William Kelynack
Encyclopedia
The Rev Dr William Kelynack (22 May 1831 – 1 November 1891) was an English
-born Australian Methodist minister, President of Newington College
, and President of the General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church.
, Cornwall
, and was educated in Penzance
. He briefly taught in a private school before taking up mercantile pursuits. Aged 18, he became a local preacher and four years later entered the Wesleyan
ministry.
in 1854 and he served in the Bathurst
circuit until 1856, whence he transferred to Braidwood
and then to Yass
in 1860. After appointments to Chippendale
, Parramatta
and Wollongong
he served in York Street, Sydney (1865–67) and Surry Hills
(1868–70). During the 1860s, Kelynack became coeditor of the Christian Advocate
and Wesleyan Record, was a councillor of Newington College, and a committee member of Sydney City Mission
. In 1870 he was transferred to Goulburn
where he was district chairman and in 1874 he returned to Bathurst.
, Baltimore
and Chicago
. During his tour he was awarded a doctorate in divinity by the University of New Orleans
.
Annual Conference. In the 1880s he was general secretary of Foreign Missions and travelled widely in the Pacific, raising £6000 in funds. Kelynack succeeded Joseph Horner Fletcher
as president of Newington College in 1887 and in May 1890 was elected president of the Sixth General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church. He died from Bright's disease
survived by his wife, Lucy, and by seven sons and four daughters.
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...
-born Australian Methodist minister, President of Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, and President of the General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church.
Early life
Kelynack was born at NewlynNewlyn
Newlyn is a town and fishing port in southwest Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Newlyn forms a conurbation with the neighbouring town of Penzance and is part of Penzance civil parish...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and was educated in Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
. He briefly taught in a private school before taking up mercantile pursuits. Aged 18, he became a local preacher and four years later entered the Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
ministry.
Australian ministry
Kelynack arrived in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1854 and he served in the Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
circuit until 1856, whence he transferred to Braidwood
Braidwood, New South Wales
Braidwood is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Palerang Shire. It is located on the busy Kings Highway linking Canberra to Batemans Bay on the coast. It is about 200 kilometres south west of Sydney and about 60 kilometres inland from the coast...
and then to Yass
Yass, New South Wales
Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
in 1860. After appointments to Chippendale
Chippendale, New South Wales
Chippendale is a small inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Chippendale is located on the southern edge of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
and Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
he served in York Street, Sydney (1865–67) and Surry Hills
Surry Hills, New South Wales
Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is located immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
(1868–70). During the 1860s, Kelynack became coeditor of the Christian Advocate
Christian Advocate
The Christian Advocate was a weekly newspaper published in New York by the Methodist Episcopal Church. It began publication in 1826 and by the mid-1830s had become the largest circulating weekly in America with more than 30,000 subscribers and an estimated 150,000 readers....
and Wesleyan Record, was a councillor of Newington College, and a committee member of Sydney City Mission
Mission Australia
Mission Australia is a provider of family and community services throughout Australia. The organisation has at least 3200 staff, 1,000 volunteers and 300 services in every state and territory of Australia, and is one of the largest community organisations in the nation. It is currently headed by...
. In 1870 he was transferred to Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
where he was district chairman and in 1874 he returned to Bathurst.
England & America tour
Kelynack returned to England in 1877 to visit his ailing mother. While there he addressed the British Methodist Conference and raised £3000 for Newington College. He returned to Australia via the United States of America where he addressed the students at Drew Theological Seminary and preached in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. During his tour he was awarded a doctorate in divinity by the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
.
Church leadership
On his return to Sydney in 1878, Kelynack was appointed to the Bourke Street Church and two years later was elected president of the New South Wales and QueenslandQueensland
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...
Annual Conference. In the 1880s he was general secretary of Foreign Missions and travelled widely in the Pacific, raising £6000 in funds. Kelynack succeeded Joseph Horner Fletcher
Joseph Horner Fletcher
Joseph Horner Fletcher was a West Indies-born Methodist minister of English descent and was the founding Principal of Wesley College, Auckland and the second President of Newington College, Sydney.-Early life:...
as president of Newington College in 1887 and in May 1890 was elected president of the Sixth General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church. He died from Bright's disease
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. The term is no longer used, as diseases are now classified according to their more fully understood causes....
survived by his wife, Lucy, and by seven sons and four daughters.