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--4CLVALTAIMOS
Registered at the G.P.O., Perth, for transmission by post as a newspaper.
Official organ of the Arch-
dioeese of Perth.
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Established 1874.
NO. 2,445.
v.
PHONE BA2837 (2. Linea)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1949
450 Hay Street, Perth. Box A36, G P 0.
Price Threepence
Seventy-sixth Year.
Long Missionary Career Closed Bishop Gsell Retires
A
s
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us and helped to start the mis- was abandoned by tile staff, and sion without trouble. the authorities requested Father "With missionary work among Henschke to see whether some the natives in the centre of Aus- nuns could be brought from tralia, we tried in a small way down south to look after the for a while at Alice Springs. lepers. Father Henschke sucThen more natives came, and ceeded, and to -day, in spite of BATHURST ISLAND After forty-three years' ser- will be able to build on this "I had been called upon by the the Government requested us to difficulties, the leper station, vice in the Northern Terri- foundation, which has taken settle the natives on the land at though not a perfect place, is Holy See to come to Darwin and tory, His Lordship Bishop F, X. many years to lay down. "When I came to Darwin there carry on the work. I turned my Arltunga. To -day at Arltunga neverthless a place far above Gsell, until recently Bishop of is a nice little station what it was at the beginning. the Northern Territory diocese, was hardly a white man-there mind towards the blacks, re- there the natives are only too So, as you see, something has left Darwin on Tuesday, 18th were many Chinese, Japanese, membering that mission work where happy to follow the guidance 'I scattered the seeds in tears, October, to go into retirement in Malays, blacks-but very few had been tried on the mainland and direction of the mission- been done during this 40 years. whites. There was a tiny little and had failed on account of too New South Wales. but I gathered the fruits in Well known throughout the church, lost in the bush-you much interference. I looked for aries. HALF-CASTES joys.' " length and breadth of the Ter- could hardly see it-far away a place where there would be a "There was one difficulty, as a mission of and I was told possibility of starting from the town, ritory, Bishop Gsell, 77 years age, is a native of Alsace. He to 'sit down' there and start not too much in contact with the we know in the Territory-the NOT SO DUMB, half-caste children, Somecame to Australia in 1897 as a work. It took some courage to whites, and I thought of Bathurst many Island, and through the help of thing should be done with them. The lettet "h" is usually meant young priest and three years It's wrong to Mr. Denny, I was given land at We tried here in Darwin and to be sounded. later was sent to New Guinea. In Bathurst Island to start a mis- failed-tried at Bathurst Island say "Not 'arf.' You might get 1906 he was appointed Adrninis_ and failed. They should have an the whole amount, £3,000, if sion. trator Apostolic of what was "When I arrived at Bathurst institution of their own,' so 'Ike you buy the lucky ticket in the then the Diocese of Victoria and started an institution at Garden No. 514 Charities Consultation. Island, I found that the buffalo Palmerston (Palmerston was the hunters were lulling the black - Point, Melville Island, with 50 old name for Darwin), and took fellows and catching their wives. children of the Northern Terrup residence here. and Published by I found natives on Bathurst tory, and the results have been Printed In 1911, Father Gsell opened Keith Francis Spruhan, at Island with 0.303 rifles which remarkable. the Catholic Mission on Bathurst "Finally, during the war, the "The Record" Office, 450 Hay they had taken from the buffalo He was consecrated Island. Street, Perth. hunters. My first task was to leper station on Channel Island Bishop in 1938. return these rifles to the owners, On the eve of his departure and, of course, under such confor Alice Springs en route to ditions and provisions that the Sydney, Bishop Gsell celebrated Pontifical Benediction in St. shooting of blackfellows came to an end. The blacks realised Mary's Star of the Sea Church, straight away that by the preDarwin. Served by four of his sence of the missionary they beloved natives with a choir of schoolchildren, the parting cere- 'sit down' and remain there. I were protected against buffalo mony was beautiful and deeply sat down and waited-and with hunters, and thus, ever since, moving. His Lordship then pass- patience, things started to grow when the blacks were difficult, I told them: ' Well, my dear ed through the church bestow- and