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The Congregation now worshipping in
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Carlton, had its origin in a
band of Highlanders, who commenced to
meet statedly for divine worship in both the Gaelic and English languages
in the old Protestant Hall, Stephen Street, on the same site as the
present Protestant Hall, towards the end of the year 1851. The
Congregation is thus practically the same age as the State of Victoria,
which became a separate Colony to the parent Colony, New South Wales, on
1st July, 1851.
During the early years of
the reign of the late Queen Victoria, a great number of the Celtic race,
hailing from the Highlands and the Islands, emigrated to the Colonies, and
societies to encourage their emigration were founded under distinguished
patronage in Scotland, and these efforts were helped on by Government. As
early as 1840, there were a goodly number of Highlanders about Melbourne
and the immediate neighbourhood, and also in the Western District. They
earnestly desired a preacher in their own tongue, and in October, 1840,
they joined with other Presbyterians in a petition to the Colonial
Committee of the Church of Scotland,
asking for ministers to he sent out to supply the needs
of the Port Phillip settlement.
On
29th February, 1842, the Rev. Peter Gunn
arrived, having been ordained by
the Presbytery of Caithness on 11th August, 1841, to specially minister to
the Gaelic-speaking people. He was appointed to form a congregation in
Melbourne, but was unsuccessful, the chief causes of his failure being
that the Highlanders were mostly poor and unsettled in their prospects,
and lived at such scattered distances from one another, as not to be able
very conveniently to meet together as a congregation. After ministering to
his people, and doing a great deal of pioneer evangelistic and educational
work all over the Port Phillip District, Mr. Gunn at length gave up the
idea of forming a congregation of Highlanders, and in August, 1845, was
settled as minister of an English-speaking congregation at Campbellfield,
where, however, a number of Highlanders were settled. Mr. Gunn laboured
here till his death, in 1864, and "even to the last he journeyed to the
full extent of his strength to preach the gospel, particularly to the
Highlanders, to whom he felt himself in a special sense called upon to
minister " (Extract from memorial minute of General Assembly, 2nd Nov.,
1864).
The Highlanders about Melbourne, for
many years after this unsuccessful attempt to form a congregation, had
only to depend upon an occasional sermon in their own tongue to satisfy
their spiritual wants. As year after year went by, they increased largely
in numbers, and with the discovery of gold in 1851, larger numbers still
were attracted to the Colony from the Old Land.
In the meantime, the great
Disruption had taken place in Scotland in 1843, and, unfortunately,
ministers arriving from the Old Country brought their prejudices out with
them, so that before the end of the decade there were three different
bodies of Presbyterians in the Colony, corresponding to the three great
divisions at Home. The Highlanders in Scotland were warmly attached to the
Free Church, and the Highlanders in Victoria had the same sympathies for
the local body bearing the same
name. Accordingly, a number of them in 1851 formed themselves into a
congregation, under the jurisdiction of the Free Presbyterian Synod of
Victoria, and on 11th February, 1852, the Rev. Duncan McDiarmid Sinclair,
their first pastor, was ordained to minister unto them. Thus originated
the congregation which was afterwards to worship in St Andrew’s Church,
Canton.
Mr. Sinclair was born on 1st March,
1816, in Argyleshire. His father was a sheep farmer. He was descended from
some of the oldest Highland families, and was educated at the Glasgow
University. About the close of his student days the Disruption took place.
Being grieved at the state of Church affairs at Home, he decided to go to
Australia. Along with his wife (a sister of the Rev. William Fraser,
afterwards minister of St. Andrew’s), and sister and brother-in-law (Dr.
Anderson), he landed at Sydney, and went to New England, where he bought
and carried on the Newstead Station in partnership with his
brother-in-law. But his heart was more in preaching the gospel than in
sheep farming, so, abandoning his station, he went back to Sydney to
preach. Learning of the large numbers of his countrymen who were arriving
in Melbourne, many of whom could only speak Gaelic, he felt that there was
a Macedonian cry ringing in his ears, and he accordingly went over to help
them. A lease was taken of the Protestant Hall, a Committee of Management
was formed, sittings were let to the worshippers, and a properly organised
congregation was instituted. The preacher was given a stipend of £300 a
year, but he rented his own house, paying £500 per annum therefor, which
was by no means an excessive rental for a moderately good house in those
days. He lived in Albert Street, East Melbourne, near where the
Presbyterian Ladies’ College now is, and afterwards in Nicholson Street.
He is described as a man of fine appearance, and a good preacher.
Two services were held each Sabbath,
one in the morning at 11 in English; the other in the afternoon at 3 in
Gaelic. Many of his congregation came from great distances to hear him,
and a number of them are still alive, although none of these belong to the present congregation of St. Andrew's.
During the whole of 1852 and 1853
Mr. Sinclair worked earnestly amongst his people, being instant in season
and out of season. In addition to the ordinary services, prayer meetings
were held, and much good was done. Changes, however, were at hand, and to
understand these we must now turn our attention to events which were
happening in Scotland.
