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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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Book Review
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This is Patricia Ratcliff's magnum opus. The book contains 574 pages and weighs one and a half kilograms. It is not light-weight reading! The author carefully documents the early history of the Independents (Congregationalists) and then leads into the arrival of John West and the contribution that he made to Tasmania and the rest of Australia. The early Congregationalists were plagued by the tyranny of distance, lack of any real direction from overseas and the problems of refusing any assistance from government sources. On reflection it may well be argued that the former Congregational minister and missionary John Youl did the right thing when he applied for and obtained Anglican ordination. This enabled him to minister to free and confined alike during his time in Tasmania. RemarkableJohn West, his wife and children did not have an easy path to pursue in Tasmania. He had to contend with his fellow ministers as well as people of influence who did not see things his way! He was a remarkable man who ultimately did remarkable things, but frequently with little support and help. A gifted communicator, who saw the freedom of the press as essential to the well being of the community, he was the first editor of the Examiner and later he became editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. He believed fervently in the abolition of transportation to Tasmania and with the help of others achieved this end. His History of Tasmania was the first book of its kind to set in order the history of aboriginal and European settlement of the island. He is rightly remembered and revered today, and Patricia Ratcliff has done us a great service in documenting his enthusiasm and his usefulness. Great valueI found some little things annoying. Anglicans are regularly referred to as 'Episcopalians'. While I am sure that some people did use this term, sometimes in a derogatory manner, it is a cumbersome term today. The adjective 'Reverend' is frequently used without proper qualification. 'Reverend John West' is proper, 'Reverend West' is not. However this should not detract from the great value of the book.
Because of its price I would suggest that you borrow a copy from your local library and allow yourself some considerable time to read it. |
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