Reverend McKee

Reverend William McKee packed a lot into his short life. He was Campbelltown's second Presbyterian minister, succeeding Reverend Hugh Gilchrist at St David's in 1852. Like his Ulsterman predecessor, Rev. McKee worked tirelessly in undertaking his pastoral duties for the town and surrounding areas. It was unforeseen circumstances however that lead to his premature demise.

The Rev. William McKee was born in 1821 and educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institute. In 1848, with his wife Frances, he sailed for Australia, arriving at Port Phillip on 6 October 1848. He arrived in Sydney the following year after an offer of a vacancy at St Andrew's at Port Macquarie. Reverend McKee was then called to Campbelltown and inducted into St. David's on 18 May 1853.

Rev. McKee's pastoral duties were arduous. He travelled extensively throughout the district from Liverpool, Appin, Camden, Picton, Bargo and beyond. He appears to have carried out his duties to the satisfaction of his congregations which, after 1858, included railway workers and station staff. The railway to Campbelltown brought many benefits. One such benefit was the introduction of tea meetings, with St. David's holding its first in December 1864. Many noted Sydney ministers attended as Guest Speakers. Large amounts of attendees would enjoy tea before crowding the church to hear the speakers talk.

Rev. McKee proved to be a forward looking style of minister. He introduced church music and mixed choirs to services. The singing of hymns had been a contentious issue up until this time and St. David's was viewed as displaying an extremely progressive attitude. Adding further to the reverend's and St. David's reputation was the holding of a four hour session in which over 300 people attended speeches made by prominent members of the church, including an Indian minister and a pioneer missionary to the Aborigines.

William's family was growing and so were his financial problems. A number of mortgages were negotiated by the Reverend during the late 1850s. With these financial debts the strain began to affect McKee. In 1866 a special meeting was called by the Presbytery Moderator. The reason behind this was that William was seen on Liverpool Junction Railway Station under the influence of alcohol. He gave the church his solemn promise to abstain. However the following year the Presbytery called a further meeting and in June that year the church and ministerial charge of Campbelltown was declared vacant. Rev. McKee had a serious alcohol problem. He was suspended from all ministerial functions and he made no appeal against this. He spent the next twelve months under the Rev. Geike in Bathurst. He was then recommended to be reinstated to his duties at Campbelltown.

Two months later Rev. William McKee died on 18 December 1868, aged only 47. He is buried in Campbelltown's Presbyterian Cemetery with his infant sons, Emmerson, William Livingstone and Alexander Rae.

 

Reverend McKee's grave in the Presbyterian Cemetery

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

HOLMES, Marie
The Presbyterian Cemetery Campbelltown

Luckett, Robina 1992
Take up the Torch- The History of St. David's Presbyterian Church Campbelltown
Fast Books: Glebe

"Honest John"

The Kidd family at Blair Athol in the 1890s. John Kidd is on the right. (Photo courtesy Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society).


John Kidd was born at Brechin, in Scotland, in 1838, the son of a shoemaker. At the age of 18 he migrated to Sydney on the Mary Anne and established a bakery. In 1860, three years after arriving in the colony, he married Sophie Collier and moved to Campbelltown. Here he established a bakery and general store which he ran from 1860 to 1876.

John soon developed a reputation for honesty which was to last for the rest of his life. It won him many customers for his businesses and later was enough to be asked to run as a candidate for the Legislative Assembly of the NSW Parliament. He became known as "Honest John" in the Campbelltown community.

John was prominent in the Presbyterian Church and later became an elder. He was also involved in the local School of Arts. In 1870 he was appointed a magistrate and served as a chairman of the local licensing branch. He was a foundation member for the Masonic Lodge in Campbelltown and became the first Patron of the Campbelltown Agricultural Society.

After he returned in 1877 from a trip to Scotland, John took up dairying and began to breed Ayrshire cattle. He bought land at St Andrews and Campbellfields to graze the cattle on and by 1900 was one of the largest rate payers in the municipality. He also planted orchards and vineyards on the land.

John Kidd was elected to the seat of Nepean in 1880. In 1901 he was re-elected to the new seat of Camden until his retirement in 1904. John was a strong supporter of Federation and Free Trade.

He was a member for the steering committee to form a new council for Campbelltown and saw the first council incorporated in 1881. He was also asked by the NSW Premier to be Postmaster General in 1891. Kidd also owned the Campbelltown Herald in 1887.

"Honest John" and his family owned Blair Athol homestead built in 1881. They entertained extensively and their home was one of only very few in the district that had a ballroom. The house still stands in the Campbelltown suburb of the same name.

John continued to supervise his farms after his retirement from parliament in 1904 until his death at 81 years of age. Australia's first Prime Minister Edmund Barton said "I always found him to be a loyal colleague and a strictly upright public man". He died on April 8 1919 and was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Campbelltown. John and Sophie had 4 children: Thomas Collier; Jessie Maud; Mary Elizabeth and Frederick Norman John Kidd.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Pamphlet by A. Robinson of Leumeah High School

HOLMES, Marie
The Presbyterian Cemetery Campbelltown

Friends of The Manse

The Presbyterian Manse at 32 Lithgow Street, Campbelltown has been home to Macarthur Diversity Services Initiative (MDSI) since 2008. The building is in urgent need of repairs and the costs for this far exceed the financial resources the MDSI can afford. In June this year MDSI established Friends of The Manse to help and maintain the heritage listed aged care facility. Although repairs and maintenance have been carried out by MDSI, The Manse still requires much more conservation work to be done. You can help by becoming a member and receiving a regular newsletter. Membership is open to individuals and organisations. The aim is to have 200 members by December 2014. More information can be obtained by contacting 4627 1188 or by emailing maureen@mdsi.org.au

The Manse was built in 1882. It's a grand two storey building next to the Presbyteran Church in Lithgow Street.

Unidentified people on the verandah of The Manse around 1900.


Written by Andrew Allen