The Work of the Pioneers
To commemorate the past is to ennoble the present. To mark the flight of time, and to erect along the way of life such memorials as serve to indicate to the succeeding generations the achievements of their fathers is surely a good thing.
We must not measure the work of our fathers by the standards of today. Their opportunities were not the same as ours. Their resources were very limited, but their courage and endurance were amazing.
The early settlers in the Lilydale district were typical pioneers - hardy and energetic, with few relaxations and no luxuries. The land was heavily timbered, and for many years only the crudest methods of cultivation were possible. Roads were non-existent, or in such a condition as to be almost useless. For years the people walked to Launceston carrying their few products on their backs, and returning with their supplies in the same way. The yearly income for most of these folks would seem a poor month's pay for people of to-day. There is no need, however, for us to commiserate them. They were probably as happy as we are, and relatively well off. [...] such families as the Brookses, Wilsons, Arnolds, Browns, Powers, Somervilles, to name only a few, have been associated with the church from the beg inning.
It's interesting to speculate on attitudes to religion and church-going then and now.
"On November 17, 1879, it was unanimously agreed to accept the offer of the Rev. Mather, of Scottsdale, to visit the district and preach every third Sunday in each month for the sum of £25 yearly, in four equal instalments of £5 5s."
Read the whole interesting article
Jubilee Celebrations. (1930, December 19). Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), p. 15 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved July 26, 2015, from from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51678021