General News
15 February, 2026
In Good Faith: Australia's first service remembered
On the third of February 1788, the first church service to be held in Australia was conducted by the Anglican Reverend Richard Johnson, who taught from Psalm 116:12, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me”.
Rev. Johnson was appointed to be the first chaplain to serve the new prison colony which had been sent out from England, and he accompanied the convicts and settlers on the “first fleet’ in 1787.
It is notable that Johnson’s appointment was upon the personal recommendation of two prominent figures of the time, the names of whom should be familiar to anyone having an interest in church history, John Newton and William Wilberforce.
It was not until 1793 that the first church building in Australia was opened under his leadership, located at Circular Quay, Sydney. It opened on the 25 th of August 1793 but was unfortunately burned down on the 1st of October, 1798.
A monument now marks the spot where that church was located.
In 1789, the Government of New South Wales provided funds to Johnson for the purpose of establishing a school.
In a letter that he wrote to friends back in England, he said, “It is from a long and ardent wish that the minds of the rising generation of this Colony may be duly thus impressed with such moral and religious sentiment, that the following Plan has been adopted, & rules & regulations have been made, which I hope every parent as well as others concerned in bringing up children will see it to be their duty and interest to promote.”
With this move, he established in 1793 what would be recognised as the first official school house in Australia.
All children were encouraged to attend, regardless of their backgrounds.
Whether convict or soldier, settler or servant, migrant or native-born, English, Irish or other, all were welcomed.
By 1798, 150 children were enrolled at Sydney, 171 at Parramatta and another 137 at Hawkesbury.
It is worthy to note that the great majority of education offered to children in the early days of Australia, as with so many other nations in the world in that era, was not offered as a result of government legislation or facilities, but rather as an outreach of the Christian church.
Indeed, the first government school in Australia was the East Newcastle Public School, which was established some 23 years later in 1816 by Henry Wrensford, a convict on conditional pardon.
of the early colonies.
From the very beginning, basic education has been a fundamental priority of the Christian church.
emphasised the gaining of skills in literacy, reading and writing, in order that they may be able to read and study the scriptures and other such writings for themselves.
Basic education was eventually expanded to include non-Jews as well as Jews, and would also include the education of girls as well as boys, a revolutionary move in those times.
According to the ‘Banner of Truth’ magazine, “The early Christians believed in basic teaching for every church member, whether a child or a new convert".
"They also wanted church leaders to be well educated in God’s Word and to have a solid grasp on the workings of God’s world.
"This led them to establish schools. The schools focused mainly on Christian doctrine, but some included mathematics, medicine, and other subjects.”
The Bible celebrates education as a divine gift that enriches our lives and deepens our relationship with God. Proverbs 18:15 states, "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
We can all be hugely thankful to those such as Rev. Richard Johnson, who had the faith, devotion and foresight to pioneer the delivery of education and learning in this country, service that fully lived up to the theme of his very first sermon, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me?”.