Church of Melanesia : Selected archives

The documents copied include Bishop George Selwyn's navigational plot book (1852-1857), the diary of Mr Charles Hunter Brown who accompanied Bishop John Richardson Selwyn on the "Southern Cross" (Apr-Sep 1877), a five volume diary by Rev.David Ruddock (1880-1884) and Mr. Philip Walsh's (an Auckland priest, artist and architect) notebook (1880-1890). Twentieth century documents include a diary by Canon Richard Godfrey (1918-1932) which includes folk-lore stories of Opa [sic.], New Hebrides and correspondence between General Secretary MM and Miss H.R. Blake re: establishment of Fauabu Clinic (1930-1942). The collection also includes historical papers relating to the history of the Church of Melanesia in Norfolk Island (1926-1938).

In 1854, at the recommendation of Bishop George Augustus Selwyn, Melanesia was created as a separate See which Bishop Selwyn toured in 1857 in the mission ship Southern Cross, visiting 66 of the islands. John Coleridge Patteson was consecrated Bishop of Melanesia in 1861. Patteson and several of his companions were killed in 1871 on Nakapu, in the Santa Cruz group, after slave-raiders had visited the area. In 1867, the Mission college at Mission Bay, Auckland, moved to Norfolk Island, in 1919 to Siota, Gela Island, and in 1970 to Guadalcanal where it was renamed Bishop Patteson Theological Centre (later college), Kohimarama. The first Melanesian to be ordained was George Sarawia from Mota Island, New Hebrides (Vanuatu) in 1873. Charles Elliot Fox joined the staff of the Anglican Melanesian Mission in 1903. During his 70 years as a missionary and teacher, Fox lived and worked in most of the islands of the Solomon chain, on the Banks, and in the New Hebrides. Ini Kopuria formed the Melanesian Brotherhood in 1925. The first two Melanesian bishops were Dudley Tuti from Ysabel and Leonard Alufurai from Malaita. They were consecrated in Honiara in 1963. The Church of Melanesia was inaugurated in 1975.

Quantity: 4 microfilm reel(s).

Finding Aids: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/pambu/catalogue/

For contents of reels see http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/pambu/reels/manuscripts/PMB1359.PDF.

Provenance: Donor/Lender/Vendor - Purchase, PMB, 2011