Since the Disruption of 1843, both
the Established Church and the Free Church were too busily engaged with
their own internal affairs to send ministers to the Colony. The Colonial
Churches were much in need of men, owing to the large increase of
population; but the preachers were not forthcoming. During the whole of
1852 the Free Church of Victoria did not receive a single accession to the
ranks of her ministers.
The period of lethargy was, however,
coming to an end. During 1853 a number of Free Church ministers arrived,
in consequence of a resolution of the mother Church to make Australia, and
especially Victoria, the ground of a great missionary effort. A great
meeting was held in Edinburgh, whilst the General Assembly was sitting, on
13th April, 1853, when it was determined to send twelve ministers to
Victoria, ten of them young men recently licensed, and the other two
ministers of experience, specially chosen to help the Colonial Church in
organising and consolidating its forces. To aid this important
undertaking, collections were taken up in all the parishes in Scotland,
and a liberal response was made. The two leading clergymen chosen were the
Rev. Adam Cairns, D.D., of Cupar, Fife, and the Rev. MacIntosh Mackay,
LL.D., of Dunoon. The former arrived in the colony in September, 1853, and
shortly afterwards founded Chalmers’ Church, Eastern Hill, whilst the
latter, who is of more interest to us as the founder of another church,
set foot on these shores at the beginning of the following year. Of the
young men who came out with these leaders, only the Rev. A. Adam, M.A.,
Minister Emeritus, formerly of Beaufort, now survives. Both the leaders
have long since joined their friends above.
Mackay’s special mission was to look
after the Spiritual necessities of the Highlanders. He was now in his
fifty—fourth year, having been born in 1800 in Lord Reay’s Country,
Sutherlandshire, where the clan Mackay had lived since before historic
times. His father was Captain Alexander Mackay, of Duard Beg. In 1825 he
was ordained minister at Laggan, Inverness— shire, and whilst there he
earned a great reputation both as a preacher and scholar in the Gaelic
tongue. The Gaelic Dictionary, published in 1828 in two large volumes by
the Highland Society of Scotland, was chiefly his work, and in 1829 he
earned greater fame in literature by his collecting and publishing the
poems of Robert Mackay (Rob Doun), a Celtic bard of the Lord Reay Country,
who flourished in the middle of the seventeenth century. His fame as a
scholar spread through Europe, and the Glasgow University, at which he had
been a student, honoured her illustrious son by conferring on him the
degree of LL.D. The "Quarterly Review ‘ suggested that he should be made a
Professor of a Chair of the Celtic languages, as he was so well versed in
all the dialects of the Celtic race, and described him as having "already
done more for the language of the Scottish Gael than any other individual
of the present or last age," although he was "still a very young man."
He also became the intimate friend of Sir Walter Scott, who describes him
as "a simple, learned man, and a Highlander who weighs his own nation
justly—a modest and estimable person. (See Lockhart’s "Life of Scott,"
Vol. V. pp. 331 et seq., where an interesting account of a visit paid by
the young scholar to Scotland’s greatest author is recorded.)
The "young man," however, determined
to make the preaching of the gospel, and not the pursuit of literature,
his life-work. In 1832 he was appointed to the important charge of Dunoon.
Here he laboured for the next 21 years, first as a minister of the
Established Church, and after the Disruption as an upholder of Free Church
principles. He had a large stretch of country for a parish, and took great
interest in the welfare of his own race, preaching to them in Gaelic
whenever opportunity offered, although his sermons at Dunoon itself were
all in English. He came eventually to be regarded as a leader amongst his
countrymen, and became very popular amongst them. The various societies
for aiding emigration of Highlanders to the Colonies owed their existence
largely to his advocacy, and be was very successful in securing the
patronage of very distinguished personages, including H.R.H. the late
Prince Albert, the father of our illustrious King Edward. Although
somewhat austere in manner—a young student, now an eminent professor, was
once much disturbed by this trait when being examined by the Doctor for
his license - he got on well with the Highland gentry. Some, however, did
not like him on account of his outspokenness against those who had
deprived families of their dwellings in order to make room for their sheep
and grouse and deer; and one Laird (Douglas of Ardentinnie), with whom he
was none too friendly, used to describe him thus—with pauses between the
epithets— "wiry, sinewy man strongest man in Europe—-‘pon me honour—never
eats vegetables."
After the Disruption, Dr. Mackay was
appointed Convener of the Free Church General Assembly’s Home Mission work
in the Highlands and Western Islands, and in 1845 was chosen Moderator. As
Home Mission Convener, he placed the Free Church cause in the Highlands
upon a very firm footing. Indefatigable in his zeal to build churches, he
travelled all over the country on his mission, and always spent the best
part of each summer cruising about the Islands and the various arms of the
sea in the Western Highlands, in a yacht known as the "Breadalbane," which
he obtained as a gift for the cause from Lady Effingham.
