William GIBSON

GIBSON, WILLIAM (b. Van Diemen's Land, 21 Jan 1820; d. Tas, 27 June 1892); GIBSON, MARY ANN (née BLACKLER) (b. England, c. 1811; d. Tas, 12 Jan 1903). Benefactors to the Baptists of Tas.

From a Church of England background Mary Ann Blackler came under the influence of the Rev Joseph Iron, Congregationalist. Arriving in VDL on 6 Sept 1832, she underwent believer's baptism being baptised by her uncle, the Particular Baptist, the Rev Henry Dowling (q.v.) after his arrival in VDL in 1834.

On 12 Jan 1843, Mary Ann married William the fourth son of David Gibson, a convict who became a successful agriculturalist and pastoralist. William Gibson became a successful breeder of merino sheep and exported about £20 000 worth a year to merchants in other colonies. He created the famous Scone Merino. Constantly he would experiment with his flocks to improve not only the quality of the wool, but also the quantity gained from each animal. Such was his success that he won prizes in many exhibitions in the colonies and in England and America.

On 12 Dec 1850 the Gibsons opened a small public chapel on their property Eskdale, at Powranna. About 1853 they purchased the estate of Native Point, Perth, near Launceston. For some years they attended the Perth Church of England but once a month, on ordinance Sunday, attended Dowling's chapel, the York Street Particular Baptist chapel, in Launceston. Mary Ann was now greatly influenced by the Rev Charles Hadden Spurgeon. The Bible Spurgeon's sermons and writings, and other evangelical literature were daily referred to and meditated upon. She distributed his printed sermons to residents at Native Point.

The Gibsons built at their own cost a Baptist chapel at Perth which was opened on 28 Sept 1862. William Gibson was the first person baptised there. In 1869 the Rev A W Grant formerly of Spurgeon's College, began a ministry at Perth. On 2 Jan 1870 the church was constituted.

It was not until the end of the 1870s that Baptist work in Tasmania (since 1853) began a new chapter. As the historian James Fenton rightly said, 'The Baptist denomination made no advance in other parts of the colony [apart from Launceston] until Mr Thomas Spurgeon, son of the eminent London preacher, visited the colony'. (James Fenton, History of Tasmania, 88) The Spurgeon visit in 1878 gave impetus to the Baptist cause as Spurgeon and the Gibsons resolved to bring to the colony a number of men from Spurgeon's College to work in centres outside Perth. William Gibson paid for the costs of bringing the first two out. The Particular Baptist work begun by Dowling in 1835 was now slowly dying. The chief factor in the growth of the denomination as a General Baptist work from that date was the active interest and generosity of the Gibsons. It is estimated that the Gibsons and their son William Gibson Junior of Scone, spent approximately £40 000 upon Baptist churches, Sunday schools, dwellings, the provision of ministers and various funds and trusts.

In 1879 a new Baptist work began at Deloraine. The following year buildings were also opened at Bracknell and Longford. In 1883 a new work began at Hobart. In Launceston in 1884 Gibson paid £6000 for the erection of a tabernacle capable of seating 850 people. He had previously contributed generously for the erection of tabernacles at Deloraine and Longford as he, Mary Ann and their son William Junior would for ones in Hobart, Perth, Sheffield, Promised Land, Latrobe, and Davenport. In the new Launceston tabernacle on 27 May 1884, the Baptist Union of Tasmania was formed with seven churches.

G Luxford, William and Mary Ann Gibson (Tasmania, 1984); L F Rowston, Baptists in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania, 1985)

LAURENCE FREDERICK ROWSTON