Author: Ian Hyndman. Published June 2013, 131 A4 pages with a soft cover.
Ian Hyndman’s long association with Christadelphians in Victoria and his tenacity in assembling and making order of facts from many sources has produced a fascinating insight into the formation of Christadelphian ecclesias during very challenging times in the early history of Australia. This book will have wide appeal to those who know the area or had friends or relatives who settled there or are interested in how the truth took root in a far part of the British Empire. Genealogists will find a rich source of very detailed information.
Ecclesial development in Victoria in the 19th century was wide-spread in country areas. There were Christadelphian brethren and sisters in country Victoria five years before the first ecclesia was established in Melbourne. The first country brethren and sisters (and first ecclesia) emerged at Beechworth in 1872. Several baptisms took place in Warrnambool (1873 and 1876) which led to the spread of Christadelphians to Central Gippsland by 1878.
Gradually, Christadelphians spread to other areas of country Victoria, such as West Gippsland, South Gippsland, other areas of Western Northern and Central Victoria, and the mountains and valleys of North-Eastern Victoria.
The book also includes a section on Bro. John Coghill who was the first Christadelphian to arrive in Victoria, and possibly the first in Australia. Bro. Coghill became a Christadelphian after hearing Bro. John Thomas lecture in 1848 in Scotland. He arrived in Melbourne in 1852.
The book has many photographs of these early Christadelphians.