This, then, was the man who in middle life essayed the
bold attempt to work up the Highland cause in the Colonies. On 3rd
January, 1854, he appeared before the Free Church Synod in Melbourne, and
was warmly welcomed by the brethren. The Highlanders were especially glad
to see him, and Mr. Sinclair, their minister, at once generously offered
to resign his charge, in order that the Highland apostle and bishop might
form a strong Gaelic congregation in Melbourne, and a meeting, called by
advertisement, was held to consider the matter, In John Knox Church, on
Monday evening, 9th January, 1854.
The result of this meeting was that a committee was
appointed "to take steps for the speedy settlement of Dr. MacIntosh Mackay
in Melbourne as minister of the Gaelic Congregation." This
Committee accordingly met on the following
evening, those present being Rev. D. M. Sinclair (Convener), Drs. Aldcorn
and George Mackay (the well—known barrister), Messrs. A. Campbell, Robert
Lawson, L. MacLean and Urquhart. It was determined to open subscription
lists for the raising of necessary funds to build a church and manse, and
to ask the co—operation of several leading Highlanders in the country
districts. The names of the country collectors chosen, with their
districts, were—Messrs. J. Mc Knight (Belfast and Port Fairy), Macdougall
(Campaspie), Charles Mackay (Kilmore), McIver (Bunnyong), Turnbull
(Elephant Bridge), MacMillan (Gippsland), Alexander MacPherson and D.
MacPhail (Saltwater River), (Captain MacPherson (Heidelberg), and Lachian
MacLachlan (Bendigo). A Committee to select a suitable site for a church
and manse was also appointed, and it was decided to recommend to a meeting
of Highlanders, to be held in the John Knox Church on the following Monday
evening, that "in the present circumstances of the Colony a stipend of not
less than £800, with house accommodation, would be requisite" for the
minister.
On the following Sabbath, 15th January, 1854, Dr.
Mackay Preached his first sermons in the Protestant Hall, in English at
11am., and in Gaelic at 3pm. On the following evening his supporters again
met in John Knox Church, for the purposes of hearing a speech in Gaelic
from the Doctor, and "to expedite the arrangements now in progress for his
settlement in Melbourne." At this meeting the recommendations of the
committee were unanimously adopted. Dr. Mackay told the audience that he
was undecided whether he would remain in Melbourne or form a congregation
elsewhere, and that it was his intention to visit the Highlanders in the
country districts so that he might be able to judge in what locality he
might best aid the cause. He accordingly spent his time during the next
two months in doing so.
In the meantime, Mr. Sinclair resigned his charge, so
that the people might be free to prosecute a call in favour of Dr. Mackay.
The call was signed by about 900 persons, and after due consideration was
accepted, and the new minister entered upon his duties on the last Sabbath
in March.
During the previous week the former pastor, Mr.
Sinclair, suffered a sad bereavement in the sudden death of his wife. He
shortly afterwards left the Colony, and returned to the Old Country, for
the purpose of educating his children-two sons and five daughters. Whilst
in the Colony he was an ardent supporter of the efforts being made for a
Union of the various Presbyterian bodies, and when he went Home, his
advice on colonial matters was much sought after. The report of the Free
Church of Scotland's Colonial and Continental Committee as to the
appointment of the late Dr. Morrison as Head Master of the Scotch College
in 1857 refers to help received from him in the following terms: "In all
matters connected with the details of this appointment, and in all the
efforts to find suitable ministers, the Committee have enjoyed the counsel
and assistance of the Rev. D. M. Sinclair, one of the ministers of
Victoria, now in this country, who, from his long experience as a
colonist, thorough knowledge of the country and sound judgment as to what
is necessary and suitable, has been of the most essential service to them,
and to the Church of Australia, in which he is deeply interested." In
1858, Mr. Sinclair came out to Queensland, where he again took to pastoral
pursuits, near Condamine, assisting the Queensland Church by preaching
occasionally. After some four years of pastoral life, he gave up his
station, and was appointed a Police Magistrate, first at Dalby, and
afterwards at Warwick. He had previously presided in courts as an honorary
magistrate.
During the next ten or twelve years Mr. Sinclair
exercised his judicial functions. Having married Miss Vigne, an English
lady, he left the Presbyterian Church, and became an Episcopalian. In
1877, he resigned his Government appointment, for the purpose of becoming
a clergyman of the Church of England. Preaching at first at Armidale, New
South Wales, he was ordained there by Bishop Turner, and then became vicar
of St. John's Church, Uralla, New South Wales. Here he officiated for many
years. He died on 15th January, 1887, at Glen Innes, where he is buried,
having resigned his charge two years Previously through ill health (heart
complaint). The members of his family still live in Southern Queensland
and Northern New South Wales, the district in which he spent the best
years of his life. Both his sons predeceased him. His eldest daughter
married Mr. William Yaldwyn, P.M., of Brisbane. Mrs. St. Clair, of Glen
Innes, and Mrs. Tribe, of Tamworth, are his surviving daughters. He had no
children by his second wife. Mr. Sinclair has a relation at present a
member of St. Andrew's Church, in the person of Miss Isabella Mackay, who
has been an earnest and valued worker in the congregation for some years.
