Mathew Blagden Hale (18 June 1811 – 3 April 1895), very frequently spelled "Matthew", was the first Anglican bishop of Perth and then the Anglican bishop of Brisbane.
Hale is recognised for seeking to empower the South Australian Aboriginals through his work in the Poonindie mission, establishing the Anglican Diocese of Perth and Hale School.
Early life Mathew Blagden Hale was born on 18 June 1811 at Alderley, Gloucestershire, the third son of Robert H. Blagden Hale (5 May 1780 – 20 December 1855)South Australian Register 7 May 1856, p.2 and Lady Theodosia Hale (née Bourke). His maternal grandfather was The Earl of Mayo, Lord Archbishop of Tuam. After completing his education at Wotton-under-Edge, he attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and obtained his B.A. in 1835 and M.A. in 1838."Hale, Matthew Blagden (HL830MB)". In Venn, J. A. 1947 A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge. During his time at Cambridge he met Harold Browne and they became lifelong friends. Both came under the influence of Charles Simeon who celebrated fifty years of evangelical ministry at (Holy) Trinity Church in 1832. The antislavery movement driven by William Wilberforce also influenced Hale and he wanted to minister to the newly emancipated slaves, particularly in the West Indies, but was not encouraged to do so neither by his family nor by the missionary society working in that region. Hale was ordained a deacon in the Church of England in 1836, and priest in 1837 by the Bishop of Bristol and Gloucester. From 1836 to 1838 he was curate of Tresham. In 1838 he acted as curate of Wootton-under-Edge, then from 1839 to 1845 Perpetual Curate of Stroud, an expanding woollen-cloth manufacturing centre in Gloucestershire. In 1840 Hale married Sophia Clode, with whom he would have three children, the eldest of whom died in infancy. Sophia died in early 1845 followed by Hale's mother a few months later. Hale had an emotional breakdown and resigned. Subsequently, he served briefly as Rector of Alderley in 1845 and 1846, and then as Perpetual Curate of Atworth with Wraxhill in 1846 and 1847.Venn 1947
South Australia
In 1847 he met Bishop Short at a friend's house, and was persuaded to accompany him to Adelaide. Hale, with his two surviving daughters and two servants in late December 1847 arrived in South Australia, where he was appointed first Archdeacon of Adelaide. The following year during a pastoral visit to Western Australia with Bishop Short he married Sabina, eldest daughter of John and Georgiana Molloy. Subsequently, after Hale returned to Adelaide, he was appointed the first rector of St Matthew's church at Kensington.South Australian 27 Mar 1849, p. 2; 12 Jun 1849, p. 2.
In early 1850 Hale approached the Governor of South Australia proposing an institution for young Aborigines where they would live in one little community to learn practical skills in farming and domestic arts and to receive Christian teaching. Later that year he volunteered his services as mission superintendent. His offer was accepted and the Natives' Training Institution was opened at Poonindie, near Port Lincoln, in October 1850. Hale and his family moved to Poonindie soon afterwards and Mathew and Sabina's eldest surviving son, Mathew, was born there in July next year. The Institution prospered and when Bishop Short visited in February 1853, there were 54 Aborigines resident, eleven of whom were baptised by the Bishop.Hale, M. B., 1889. The Aborigines of Australia. Being an account of the Institution for their education at Poonindie in South Australia. SPCK, London, UK, 101 p.
Western Australia
In 1856, Hale resigned to accept an invitation to serve as Bishop of Perth. In July 1856 he arrived in Western Australia on the Guyon, which had diverted to Port Lincoln to pick him up,Adelaide Observer, 31 May 1856, p.4. along with his two eldest daughters and sister-in-law Georgiana Molloy,Adelaide Times, 17 June 1856, p. 2. and in November the rest of his family arrived there from South Australia. In March 1857, Hale returned to England with his family, where on 25 July 1857 he was consecrated as the first Bishop of Perth at the Lambeth Palace Chapel. The sermon was preached by Hale's longtime friend from their university days, Harold Browne. According to its usual custom Cambridge University awarded the new bishop an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. While Hale accepted this academic honour, he was reluctant to adopt the style and title of "My Lord", maintaining that as a colonial bishop he would be better without it. However, the legal authorities ruled that he must accept it and he did so.
Leaving his family in England, Hale returned to Western Australia on the convict ship Nile early in 1858, to take up office as Bishop of Perth. It had been an eventful and dangerous voyage. The problems arising from transportation were evident when Hale had made his initial tour of his diocese-to-be and he had prepared a report on The Transportation Question,Hale, M. B., 1857. The Transportation Question: or why Western Australia should be made a Reformatory Colony instead of a Penal Settlement. Macmillan, Cambridge, UK, 98 p. advocating measures to make Western Australia a reformatory colony rather than a penal settlement. This was published while he was in England. Hale's report demanded change in the colony's penal system. When copies reached Perth before he returned from England, there was a storm of criticism in the local news media, claiming that Hale's report was "full of misrepresentations and errors".Inquirer & Commercial News (Perth, WA) 18 Nov 1857, p. 3. However, when Hale's own account of his voyage on Nile and the behavior of the convicts on it was published, he was vindicated and newspaper editors were commending Hale, even as the Colonial Governor was disapproving because of "embarrassment to Her Majesty's Government".Perth Gazette 10 Sep 1858, p. 2.
