German Moravian Missionaries in the British Colony of Victoria, Australia, 1848-1908

Introduction

“…80 Ellerman features prominently in the diary as a supporter of the mission, which contrasted to his earlier position towards Indigenous people, which was much more hostile, even violent. 81 Other honorary correspondents of the BPA formed part of the Hartmann's religious colonial circles, such as Mr Charles Wilson and his wife, who lived at Walmer, near Horsham, and who presented the mission with gifts of stock. The Hartmanns visited Horsham, which was 50 kilometres away, on numerous occasions as it was a significant location for the missionaries to raise support for the mission.…”

Tourist Visitation to Ebenezer Aboriginal Mission Station, Victoria, Australia, 1859–1904: A Case Study

“…The German Moravian Church is a Protestant sect that traces its origins to the Hussites (Clark, 1990;Jensz, 2010), a group founded by a peasant's son known as Jan Hus, who was born in 1369 (Edwards, 1999). The Moravians were especially concerned with going to the most remote, unfavorable, and neglected parts of the world (Neill, 1964), and in 1850 the position of Australian Aborigines was seen by the Moravians to meet their fundamental aims.…”

“…On the contrary, the Moravian missionaries did all in their power to keep the station separate from the wider secular community, even going so far as to ensure that the road to the station did not become a public thoroughfare. Jensz (2010) has discussed the tension that the missionaries experienced between a general curiosity in Victoria over the work of the various mission stations, and local and international visitors keen to see their work and to see curiosities of the "dying" race, and their need to promote their work to ensure funding continued, and that of unwanted attention that had the potential to damage the good work of the mission and subject the Aboriginal people to what they feared were debased situations. In 1877, Hagenauer described Ebenezer as "our little community forms a kind of small world in itself and moves generally around its axle" (Jensz, 2010, p. 187).…”

“…It was a functioning Moravian Aboriginal mission station from 1859 until dwindling numbers led to its closure in 1904 when it was handed back to the Victorian Lands Department (see Christie, 1979;Jensz, 2010;Kenny, 2007;Massola, 1969Massola, , 1970) (see Fig. 1).…”