Miss Mackay is also a kinswoman of Dr. Macintosh Mackay, her parents
hailing from the Lord Reay Country, where Dr. Mackay was born, and
belonging, like him, to the KinlochBervie stock of the Mackay clan. Her
mother (whose maiden name was Mackay) was Mr. Sinclair's cousin, while her
father, the late Mr. Charles Mackay, of Kilmore, was one of the collectors
named above who were appointed by Dr. Mackay's committee to receive
subscriptions in the country towards the erection of the church. It is
also interesting to note that Miss Mackay is a lineal descendant of the
renowned chieftain, Lochiel.
Dr. Mackay having become settled as pastor, steps
were-at once taken to procure from the Government a site for the erection
of a church and manse. In the meantime, the Committee rented a house in
Nicholson Street, Collingwood (now Fitzroy), at the rental of £400 per
annum, as a suitable residence for the pastor. Dr. Mackay lived in this
house till November, 1855, when he moved to No. 8, Royal Terrace, for
which the Committee paid at the rate of £300 a year.
The piece of land applied for from the Crown was
situated on the Eastern Hill, adjoining the Melbourne Academy, afterwards
the Scotch College, of which Mr. Robert Lawson, the secretary of the
Congregation, and a former member of Dr. Mackay's congregation at Dunoon,
was the first Principal.
Dr. Cairns' congregation
also claimed the same ground. A conference between the Committees of the
two congregations took place, and the result was that Dr. Mackay and his
congregation resolved to relinquish their claims, and their secretary was
instructed to record "that the Gaelic Congregation, believing, all things
considered, in their prior claim to the site alluded to, made this
surrender solely as a matter of deference to a sister congregation, and
from a desire to promote the harmony of the Church." In consequence of
this splendid spirit, Dr. Cairns was able, to obtain the land on which the
old historic Chalmers' Church now most unfortunately no more stood for
many years.
Dr. Mackay and his
Committee then made application for another site. The Congregation, at a
meeting held in John Knox Church, on 14th June, at which addresses were
delivered by Dr. Cairns, the Rev. A. M. Ramsay (of St. Enoch's U.P.
Church, Collins Street, now the Assembly Hall), and the Rev. A. Morrison
(of the Independent Church, Collins Street), resolved to push on with the
project of building both a church and a manse, and to erect a substantial
church whilst they were about it, an offer of an iron building for a
church having been already refused by the Committee. The canvassing for
subscriptions in aid of the project was redoubled, the minister himself
taking a very active part in this respect. Even before a site was
obtained, it was resolved to advertise for plans for both church and
manse, and two prizes of £30 and £20 were offered for the best approved
designs.
On August 30th, at a
Committee meeting held at Mr. Lawson's Academy, Dr. Mackay announced that
the Government had at length granted the site, which comprised two acres,
adjoining the Carlton Gardens, in Oueensberry Street, North Melbourne (now
Carlton). On 6th September, the Committee, after having consulted the
congregation two days previously, awarded the prizes for the plans, and
appointed Mr. George Reilly Cox, the architect whose plan had obtained
first prize, to superintend the building of a church and manse, at a
remuneration of £270. The Committee, in its eagerness to get to work, then
adjourned to meet the architect on the following morning, at 8 o'clock, on
the site of the proposed erections, in order to inspect the same and
allocate the separate sections of the ground to be appropriated to church,
manse and school. The second prize in the plan competition was awarded to
Mr. Jenkins.
For the next month, the
Committee was busy collecting money and consulting with the architect over
minor matters of detail. Dr. Mackay paid many visits to the country, and
the Highlanders all over the colony gave what they could towards the
cause. To assist the pastor in spiritual matters, Mr. L. MacLean was
appointed a catechist, at a salary of £200 per annum.
At length, on 31st October,
1854, a contract for the building of the church, for the sum of £7,400,
was entered into with Messrs. James Laurence and William Murray. The
contractors agreed to have the whole building, except tower and vestry,
covered in by 1st March, 1855, and to complete the whole work by 1st July,
1855. The work then went on apace, the Committee being most indefatigable
in superintending everything, and in getting in subscriptions. The extent
of their zeal is evidenced by the fact that they even held a meeting on
Christmas Day, 1854, at the house of their enthusiastic secretary, Mr.
