ReverendWilliamColley.WilliamColleywasbornin1828inthelittlevillageofStrensallnearYorkinYorkshire.HewasthesixthofninechildrenborntoJohnandMaryColleyandhewasbaptisedinthelocalchurch.The1841CensusgiveshisfatherasaLock-keeperandthe1851Censusasanagriculturallabourer.The1841CensusalsoshowsWilliam,thenaged13,asaTileMaker.

StrensallVillage

StrensallhadaverystrongMethodistpresencewithasmallchapelbeingerectedin1823andatsomepointduringthe1840s,WilliamcameundertheinfluenceofthePrimitiveMethodistsandgavehislifeovertotheserviceoftheChurch.

OldMethodistChapel,Strensall

Hewassooncalledtobecomealocalpreacherandbecauseofhis“usefulness”hewasaskedtobecomeamemberoftheregularClergy.

HetravelledtoLondonwherehewasordainedin1850andbeganhislaboursintheLondonCircuit.In1851hewasappointedtotheSaffronWaldenCircuitinEssexandin1853theScotterCircuitwhichtakesitsnamefromalittlevillagenearScunthorpeinLincolnshire.HislastEnglishpostingin1854wastotheDoncasterCircuitinhisnativeYorkshire.Duringhistravelsandsometimebeforemid1854hemetayounggovernessnamedAugustaKingRushbrook.ShewasborninCambridge,Cambridgeshire,in1830toFrederickHenryandHarrietWilson(neeKing)Rushbrookandtheyweremarriedonthe13thJune,1854atSt.EdwardsChurch,Cambridge,(picturedbelow)aChurchwhichhasalongevangelicalhistorydatingbacktotheReformation).

WilliamwasaskedbytheMissionaryCommitteeofthePrimitiveMethodistChurchtotraveltoNewSouthWalestoundertakeworkonbehalfoftheChurchintheColonyandheandAugustasailedfromLondoninthe“JacobRoggeveen”inApril,1855andarrivedinSydneyonthe30thJuly,1855.

ThisshippinglistfromtheJacobRoggeveenin1855showsMr.andMrs.ColleyasCabinPassengers.

WilliamandAugusta’sarrivalonJuly30thwasrecordedintheSydneyMorningHeraldonJuly31st,1854

MorningHeraldarrivalnotice

WilliamwasimmediatelydespatchedtoMorpeth,atownontheHunterRiver,whichhadbecomeimportantasashippingpointforthelocalarea.APrimitiveMethodistChurchhadbeenopenedintheHighStreetinMarch1855andby1856theMaitlandMercurydescribeditasa“buildingofpubliccharacter”tobeadmired.AsourceofhappinessforWilliamandAugustamusthavecomeinOctoberof1855whenAugusta’syoungerbrother,FrederickHenryRushbrook,aveteranoftheCrimeanWar,arrivedinthecolony.(HemarriedandbecamethepartriarchofalargefamilystilllivingintheTamworthregionofN.S.W.)In1856Augusta’soldersister,FredericaRushbrook,arrived,butsadlydrownedintheHunterRiverin1857.

WhenMorpethwasbypassedbythenewrailwaysystemitlostimportanceasaportandWilliamwascalledtoopenamissioninGoulburnin1856wherehisandAugusta’sfirstchild,adaughter,MaryLouisa,wasbornin1857followedtwoyearslaterbyaseconddaughter,HarrietJane.MarywasnodoubtnamedforWilliam’smother,MaryColley,andHarrietforAugusta’smother,Harriet(neeKing)Rushbrook.

Localhistorian,KevinBush,notesthatsoonafterhisarrivalinGoulburnMr.andMrs.JohnWaterswhowereresidinginJerrawa(Greendale)andworshippingwiththeWesleyans,invitedReverendColleytovisit.Regularservices(probablyintheirhome)werecommencedthereafterandsoona“humbleplaceofworship”wasestablishedbeforethebuildingofaPrimitiveMethodistChurchin1862.ReverendColleyoversawthebuildingoftheLagoonStreetChurchinGoulburnwhosefoundationstonewaslaidSeptember,1858.

ReportfromGoulburnPost

TheReturnsoftheColonyfor1857showthatWilliamwasservinginGoulburnand“sixotherplaces”.

TheQueenslanderreportedWilliamwashighlythoughtofwhereverhewentandgivenpleasingTestimonialswhenhemovedontohisnextstation.HeislistedbythePioneersoftheMonaroasservingGoulburnin1859.

AfterabriefreturntoMorpethin1860WilliamwascalledupontoservetheChurchinBrisbaneandheislistedinEcclesiasticalReturnsashavingresponsibilityforthreeChurches:WindmillStreet,FortitudeValley,BulimbaandCreekStreet,Brisbane.WhileservinginBrisbane,WilliamandAugustawereblessedwithtwomoredaughters,SarahBrisbaneColley,bornin1861andAugustaBrisbaneColley,bornin1863theirnamescelebratingtheirbirthplace.

HavingopenedastationinBrisbane,hemovedontoRockhampton,furthertothenorthandtheCentralQueenslandFamilyHistoryAssociationreportsthat“ReverendColleyvisitedRockhamptonattherequestofReverenedMilesMossandpreachedinanemptystoreoppositethePostOffice.ThiswastheinstallionofMethodismandonOctober3rd,1863Mr.Colleytookchargeofthework.”AsitewaspurchasedandaChurchopenedonJanuary17th,1864.

PrimitiveMethodistChurch,Rockhampton.