to develop. people, it is up to you, If you ing a final blessing on the large wish that I leave the place, I will congregation. TURNED TO BLACKS leave, but somebody will come Following Pontifical Benedicbrothers priests and "Some tion, a farewell concert was pre- came to help me, and as soon back, and that will be the buffalo sented by the schoolchildren and as the convent was built, five hunters !' That was enough. other Darwin artists before a Sisters came to help us in school COMMUNISTS large crowd of people gathered work. Once Darwin was estab"The fact that the presence of to offer good wishes to Bishop lished as an ordinary parish, it protected the lives the missions Gsell, came' to my mind that I had BISHOP'S FAREWELL come to the Northern Territory of these poor natives was a Speaking in farewell, Bishop not so much for the whites as means sent by Divine Providence for blacks. I had been in New to help the missions in the first Gsell said: "When I came to the Northern Guinea as a missionary, and my years with all their difficulties, Territory it was what they.called superiors had told me that here There were many difficulties. 'an unknown world.' Before I in Darwin there were many The poor natives are hunters. left ydney to come up here, they blacks, and they required a mis- They are true communists. Not told me I wouldn't stay long. sionary. So, after having estab- like the communists we have 'Either you will die,' they said, lished the parish, I turned my here. For them, everything is common. No one of them owns 'or you will return by the first mind towards the blacks, boat.' Fortunately they were "The Jesuit Fathers had been a square inch of property. When bad prophets, and in spite of the here for many years at Rapid the missionary started with the bad climate, I have lived Creek, but Rapid Creek was too garden they said: 'The garden through, and though I am old, I near Darwin, and the blacks and belongs to us as well as to you, am still alive and I look back on the whites did not agree, so the and therefore we have a right to my life in the Northern Treri- station moved to Daly River and help ourselves in your garden.' tory with certain joys and cer- there they asnlained for twenty I said: 'I beg your pardon !' They tain pride. years, Finally a copper mine knew that they must not help "To -day, when I am on the started at Daly River-a flood themselves, but very often they eve of leaving, I can look back came along, and with the influ- did. Since the early part of this year our Buyer has been "The great work of the miswith satisfaction on my living en of these miners and the deabroad in the interests of his Company and the Shopmemories, and those who are strtsction caused by the floods, sion has been to concentrate on ping Public. . Almost every manufacturing centre the native children. It- is imcalled upon to carry on the work the poor Jesuits retired, in England has been visited, also Belfast, Paris, and much old possible to do with the Lyons, in France, Milan and Como, in Italy. . You'll natives, brought up in the bush find Manchester Goods, Household Linen, and Furnishin native customs and cultureings from England, Belfast and Italy. . . Carpets from if you can call ft a culture. The 1950. leading English makers, Crockery from England only thing you can do in the end The biggest yardage of Silks and Cotton Dress Goods is just to tame them down a seen in Perth for years from France, England and Italy. little bit. But with the children . . Ladies' Exclusive Models from London and Paris; it is different, At Bathurst Men's wear from London. . Our best efforts go into Island you will see little children their keen pricing and exhibition, . running around, happy and glorious, and in these children we hope that the native race will not only remain but will inThis Popular Series gives the Feast for every day in the year. crease. One month of each page with opposite page blank for Memos., etc. Handy size for pocket, Prayer Book or Missal. MILLS OF GOD "The work started at Bathurst A new Series of Full Colour Cover Designs.
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Island spread later to Port Keats, where perhaps the difficulties were even greater, but Provid-
ence again came to our aid. "Many years ago, a white man was killed by the natives. Three or four were brought to Darwin by the police, where they served 20 years in gaol. During these 20 years they became civilised. Port Keats was ready to startbut how could we explain to the natives that we had come to help them? Then one of the murderers who had passed 20 years in gaol offered to come and help us, as he said he could not start a new Life in the bush. So Providence sent this old man, who stood by
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