Lawson. The work of raising subscriptions was, however, a difficult
matter. Large amounts came in, and a paid collector assisted in the work;
but the building expenses were very heavy, on account of the difficulties
of transit. In those early days, the place being regarded as in "the
bush," and the high cost of labour and materials. The church that was
being raised was also a very substantial structure, and, considering the
circumstances of the people, the majority of whom were not too well off in
this world's goods, the undertaking was far beyond their resources. The
Committee had covenanted to pay the contractors an instalment equal to
three-fourths of the value of the work completed each month, and to pay
the balance of the stipulated price within a month, after the completion
of the whole work. At the end of January, 1855, these obligations were
pressing rather heavily. A large number of promised subscriptions were
unpaid, and several of the members of the congregation had left to reside
in the country. The Congregational Fund for ordinary expenses was also
£120 in debt. Under these circumstances, Mr. Coiler Robertson, of Essendon
Park, who had ever been a good friend to the congregation, convened a
meeting of "a few of the friends of the cause," at Mr. Lawson's house, at
one o'clock on the afternoon of Tuesday, 6th February, 1855, to consider
the state of affairs. The result of this meeting was that Mr. Robertson
and several others agreed to become security to the Bank of Victoria, at
which the Committee had an account, for the advancement of sufficient
money to enable the Committee to finish the erection of the church
according to the plans and specifications originally prepared by the
architect. The Bank agreed to lend the money required on these terms, and
the building of the church accordingly went on to completion.
In addition to erecting the
church, the Committee also desired to build a house for the pastor, as the
heavy price paid for rent was a severe drain upon them. Mr. Cox was
accordingly instructed to prepare plans and specifications, and tenders
were advertised for and received, the estimated cost of the undertaking
being about £1,800. It was, however, agreed that no further expenses
should be incurred without the sanction of all the gentlemen who had
become guarantors to the Bank, and after consideration at several meetings
the whole question was eventually adjourned until after the opening of the
church. Many years, however, were to elapse before a manse was built.
Whilst all these
preparations were going on, and the church was nearing completion, the
congregation was thrown into a state of great excitement by the news that
a call to their minister from a number of Presbyterians in Sydney was to
be presented to the Presbytery at its next meeting. A monster petition
against the call was got ready, and, as this document is still in
existence, and is of some importance, as showing the state of the
congregation at the time of the opening of the church, it is well worth
quoting. It was as follows :
"Melbourne, 2nd April, 1855.
To the Free Church
Presbytery of Melbourne.
"We, the undersigned
members and adherents of the Gaelic congregation of Melbourne, under the
ministry of the Rev. Dr. Macintosh Mackay, are grieved and alarmed to know
that a call from Sydney to our beloved pastor has been laid on your table.
Being ardently attached to Dr. Mackay as a minister of the gospel, and
persuaded of the greatly superior importance of his present sphere of
ministerial labour to that to which our friends of Sydney are seeking to
remove him, we are resolved to use every constitutional means to retain
his invaluable services in Melbourne.
"The case is one, we
believe, not only affecting our interests as a congregation, but palpably
endangering the present and the prospective advancement of the
Presbyterian cause in this the most important and promising of all the
Colonies of Britain, and should such a transference be now effected, it
might be fraught with the most disastrous consequences to the peace and
the stability of our ecclesiastical constitution.
"As you value, therefore,
the peace and harmony of the Gaelic congregation of Melbourne, as you
value the prosperity of sound Presbyterian Christianity amongst us, your
petitioners would most respectfully and earnestly entreat you to reject
this call."
According to the report in
"The Argus" of the meeting of Presbytery a couple of days afterwards, this
document was signed by 907 members and adherents above the age of 14. The
sheets preserved only contain 749 signatures, and it is very probable,
after the lapse of time, there are some sheets missing. The addresses
following the signatures are very interesting. A large number of city
addresses are given, showing that there were many residential houses where
now there are large warehouses and places of business, and practically no
residences at all. For instance, a large number came from MacKillop
Street, where not a single dwelling now exists. The suburbs Carlton and
Fitzroy are unknown, the names of the leading streets in those suburbs now
being followed by the respective names of North Melbourne and Collingwood,
by which those localities were then known. Not only are the suburbs of
Prahran, St. Kilda, Emerald Hill, South Melbourne, Hawthorn, Richmond and
Essendon mentioned, but also places further afield, such as Broadmeadows,
Glenroy, Campbellfield, Yuroke, Plenty River, Darebin Creek, and Tea Tree
Creek (presumably somewhere beyond Brighton), and there is even one
signatory from Kilmore, and one or two from the Loddon River. Such was the
widespread interest shown by the Highlanders in their cause.
This petition was presented
to the Presbytery by Messrs. Robert Lawson and Coiler Robertson, the
latter with some warmth protesting against the barefaced attempt of the "
Sidonians " to sever the tie of affection existing between the Doctor and
his congregation. The call from Sydney was signed by 150 members of the
Free Church there, and was supported by Dr. Aldcorn (a former member of
Committee of the Gaelic congregation, Melbourne), and Mr. McIntyre and the
Rev. Mr. Grant, of Sydney. These gentlemen represented that there were
14,000 Presbyterians in Sydney, with only one Free Church minister, and
that Dr. Mackay was urgently needed there. After the two sides were heard,
Dr. Mackay made a speech, referring to his work in Victoria, stating that
during his fifteen months' stay in the Colony he had travelled over 3,300
miles in the interests of his congregation, and also in connection with
the important movement for union of the Presbyterian bodies then in
progress, and had paid many hundreds of visits to the sick and others. He
felt it his duty to remain with his congregation, but he would leave the
whole matter in the hands of the Presbytery. The Presbytery refused to
sustain the call. There was an appeal from this refusal to the Synod,
which, a few days afterwards, upheld the decision of the inferior court.
