Joseph Coles Kirby facts for kids
Joseph Coles Kirby (born June 10, 1837 – died August 1, 1924) was an English flour miller. He moved to Sydney, Australia, in 1854. In 1864, Kirby became a minister in the Congregational Church. He served church groups in both country and city areas of Queensland and South Australia. Joseph Kirby was a strong supporter of many social changes. These included the temperance movement (which encouraged people to drink less alcohol). He also supported women's suffrage (the right for women to vote). He worked to raise the legal age for young people to make important decisions from 13 to 16 years old in Australia.
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Early Life and Education
Joseph Kirby was born on June 10, 1837. His birthplace was Castle Mills, Buckingham, England. His parents were John and Mary Kirby. He went to Sibford School, a Quaker boarding school in Oxfordshire. From his mother, young Joseph learned about caring for social reform. This idea would guide his whole life. At 13, he started working in his father's flour-milling business. But he always loved reading and wanted to improve himself.
Moving to Australia
In 1854, Joseph's family moved to Sydney, Australia. This happened after his father's business faced problems. Joseph was 17 years old at the time. He quickly found a job at another flour mill in Sydney. In Sydney, he joined the Pitt Street Congregational Church. Important people like David Jones (who started the David Jones stores) were members there. Kirby spoke out against some social groups in New South Wales. He also strongly supported people completely avoiding alcohol.
His Work as a Minister
Early Ministry in Queensland
Joseph Kirby received his training to become a minister from Rev. B. Quaife. In 1863, he became an assistant minister in Ipswich, Queensland. He was officially made a Congregational Minister in 1864. His first church was in Dalby, Queensland. While in Dalby, he married Margaretta Hall.
Ministry in New South Wales
From 1871 to 1877, Kirby was the pastor of the Congregational Church in Woollahra, New South Wales. During this time, he was very active in the community. He supported a campaign for free, required, and non-religious education in public schools. He also continued to campaign for the temperance movement. In 1877, Kirby took over the church expansion work for the Congregational Union of New South Wales. He was the chairman of this Union for two years, from 1879 to 1880. As chairman, he pushed for stronger leadership in church missions. He also encouraged accepting land from the government to build new churches.
Ministry in South Australia
In 1880, Joseph Kirby was asked to lead the Port Adelaide Congregational Church. The previous minister had passed away. Kirby started new groups there, like the Young Christians' Union. Through his hard work, he made his church strongly support temperance and women's suffrage. He also worked for other social changes.
While still a minister in Port Adelaide, Kirby became secretary of the Social Purity Society in 1882. He traveled to Melbourne and Sydney to promote temperance and women's right to vote. In 1885, he gained support from different church groups. They joined his campaign to raise the legal age for young people to make important decisions from 13 to 16.
Kirby was chairman of the Congregational Union of South Australia in 1886 and 1906. From 1910 to 1913, he was chairman of the Congregational Union of Australia and New Zealand. In 1891, he represented Australia at a big international church meeting in London. During this trip, he also traveled through Europe and India.
Later Years and Legacy
In 1915, Kirby led a successful campaign for "6 o'clock closing" of hotel bars. This meant pubs had to close early, at 6 PM. Kirby also supported religious teaching in state schools. He helped convince the South Australian Congregational Union to change its mind about only having non-religious education. Later, he worked to protect Aboriginal people. He supported creating an Aboriginal reserve in Arnhem Land. Kirby was very dedicated to the Bible. However, he was also open-minded about new ideas like Darwinism.
Joseph Kirby passed away on August 1, 1924, in Semaphore, South Australia. He was survived by two sons and three daughters.
Since 1986, a hotel in Port Adelaide has made a special beer called Old Preacher. This beer is named in memory of Kirby. He had successfully campaigned to close the original hotel in 1909.
