William Henry Fitchett
Encyclopedia
William Henry Fitchett was an Australia
n journalist, minister, newspaper editor, educator and founding president of the Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne
.
, Lincolnshire
, England
, third son of William Fitchett, a perfumer, hairdresser, clog and Patten
-maker, toy-dealer and Wesleyan preacher. He came with his parents to Australia in 1854, his father died in 1851. Fitchett first worked in a quarry near Geelong, then became a jackaroo
on a station in Queensland
, and largely self-educated, entered the Methodist
ministry in 1866.
, and for 16 years he was a circuit minister at Echuca, Bendigo, South Yarra and Hawthorn
. He continued his studies after entering the ministry and in 1876 took the degree of B.A. at the University of Melbourne
. In 1878 he moved and carried a resolution at the Methodist conference that a committee should be appointed to seriously consider the question of starting a secondary school which would do for girls what Wesley College
was doing for boys. Nothing was done at the time but in the following year he became secretary of a new committee which, after three years work, succeeded in starting the Methodist Ladies' College at Hawthorn. The financial difficulties were great but they were overcome, Fitchett became the first principal and held the position for 46 years. Under his guidance it developed into one of the largest and most successful girls' schools in Australia.
(Melbourne
) under the title of Deeds that Won the Empire. They were collected and published in book form in Melbourne in 1896 and by Smith Elder and Company, London, in 1897. The book eventually ran into 35 editions and about 250,000 copies were sold. Similar volumes followed in steady succession:
Fitchett also produced three volumes of fiction:
Also four books on religion:
Other literary work included the editorships of the Australasian Review of Reviews, and of Life, a popular magazine first appearing in 1904.
These activities were not allowed to interfere with Fitchett's life work. First and foremost he was Principal of a great school for girls steadily expanding, with problems continually arising which required his careful attention. His writing was done in the early hours of the day much of it before breakfast, and the Methodist Church as a whole called for much interest and thought. Towards the end of the nineteenth century it was split into five sections and many efforts were made to bring a union of them about. In 1895 Fitchett, as President of the conference of 1895, organized a public demonstration in favour of the union. The question came up again at successive yearly conferences, but it was difficult to obtain the requisite two-thirds majority. In 1898 union was decided upon, the necessary Act of Parliament was passed, and at the conference of 1902 the union was accomplished and Fitchett was elected the first President of the united church. Another of his interests was the State Library of Victoria
of which he was a trustee for 35 years.
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...
n journalist, minister, newspaper editor, educator and founding president of the Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne
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...
.
Early life
Fitchett was born in GranthamGrantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, third son of William Fitchett, a perfumer, hairdresser, clog and Patten
Patten (shoe)
Pattens are protective overshoes worn in Europe from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century. Pattens were worn outdoors over a normal shoe, held in place by leather or cloth bands, with a wooden or later wood and metal sole...
-maker, toy-dealer and Wesleyan preacher. He came with his parents to Australia in 1854, his father died in 1851. Fitchett first worked in a quarry near Geelong, then became a jackaroo
Jackaroo (trainee)
A Jackaroo is a young man working on a sheep or cattle station, to gain practical experience in the skills needed to become an owner, overseer, manager, etc. The word originated in Queensland, Australia in the Nineteenth Century and is still in use in Australia and New Zealand in the twenty-first...
on a station in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and largely self-educated, entered the Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
ministry in 1866.
Minister and educator
Fitchett's first parish was at Mortlake, VictoriaMortlake, Victoria
Mortlake is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia on the Hamilton Highway, north-east of Warrnambool. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area and the federal Division of Wannon...
, and for 16 years he was a circuit minister at Echuca, Bendigo, South Yarra and Hawthorn
Hawthorn, Victoria
Hawthorn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
. He continued his studies after entering the ministry and in 1876 took the degree of B.A. at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. In 1878 he moved and carried a resolution at the Methodist conference that a committee should be appointed to seriously consider the question of starting a secondary school which would do for girls what Wesley College
Wesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne is an independent, co-educational, Christian day school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is a school of the Uniting Church in Australia. Wesley is the largest school in Australia by enrolment, with 3,511 students and 564 full-time staff...
was doing for boys. Nothing was done at the time but in the following year he became secretary of a new committee which, after three years work, succeeded in starting the Methodist Ladies' College at Hawthorn. The financial difficulties were great but they were overcome, Fitchett became the first principal and held the position for 46 years. Under his guidance it developed into one of the largest and most successful girls' schools in Australia.
Literary career
Fitchett at this time had already entered journalism having during the seventies, contributed a regular column to the Spectator, the Methodist church paper, signed XYZ. Some time later he became editor of the Southern Cross, a Sunday magazine for the home, and held this position until his death, a period of over 40 years. Articles by him appeared in its pages a month before he died. But what brought him really before the general public was a series of articles which were published in The ArgusThe Argus (Australia)
The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
(Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
) under the title of Deeds that Won the Empire. They were collected and published in book form in Melbourne in 1896 and by Smith Elder and Company, London, in 1897. The book eventually ran into 35 editions and about 250,000 copies were sold. Similar volumes followed in steady succession:
- Wellington's Men (1900)
- The Tale of the Great Mutiny (1901)
- Nelson and his Captains (1902)
- Fights for the Flag (1898)
- How England Saved Europe, 4 vols. (1909)
- The Great Duke, 2 vols. (1911)
- The New World of the South (1913)
Fitchett also produced three volumes of fiction:
- The Commander of the Hirondelle (1904)
- Ithuriel's Spear (1906)
- A Pawn in the Game (1908)
Also four books on religion:
- The Unrealized Logic of Religion (1905)
- Wesley and his Century (1906)
- The Beliefs of Unbelief (1908)
- Where the Higher Criticism Fails (1922)
Other literary work included the editorships of the Australasian Review of Reviews, and of Life, a popular magazine first appearing in 1904.
These activities were not allowed to interfere with Fitchett's life work. First and foremost he was Principal of a great school for girls steadily expanding, with problems continually arising which required his careful attention. His writing was done in the early hours of the day much of it before breakfast, and the Methodist Church as a whole called for much interest and thought. Towards the end of the nineteenth century it was split into five sections and many efforts were made to bring a union of them about. In 1895 Fitchett, as President of the conference of 1895, organized a public demonstration in favour of the union. The question came up again at successive yearly conferences, but it was difficult to obtain the requisite two-thirds majority. In 1898 union was decided upon, the necessary Act of Parliament was passed, and at the conference of 1902 the union was accomplished and Fitchett was elected the first President of the united church. Another of his interests was the State Library of Victoria
State Library of Victoria
The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in Melbourne. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district...
of which he was a trustee for 35 years.