A. Harold Wood
Encyclopedia
Rev. Dr A. Harold Wood OBE
(1896–1989) was a 20th-century Australian churchman, educator, writer, hymnologist and advocate of church union.
Born Alfred Harold Wood in Geelong on 4 May 1896, the son of Salvation Army
officers, Wood was educated in Sydney. He initially qualified as a barrister in Victoria.
Converting to Methodism, Wood was ordained a Methodist minister in 1924, and left immediately to a missionary appointment in the Kingdom of Tonga
, where he was Principal of Free Wesleyan boys' boarding school Tupou College
. Under his leadership, the school moved from Nuku'alofa to Nafualu and grew from 30 students to almost 400, becoming the biggest school in the country. At Wood's instigation, scholarships were offered by the Tongan government to able students to further their education in Australia
, or go to Fiji
for medical training. Wood learned the Tongan language fluently and wrote (English-language) books on Tongan history and geography which, in the 2000s, are still used as secondary school textbooks. Wood was also responsible for the training in Tonga of candidates for church ministry. In their 13 years in the Pacific nation, Haloti 'Uti (Harold Wood) and his wife, Olife (Olive), developed a special fondness and love for the people and the country. Early on, he supported Queen Salote with legal advice in her work to reconcile two Methodist factions and became well acquainted with and respected by the Royal Family
and others.
Returning to Australia in 1937, Wood became Principal of Methodist Ladies' College
in Kew, Victoria
from 1939 until his retirement in 1966. From 1966 to 1977 he served as a parish minister at Deepdene Methodist (now Uniting) Church in Melbourne, which he caused to be renamed St Paul's.
Wood attained a doctorate of Divinity in 1947, with a dissertation on church union (published as Unity Without Uniformity). He was President of the Methodist Church of Victoria and Tasmania in 1952-53 and President-General of the Methodist Church of Australasia 1957-60 (all while principal of MLC). An ardent advocate of church union, he lived to see the formation of the Uniting Church in Australia
in 1977.
A renowned orator, Wood preached at least twice most Sundays and his sermons were frequently reported in the press. He was a regular at Speakers' Corner on the Yarra River, and a keynote speaker at the first National Christian Youth Convention
, held in 1955. A vocal opponent of nuclear weapons, the Vietnam War
and the White Australia policy
, he was under ASIO
surveillance from 1954 to 1972. Progressive in his day, he was never, however, a Communist.
An accomplished pianist, Wood chaired the ecumenical committee to produce the ecumenical Australian Hymn Book
(elsewhere titled With One Voice) published in 1977 (ISBN 1-86371-150-3).
Wood married North Shore medical doctor Olive K. O'Reilly in 1924. They had six children, all born in Tonga. After Olive's death in 1976, he married Dora Walker (1920- ). His youngest daughter, Monica Wood, better known by her stage-name Monica Maughan
, was an actor for over 50 years. His younger son, Rev. Dr H. D'Arcy Wood
was President of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church between 1991-94.
A.H. Wood died in Melbourne in 1989, aged 93.
He has been honoured:
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1896–1989) was a 20th-century Australian churchman, educator, writer, hymnologist and advocate of church union.
Born Alfred Harold Wood in Geelong on 4 May 1896, the son of Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
officers, Wood was educated in Sydney. He initially qualified as a barrister in Victoria.
Converting to Methodism, Wood was ordained a Methodist minister in 1924, and left immediately to a missionary appointment in the Kingdom of Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, where he was Principal of Free Wesleyan boys' boarding school Tupou College
Tupou College
Tupou College is a Methodist boys' secondary boarding school in Toloa on the island of Tongatapu, Tonga.It is located on the Eastern District of Tongatapu near the village of Malapo. The school is owned by the Free Weslyan Church of Tonga. Established in 1866 by James Egan Moulton, it claims to be...
. Under his leadership, the school moved from Nuku'alofa to Nafualu and grew from 30 students to almost 400, becoming the biggest school in the country. At Wood's instigation, scholarships were offered by the Tongan government to able students to further their education in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, or go to Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
for medical training. Wood learned the Tongan language fluently and wrote (English-language) books on Tongan history and geography which, in the 2000s, are still used as secondary school textbooks. Wood was also responsible for the training in Tonga of candidates for church ministry. In their 13 years in the Pacific nation, Haloti 'Uti (Harold Wood) and his wife, Olife (Olive), developed a special fondness and love for the people and the country. Early on, he supported Queen Salote with legal advice in her work to reconcile two Methodist factions and became well acquainted with and respected by the Royal Family
Politics of Tonga
Politics of Tonga takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the King has the executive power. Tonga's Prime Minister is currently appointed by the King...
and others.
