South Eastern Historical Association Inc.

Blog

  • The Methodist Church in Wonthaggi

    This is an interesting account of the Methodist Church in Wonthaggi. I have taken it from A Century of Victorian Methodism by The Rev. C. Irving Benson. Published by Spectator Publishing in 1935.

    Wonthaggi – Here we were the first Church on the coalfields. On the arrival of the first batch of miners, thirty-five in all, they were met by the Rev. Courtenay Thomas, who sensing the possibilities of the place, promptly secured a tent, which would accommodate 200 men and obtaining meanwhile a supply of red-gum planks for seats, was ready to begin operations. A Sunday School was opened under the guidance of Mrs. Gardiner, and before long its success became an embarrassment, the number of children in attendance passing the 400 mark. Later, Mr. M.D. Cock provided an iron building, which was placed on the site secured for the Methodist Church and after this had been in use for a while, in 1911 a wooden structure, 66 feet by 34 feet, was built.

    According to the Rev. Benson the Methodist Church was also the first Church to have a resident Minister and erect a place of worship on the goal fields in the 1850s as there “were many Cornish miners and Irish Methodists aflame with the fire of Methodism, and by their frank and fearless piety they won a singular respect among the wild and reckless men who abounded at the Diggings.”

    It appears that the Methodist Church was very pro-active, as we would say now, from the beginning of Victoria’s European settlement. The first Methodist to settle in Melbourne soon after 1835 was said to be Thomas Watson, a veteran of Waterloo, known as “Waterloo Watson.”

    *Originally published in South Eastern Heritage Issue 6 October 2007 and written by Heather Arnold.

  • The Wreck of the Speke

    The guest speaker at the August meeting of the SEHA was Julie Box (nee Harris). The Harris family have lived on Phillip Island for over 100 years. Julie spoke on the wreck of the Speke at Phillip Island.

    The Speke was an all steel ship of 310 feet, beam of 35 feet and weight of 2,712 tons and triple masted. She was built in 1891 at Carnarvon in Wales for a cost of 22,000 pounds. The wreck of the Speke was purchased for a mere 12 pounds after it went aground in 1906.

    The Speke had come from Peru to Sydney. She was then on her way to load wheat in Geelong when she ran aground on the 22 February 1906. Captain Tiltson confused a bushfire, near Cowes, for navigation lights. The ship drifted close to shore in Kitty Miller Bay and was eventually holed at 3 pm on the rocks. Life boats were immediately lowered and the ship’s crew all made it to shore except Seaman Frank Henderson, who lost his life.

    The news did not reach Cowes until 8 pm that night. Most of the locals were attending the horse races at Ventnor that day and so there were not many people around. Some of the crew ended up at the Harris house, where they were looked after by Julie’s grandmother, Sarah Harris. Julie’s father who was a young boy at the time can still remember the event. The family were given the Compass box by the Captain and this is now in the Heritage Centre.

    Local people soon salvaged parts of the wreck, timber was used for houses and sheds, brass lamps inside houses and the ship’s bell is at the Presbyterian Church. The figure head of the Speke was in the shape of woman, wearing a flowing shite dress with blue cuffs and collar and carrying a large bunch of daffodils. It was originally nine feet four inches long. This sculpture went missing after the event and decades later the head only was re-discovered in Mr Thompson’s garage. It was then restored, and this and other items from the ship are on display at the Heritage Centre, Thompson Avenue, Cowes.

    Further Reading

    • Phillip Island in picture and story compiled by Joshua Wickett Gliddon. Published by the Cowes Bush Nursing Hospital, 1958.
    • Phillip Island and Western Port by Jean Edgcombe. Published by the author, 1989.
    • Wrecks on Phillip Island by Jack Loney. Published by Marine History Publications.

    *Originally published in South Eastern Heritage Issue 4 September 2006 and written by Heather Arnold.