-, when W.H. Pownall, although Dean of Goulburn, held office u

Rector of Wagga and lived there {3), only one or two senior dignitaries lived

outside Goulburn, the junior Archdeacon or Archieaoons. Sime the office 1rB.ll

first created in 1869, one archdeacon al'lt'qs lived at Goulburn, but others at a

variety of towns. l'bt until 1931 did it become customary to locate an arch-

deacon permanently at Wagga; at Canberra, f'rora 1935, and at Albury from 194-7. {4-),

1. .A.tlaa of Australian Resources, as before. :Between 1933 and 194-71 Albury ani Wagga increased in population at about twice Goul'burn's rate; after 194-7, the rate of imrease was about the salle in eaoh town.

2. Bishop 'l.'hom.s, with characteristic enterprise, bad built up groups of con-tributors, f'rom all rallks of the stratified society of his dey 1 and made them me11bers of the Church Society. The Organising Secretary was the priest responsible for the sucoesatul tunotiollf.:ng of the Society - ani after its collapse in later years, he wu personally responsible for raisiug the Society's tUnas.

3. All example of pluralism in a mild form, al110st unique in the diocese. rt aroused resentment in Wagga, causing Pownall' a resignation from there.

4. Wyatt, Goulburn Diocese, paasi

62

1.c>:er.

f::n"' --:!.eveJ.r)~lir..J the Catholic tr2.::..i tion of churchmansP..ipQ

1. R'l::·ker strennously orr::-oced Tract~u··io.!' .. inf'J.uence, nr anythin£: r.,::;::;e·,b:!J.n~ ito See (JOV'v~er, Fred.er:~.c :'·arker, D· 216, I'P• 217 f'f.

2. In N.s.·.~t., Trectarianism !Uade more rr._pid progress in the towns e.nd districts tl:.at vrere later settled., i.e. chiefly inlP~.n.C ::_Jlo..ces, most o:r them in the clioceses of Batb..urst rend Riverina.

3o ~., Septerriber to December issues, 1933. (st. Mark's). 4-. Diocesan boundaries h8Ve been artificially c""\ravm in southern N. S. ::. v:i th little

regard to natural bourrlaries; eog. 1'lbury, Corovm anC'. Wodong~. are in sep;,re.te d.ioceses ( Goulburn, ~:rangaratte~ and. :::0. verina res}lectively) a1 though beJ.onei:ne to t )·,e same Upper Murray cJi stricto

63

This tradition was ~rr:phasi seC. both by the occasion, the centen:try of'

the Oxford Movement, ~Jld by the character of the celebrations, re:clete with

colourful processions ;;:nd ~:[!gec::.nts, massed choirs an-1 B_ High Mass in best P..n,elo-

Cs.tlc.olic tradition. (1)" '1'hat all this ccnlrl teke place in an Australiilll i-v.lan:l

tcn·m in 1933, ancl_ apparently wi thont any signif:tcant degree of op:rosi tion or

protest, was partly a tribute to the influence of' \'l2gga • s rector, s .. J. ' .. rest, P.

colaurft

64

C'.::mlburn, although the matter WE . .S roised for n number of years by ind:. vi.d' e vex·:;· greatly al terffi", and

the:t::"efcre any present ::.1roposals for changes were :rrel:1atureo (2). "Rven in 1911:,

then, the proposed F'ederal Cap!~ ta1 mo.s e. matter for speculation in the diocec,e,

and it was thought that structural ch&.n,aes must come 0

7/agga 9 s men continued to e.ir the Ri verina boundar,y question (3), an:l

in J~S'21 the Bi:;hop (Radford) in his address to synod (h), referred. to the mcctter

briefly, linkir.g it with the IIi verina 1'"''' State :'.over:r:ento fut the g_uestion cf'

dioces2.11 boundary rr7Vision never se-ens to 11:'Vt: .?..rc-,l.sed much enthusiamn. '.!.he

agitation came onl:r from ~.7A[!?:,a ·.ng~o_ itself; there was no su'?Port f"rom -the rest

of the regioP~

The west

65

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