AccordingtotheQueenslanderNewspaperhewasthe“meansoferectingthreechapelsintheprovince”beforehishealthwasadverselyaffectedbyexcessiveheatandlaterintheyearReverendColleywasfarewelledfromRockhamptonafterreceivinga“flatteringpresentation”andhejourneyedtoNewZealandtotakeupapositioninAuckland.

ReverendColleyservedinAucklandin1864and1865.In“MowCoptoAiredaleStreet”D.PhillippsobservesthatWilliamconductedfortnightlyworshipattheWhauinwestAucklandandoversawtheconstructionofanewSundaySchoolRoomatEdwardesStreetthenearlyin1865achurchwasbuiltinFreeman’sBay.Allofthiswasaccomplishedwiththehelpofasubstantialgroupoflayleaders.William’sministrywascutshortbyill-healthandhewasadvisedtoleavethecolonyandreturntoNewSouthWales.AsourceofjoyduringtheirtimeinAucklandwasthebirthofWilliamandAugusta’sson.

By1867hewasservingintheNewcastleregionofNewSouthWalesandin1869wasappointedtoKooringainthemid-northofSouthAustraliawhereforovertwoyearsheservedtheminerswhowereenduringaverydifficulttimeduetotheclosingofcoppermines.

Kooringa(Burra)P.M.Church

In1869WilliamandAugustawelcomedasecondson,RichardErnest,intotheirgrowingfamily.

ReverendColleywasgrantedlicencetoperformmarriagesintheProvinceofSouthAustraliain1869.

1869GovernmentGazetteNotice

andinFebruary,1870,herepresentedtheKooringaCircuitattheAnnualDistrictMeetingofthePrimitiveMethodistChurchinNorthAdelaide.HeisrecordedashavingdeliveredanumberofsermonsinanaccountofthemeetingintheSouthAustralianAdvertiseron8thFebruary,1870.

Tragedystrucktheyoungfamilyonthe31stMarch,1870whenfiveyearoldWilliamRushbrookColleydiedfromCroupprecededbyDiphtheria.ThiswasfollowedbyRichardErnest’sdeathon22ndApril,twodaysafterhisfirstbirthday,leavingthebereavedparents“ofthosedearlittleboys”indeepgrief.

Thedistraughtparentsrequested“aninterestinprayers”ontheirbehalfinthedeathnoticesoftheirsons.

InSeptemberofthesameyearsomejoycameinthebirthofWilliamandAugusta’sdaughter,ElizabethRushbrookColley,whowastobetheirlastchild.

Inearly1871,WilliamwascalledtotheSecondAdelaideCircuitandthefamilytookupresidenceintheManseinWellingtonSquare,NorthAdelaide.

OldP.M.ChapelinWellingtonSquare

StrickenbyConsumption,hishealthwasfailing,buthecontinuedhisworkuntillateJunewhenhecouldnolongergoonwithhismission.Afterasteadydecline,hediedon21stSeptember,1871,inhis44thyear,inthemanseinWellingtonSquare,NorthAdelaideandanaccountofhisfuneralwaspublishedintheAdvertisernewspaper.

HewasburiedintheIslingtonPrimitiveMethodistCemeterywhichisnowapartoftheDudleyParkCemetery.ObituarieswerepublishedintheSouthAustraliannewspapersandintheQueenslanderwherehewasfondlyremembered.AnObituarybyJ.StuartWaylandwasincludedintheMinutesofthe1872PrimitiveMethodistConference.HislifewhichhadbeencharacterisedbygreatenergyandpurposewasendedprematurelybyConsumption.

AugustaandherfivedaughtersagedfromonetofourteenyearsreturnedtoKooringa.Thegirlslatermarriedandhadchildrenoftheirown(thegrandchildrenWilliamwouldneverknow)andAugustadiedinOrroroointheKooringadistrictinApril,1906andwasburiedintheCemeterythere.ShewaslargelyanunsungheroineofthestoryhavingtravelledtotheothersideoftheworldfromhernativeCambridgeandbornechildrenineachofthedistrictsherhusbandservedinthecolonies.

Augusta’sHeadstone

TherewerenosurvivingmalechildrentocarryontheColleynamebutmanyofthegrandchildrenandtheirdescendantsweregiventheColleynameamongsttheirChristiannames.WilliamwouldhavebeenproudofhisdescendantsincludinggrandsonswhoservedontheothersideofworldinWorldWarOne(AlbertWilliamColleyPollardandHaroldWilliamColleyPollard).FrankColleyDarbywouldhavebroughtprideandjoyasheisreportedinthePortPirieRecorderin1904asbeing“theyoungestpersonintheCommonwealthappointedtothepositionofPipeOrganist”,apostwhichheheldfromtheageofthirteenyearsattheMoontaMinesMethodistChurchintheKooringadistrict.

William’slifewasoneofservicetohisGodandhisChurchandheaccomplishedmuchinarelativelyshorttime.Whereverhewent,ChapelsandSundaySchoolsspranguprapidlyandhisobituariesrecordtheaffectionandrespectheldforhimandtheworkhedid.AsFitzroyreflectsinhisarticle“Rockhampton’sEarlyClergy”:“Rockhampton,aswellasotherdistrictsofQueensland,owesmuchtothecourage,earnestnessandself-sacrificeofthoseclergyofalldenominationswhowerecalledtofacetherigoursofahotanddryclimatewithotherdisadvantagesofwhichbutlittlewasthenunderstood,inorderthattheGospeltidingsshouldbespreadamongthosepioneerswhohadpenetratedintoanewcountrytobettertheirfortuneandestablishthemselvesinlife…Itwilleasilyberecognisedthatwhatwasneededwasmenofalmostspecialqualifications…whowerebelovedandrespectednotonlybytheirownspecialflocks,butbythecommunityatlarge.”