It may here be stated that
Dr. Mackay, from his arrival in the Colony, had taken a very prominent
part in the public concerns of the Church, and was one of the leaders in
the movement for union, which seemed to be very near fulfilment at that
time, at all events between the Synod of Victoria and the Free Church
Synod of Victoria. He was also at this time Moderator of the latter Synod.
The Presbytery and Synod therefore had very strong reasons for refusing to
sustain the call.
On May 6th, 1855, the last services
were held in the Protestant Hall, and on the following evening the
Committee made its final arrangements for the opening services on the
following Sabbath. An advertisement announcing the opening of the church
was to be inserted three times in each of the newspapers, and two hundred
copies of the same were to be placarded over the city. Another
advertisement, which appeared in the papers a week or two previous, is
worth reproduction. It ran thus:--"Gaelic Church, Melbourne. As managers
of this congregation's affairs, we have now the satisfaction to intimate
that our new church is to be opened for public worship on Sabbath, the
13th May. Special services in connection with this event will be held
there on that day. Two sermons in the Gaelic language and two sermons in
the English language will be preached. Highland ministers are to come from
a great distance to be aiding on the occasion. The cause is a national
one. The event of a Gaelic Church being opened in the metropolis of the
Colony we trust will speak to the hearts of all our countrymen, awakening
remembrances of former privileges in our native land and encouraging us to
trust in God that the same privileges may yet be enjoyed by ourselves and
those that come after us in this land. We earnestly invite all our
countrymen within reach to be personally present with us on this
interesting and solemn occasion. Let it be a day by the Divine blessing to
be long remembered among us. Let us show to all our interest in the event.
And the pecuniary difficulties with which we have still to contend oblige
us to say and urge it upon all our countrymen that a very special and
great effort must be made on this befitting occasion to relieve our
undertaking of its remaining burdens. This might easily be attained. A
special collection for this purpose will be made at each of the diets of
worship on our opening day. The amount of one sovereign from each of half
the number of the Highlanders in Victoria would much more than relieve the
undertaking from all burdens. We trust that each one amongst ourselves
will heartily do their utmost to bestow that amount on this occasion. We
trust at least, also, that our cause will meet with kind and liberal
consideration from our brethren of other congregations within our reach on
our opening day. And we appeal earnestly to our countrymen at a distance
in this Colony to be aiding to us, and to forward to us their
contributions for this occasion. All of them have interest in it. It
brings spiritual privileges in their native tongue a step nearer to them
than they have hitherto been in this land. May the word of God go forth
until its blessings reach to all. Let our prayers and our efforts show
that we truly seek this. The present is a special opportunity to us all.
Much will every way depend on what shall be done by us on this occasion.
We have been labouring on behalf of our countrymen's welfare in this
undertaking; we now call upon them all to go forward and help us on their
own behalf. Coiler Robertson, Donald MacDonald, David Walker, John MacPhee,
James Stewart, Gordon Cameron, J. Barclay Stevenson, James Mackay,
Alexander MacLean, Ewen Mackinnon, John Sutherland, Lewis Grant, Malcolm
MacInnes, Duncan Sutherland, Peter MacKenzie, Angus Kerr, Managers; M.
Mackay, Convener; Robt. Lawson, Secretary."
"Contributions to the collections on
Sabbath, 13th May, will be received and forwarded by Mr. Stuart, of the
New South Wales Bank, Castlemaine ; by Mr. Liddle, Messrs. Liddle and
Cooper, Bendigo; by Messrs. McLeod and Grant, storekeepers, Creswick
Creek; and by Mr. John MacIvor, teacher, Ballaarat. The names of all
contributors will be added to the list of subscribers." The various
services to be held were then given.
At the meeting of Committee on 6th
May, arrangements were also made for lighting the church, it being decided
to purchase candlesticks, lamps for the pulpit and precentor's
desk, a box of candles, and four pewter
plates to take up the collection. The candlesticks referred to are still
on the church premises in a large bag. They were soon afterwards replaced
by chandeliers. The Committee also made arrangements for letting the pews,
between the hours of 12 and 3 during the day, and between 7 and 9 in the
evening on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the following week, and "
in case any two parties should wish to obtain the same seats, the matter
to he decided, if necessary, by casting lots." Two of the ladies of the
congregation were appointed to provide and prepare the linen for the
communion tables.
On the eventful day (13th
May) the church was well filled at all the four services which were held,
and the response to the appeal in the advertisement for funds was a
liberal one, the collections for the day taken at the church door
amounting to £416. In the morning at 11, Dr. Mackay preached in Gaelic
from Psalm 122 : I: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the
house of the Lord." At 1.15 p.m. the Rev. William McIntyre, of East
Maitland, New South Wales, conducted a service in English. This was
followed by another Gaelic service at 3 p.m., conducted by the Rev.