In June 1858, after he returned from England, Hale opened a boys' school for both boarders and day pupils.Perth Gazette 18 Jun 1858, p. 2. The Bishop's School was modelled after England's public schools. Many of the pupils who attended it came from leading families in the colony; many of them went on to become prominent in Western Australian business and politics. Hale had continuing problems in finding suitable schoolmasters and funds to support his school. Eventually this proved too much for him and the Bishop's School closed on 1 March 1872. However it continued on under different management and eventually became today's Hale School. Bishop Hale is generally recognised as the pioneer of secondary education in Western Australia.
Communications with the eastern colonies and England were made by sailing ship when Hale arrived in the colony in 1856 and by steamship when he left in 1875. Albany was the first port of call on the Australian continent. Hence Hale was the first Australian bishop to receive his invitation to the first Lambeth Conference held in 1867 and was the only one to attend it.
In 1870 a crisis arose when the lady running an orphanage for indigenous children in Albany was unable to continue this work. Hale decided to resign as bishop, apply for the vacant chaplaincy at Albany, and carry on this orphanage work himself. As soon as his intention to resign became known in Perth, a large deputation from the Protestant community called on Hale and persuaded him to withdraw it. In explaining his intentions to his friends Hale reminded them that "I have no hesitation in saying that a European population disregarding the welfare of the natives, whom it has displaced from their country, will not ensure God's blessing and therefore I do hope that the public generally will support the Mission at Albany."Perth Gazette & West Australian Times 21 Jun 1870, p. 1
In July 1871 Hale met with his clergy and laity to draw up the constitution for a diocesan synod and the first synod was held in Perth in August 1872. He opened this synod with a significant sermon, Being all things to all menHale, M. B., 1872. Being All Things to All Men; The duty of the individual Christian and the duty of the Church with reference thereto - a Sermon. Proceedings of the First Session of the First Synod of the Diocese of Perth, Western Australia. August 1872. M. Shenton, Perth, WA, (12 p). on the responsibilities of both individual Christians and the church in their relationships with the world.
Leaving
Hale was Bishop of Perth until 1875. On 5 April that year he received letters from Bishop Barker of Sydney and Bishop Short of Adelaide asking for his consent to be nominated as second Bishop of Brisbane. He was reluctant to accept this new responsibility, since he was in his mid sixties and looking forward to retirement in a few years time, and did so only on the condition that he had the unanimous support of all the Australian bishops.
There was a public farewell to Hale on 30 October 1875 at which an address from the congregation of St George's Cathedral and members of other Christian communions was read.West Australian Times 26 Oct 1875, p. 2; 2 Nov 1875, pp. 2-3. Hale's ministry and influence in Western Australia had not been confined to the Anglican Church but involved active co-operation with other Christian groups in matters of common interest. In particular the Congregationalists commended him for originating and fostering "institutions for promoting the moral and religious welfare of the community" and for his "truly missionary spirit". They were pleased that he was always ready to contend for the truth "as it is in Jesus, ..." They attributed the "truly evangelical and peaceful character of his episcopate to his true love for the Bible, the word of God; ... ." They also recognised his "hearty co-operation with others" not belonging to his church, concluding that they united with members of his church and all Protestant fellow colonists, in praying for his future welfare, peace and happiness.West Australian Times 29 Oct 1875, p. 2.
The bishop acknowledged each address, thanking "his dear friends" for their very kind words, sometimes suggesting that his own contribution was not as much as stated, other times reminding "his Sons and Daughters in the Lord Jesus Christ" to whom he had ministered, that "... my sole aim in my teaching has been to set forth faithfully and simply the blessed truths which are to be found in God's Holy Word". He also referred to the "mutual kindness and good will which exists between members of the different religious bodies in this country who hold to those great Scriptural doctrines which were ... brought to light a second time at the period of the Reformation, and which are to us more precious than rubies". In concluding his various replies he asked for their prayers for him in his difficult new task and assured them of his continuing prayers and interest in their affairs.West Australian Times 2 Nov 1875, p. 3.
The editors of the local newspapers were lavish in their praise of the departing bishop. The Western Australian Times''' farewell editorial began with the words "We admire great men and give genius its due need of fame, but the good man gains not only our admiration but our hearts ... After outlining Hale's many contributions to the life of the colony the editorial concluded with the following commendation of Hale "He has shown us what a true christian pastor can do, and how the holding of a high and honoured office is not inconsistent with a brotherly bearing towards all, and that a helping hand and a kind word, go more to make up real christianity, than austere looks, and obstinate theories; and without disparagement of others, we fear we may say that 'take him all in all we'll never see his like again'."West Australian Times 22 Oct 1875, p. 2.