Returning to Australia in 1937, Wood became Principal of Methodist Ladies' College
Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne
Methodist Ladies' College is an independent, non-selective, day and boarding school for girls, located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
in Kew, Victoria
Kew, Victoria
Kew is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Kew had a population of 22,516....
from 1939 until his retirement in 1966. From 1966 to 1977 he served as a parish minister at Deepdene Methodist (now Uniting) Church in Melbourne, which he caused to be renamed St Paul's.
Wood attained a doctorate of Divinity in 1947, with a dissertation on church union (published as Unity Without Uniformity). He was President of the Methodist Church of Victoria and Tasmania in 1952-53 and President-General of the Methodist Church of Australasia 1957-60 (all while principal of MLC). An ardent advocate of church union, he lived to see the formation of the Uniting Church in Australia
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
in 1977.
A renowned orator, Wood preached at least twice most Sundays and his sermons were frequently reported in the press. He was a regular at Speakers' Corner on the Yarra River, and a keynote speaker at the first National Christian Youth Convention
National Christian Youth Convention
The National Christian Youth Convention is a national week long conference for people aged 16-30 years held by the Uniting Church in Australia every second January. It is held in a different Australian city each time in the long summer school and university holidays. It attracts over 1,500...
, held in 1955. A vocal opponent of nuclear weapons, the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and the White Australia policy
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
, he was under ASIO
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is Australia's national security service, which is responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically-motivated violence, attacks on the Australian defence system, and...
surveillance from 1954 to 1972. Progressive in his day, he was never, however, a Communist.
An accomplished pianist, Wood chaired the ecumenical committee to produce the ecumenical Australian Hymn Book
Australian Hymn Book
The Australian Hymn Book was published in 1977, and was the culmination of almost ten year's work by an ecumenical committee, chaired by A. Harold Wood, intent on producing a new, contemporary and inclusive hymn book that could be used in worship by the varied Christian congregations across...
(elsewhere titled With One Voice) published in 1977 (ISBN 1-86371-150-3).
Wood married North Shore medical doctor Olive K. O'Reilly in 1924. They had six children, all born in Tonga. After Olive's death in 1976, he married Dora Walker (1920- ). His youngest daughter, Monica Wood, better known by her stage-name Monica Maughan
Monica Maughan
Monica Maughan was an Australian actor with notable and well-known roles in film, theatre, radio and television.-Early life and education:...
, was an actor for over 50 years. His younger son, Rev. Dr H. D'Arcy Wood
H. D'Arcy Wood
Reverend Dr Harold D'Arcy Wood is a semi-retired Uniting Church in Australia Minister and was President of the UCA Assembly between 1991-94. He has been active in ecumenism in Australia and globally....
was President of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church between 1991-94.
A.H. Wood died in Melbourne in 1989, aged 93.
He has been honoured:
- the mainly Tongan congregation in Auburn, New South WalesAuburn, New South WalesAuburn is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Auburn is located 19 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Auburn Council.-History:...
named their church after him - Harold Wood Auburn Uniting Church. - Lindsay FalveyLindsay FalveyJohn Lindsay Falvey known as Lindsay Falvey, is an author who writes on topics concerning agricultural science and philosophy, religion, international development and more lately spiritual development...
dedicated the book Religion and Agriculture: Sustainability in Christianity and Buddhism ISBN 0-9751000-2-5 to him - Noel Jackling wrote Dancing to Damnation? Harold Wood and John Woodhouse in the fight to lift the ban on dancing on Methodist Church property (Uniting Church Historical Society, Melbourne 2009)
Publications
- History and geography of Tonga", (1943), Auckland. By Authority.
- Church Unity Without Uniformity: A Study of Seventeenth-Century English Church Movements and of Richard Baxter's Proposals for a Comprehensive Church, (1963), London. The Epworth Press.
- Overseas Missions of the Australian Methodist Church. Volume One: Tonga and Samoa, (1975), Melbourne. Aldersgate Press
- Overseas Missions of the Australian Methodist Church. Volume Two: Fiji, (1978), Melbourne. Aldersgate Press
- Overseas Missions of the Australian Methodist Church. Volume Three: Fiji-Indian and Rotuma, (1978), Melbourne. Aldersgate Press
- Overseas Missions of the Australian Methodist Church. Volume Four: North India (Lucknow-Banaras District), (1980), Melbourne. Aldersgate Press
- with Margaret Reeson. Overseas Missions of the Australian Methodist Church Volume Five.: Papua New Guinea Highlands: A Bridge is Built: A Story of the United Church in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, (1987), Sydney. Uniting Church Commission for Mission