Alexander McIntyre, of Ahatton, New South Wales (afterwards minister of
the Gaelic Church, Geelong), whose text was: "I will not leave you
comfortless: I will come to you" (John 14 : 18). In the evening, at 6.30,
the Rev. William McIntyre again preached in English.
The information as to the
preachers' texts has been supplied by Mr. Malcolm McQueen, one of those
present at the services who lives to see the jubilee of the occasion.
Being more familiar with his mother-tongue at that time than with English,
he can remember the Gaelic texts, but not the English. Shortly afterwards,
he was married by Dr. Mackay to a young woman connected with the
congregation (a Miss McSwain), who is also still living. Mr. McOueen is
the only survivor of the elders who originally constituted the Kirk
Session, which was not, however, formed till some years after the opening
of the church. Of those who were present at the opening services, Mrs.
Urquhart enjoys the distinction of being the only one who has continued to
attend tie church ever since without a break to the present time. She,
however, never attended any of the services held in the Protestant Hall,
so that none of the original congregation which worshipped in that
building are now connected with the church. Amongst those who belonged to
the original congregation and are still alive may be mentioned Mrs. Gunn
(who was connected with the congregation for over 40 years, her late
husband being one of its leading members), Mr. Ewen Henderson (a member of
the Committee of Management and elder for a great many years), Mrs.
Alexander MacIntosh, Mrs. Leslie (formerly Mrs. Gordon Cameron), Mr. John
MacQueen (brother of Mr. M. McQueen), Messrs. Donald and Norman McSwain
(brothers of Mrs. M. McQueen), Mr. Malcolm Ferguson, Mrs. John McLeod, Mr.
and Mrs. Murdoch MacLean, Mrs. Malcolm MacLean, Mrs. Norman Mac Lean, Mrs.
MacKenzie, Mrs. Bethune, Mrs. Keiller, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Smith
(Heatherton), Mrs. Smith (Auburn), and Mr. M. MacDonald. Mr. D. R.
MacGregor, who often attended the original Gaelic services, is still
alive. Only within the last few weeks Mr. Alexander MacIntosh and Mrs.
Reid (a sister of Messrs. D. and N. McSwain) have been called away to the
other world. Amongst the first of forty-two marriages solemnised by Dr.
Mackay in Victoria were those of Mr. and Mrs. Gunn and Mr. and Mrs.
Alexander MacIntosh. The eldest children of both these marriages were
amongst the earliest baptisms.
Commenting on the
advertisement quoted above, " The Argus " of 19th April, 1855, says : " We
understand in terms of an advertisement in this day's issue that the new
Gaelic Church (Rev. Dr. Mackay) is to be opened for public worship on
Sabbath, the 13th May next, and that a Highland gathering is expected in
our city on that occasion. Clergymen to address their countrymen in their
own language on that interesting occasion are expected to come all the way
from New South Wales. This fact of itself bespeaks the interest with which
our Highland friends contemplate the event. We congratulate them on the
respectability and good taste of their place of worship. Its position, in
front of the Carlton Gardens, is peculiarly favourable and central. It is
an erection every way creditable to our Celtic brethren, and not unworthy
of the advancing metropolis. We sincerely wish them all success in the
effort which they intend to make on the occasion of this place of worship
being opened--to set it entirely free from debt."
The new church thus opened
was called by its founders "St. Andrew's." It still stands, being now the
oldest Presbyterian church building in the metropolis used for
congregational purposes. In its original form it was without the transepts
(which were added in 1873), and was built to hold about 80o people. The
contractors and workmen engaged are now nearly all dead. W. Park, a mason
engaged in the work, is still alive at Mount Dandenong.
The cost of the original
building was over £10,000. Among the extras not included in the building
contract were ;666 for a fence of hurdles, 650 for chandeliers, £129 1s.
9d. for the bell, and £104. 12s. for fitting up the tower clock, which was
presented to the Committee about a week after the opening of the church by
the City Council. This gift was accompanied by the following letter,
addressed to Dr. Mackay:-" Town Hall, Melbourne, 22nd May, 1855. Sir, I am
instructed by the Public Works Committee of the City Council to inform you
that the Corporation is possessed of a valuable public clock, which, not
being suitable for the principal tower of the Town Hall, they are willing
to present to the trustees of your church for the tower of the Gaelic
Church. The only condition the Committee would seek to impose is that the
clock should be erected with its face towards Collingwood. I have the
honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, Wm. Kerr, Town Clerk."
The condition imposed was
duly complied with, and the clock still faces that part of Collingwood now
known as Fitzroy. Its use to the inhabitants in that quarter has, however,
been somewhat impaired since the erection of the Exhibition Building. The
clock and bell are still in first-class order, being of good Scotch
manufacture, the clock being made in Kilmarnock, and the bell cast in a
Glasgow foundry.
Another item of expenditure
£60 18s. for the erection of stables was necessitated on account of the
long distances which some of the worshippers had to travel. The stables -
which have long since disappeared - were erected along the Drummond Street
boundary of the property, and they must have presented a lively scene each
Sabbath. Those who came long journeys would, after the morning service,
eat their lunches in the church grounds, and then repair to the sanctuary
for the afternoon service, after which they would get ready and go home.
On one occasion, Mr. Donald McSwain, who lived at Brighton, had rather an
exciting experience. In those days, as old colonists will remember, tolls
were in force. Persons driving to church on the Sabbath were, however,
exempted, provided that in passing the toll gate they were doing so in
order to reach the nearest church to where they lived of the denomination
to which they belonged. Mr. McSwain had to pass two gates on his way to
St. Andrew's. A wealthy squatter had also to pass the same gates when
driving in his carriage to Chalmers' Church, where he regularly attended.
The toll-keeper at one of the gates one Sabbath asked both the squatter
and Mr. McSwain for the toll money. They both refused to pay, and in due
course appeared before the magistrates on summons. The squatter was fined,
because he could have gone to a nearer Presbyterian Church; but Mr.
McSwain was acquitted because, although he could have gone to a nearer
Presbyterian Church, yet he was a Highlander, and there was no other
Gaelic Church, and as it was only natural that he should attend ordinances
in his own language, his case was distinguished on this ground, and he
went free.
Although the building was
opened under auspicious circumstances, the large collections for the day
(which have never been equalled since on any occasion) did not clear the
congregation from debt. During July £825 were received through the agency
of collecting cards, bringing the total amounts collected for the
'building somewhat over £5,000, or only about half the cost. The precentor,
who was also appointed a collector for subscriptions, at a salary of £200
per annum for all his duties, was not able to get in any more money, and
the result was a heavy incubus of debt, which depressed the spirit of the
Committee of Management and the Congregation. At the beginning of 1856,
£250 were required to meet current expenses, the minister took ill, and,
after recovering from a serious illness, in the March following, another
call was presented to him from the people in Sydney, which he accepted,
and thus in less than a year after the opening of the church the
Congregation was without a pastor.
Several causes had led up
to this state of affairs. In the first place, the people had taken too
great an obligation upon their shoulders, and as things were very
unsettled in those days, it is not to be wondered at that many of the
congregation left the city to reside in the country. The pastor also had
his own defects, very often neglecting his congregation to attend to
outside matters. He had been very popular with the Highlanders in the Old
Country, and had great influence over them. He did not succeed with his
countrymen in this new land. He was much disappointed with a large number
of them who had repudiated obligations which they had undertaken when
receiving aid to bring them out to the colonies under the emigration
schemes in which he had taken such an interest. He also was not able to
adapt himself to colonial life, owing to the fact that he was a
middle-aged man when he came out here. He was a ponderous preacher, very
earnest and very evangelical, so that it is not to be wondered at that the
services were regarded as rather depressing and gloomy when the sermon
alone on the hottest day in summer would last for about a couple of hours.
The people, nevertheless, regretfully parted with him.
After his translation to
Sydney, Dr. Mackay founded St. George's Church, and laboured there till
the close of 1861 to an English-speaking congregation. He still, however,
took a great interest in Victorian Church matters, especially the great
cause of Union, in which he had taken a leading part while minister at St.
Andrew's. He at length determined to return to his native land for ever.
Whilst in the Bay at Melbourne, on his way Home, the Presbytery of
Melbourne waited upon him with in address, appreciative of the great work
he had accomplished in Australia. In 1862, he became minister of the Free
Church at Turbot, Harries. Here he built a manse, and at great expense
formed a beautiful garden about the house, having to cart earth from a
distance on account of the very rugged nature of the soil. After labouring
here for some years, he retired on account of the infirmities of age, and
went to live at Portobello, where Miss Power, a niece, kept house for him.
His wife, who was a Jewess, had died some years before, and they had no
family. In spite of his failing health, lie still took a very active
interest in the public affairs of the Church. Although a strong Unionist
in Victoria, he was very bitter against the suggested union of the Free
and U.P. Churches, which was largely agitated in Scotland during the
sixties and seventies, and which has only been recently accomplished,
although, unfortunately, unhappy consequences have followed. As minister
emeritus, he had a seat in the Synod of Glenelg, and against the wish of
his friends he insisted on attending the Synod during its 1873 session to
speak against the Union question, which was on the business paper. The
Synod met at Loch Alsh. The long journey north, and the exciting
experiences of the meetings, were, however, too much for the aged
minister, and on his return journey he took very seriously ill at the
Perth Railway Station. From this illness he never rallied, and he was
buried a few days afterwards. Beside the literary efforts mentioned above,
Dr. Mackay also published two volumes of sermons on the "Beatitudes." The
celebrated author, Dr. George MacDonald, is his nephew, being a son of a
sister of the first minister of St. Andrew's Church. |
