James William GUNTHER

GUNTHER, JAMES WILLIAM (b. Nagold Wurttemburg, 12 May 1806; d. Mudgee, NSW, 20 Dec 1879). Missionary and Anglican priest.

Gunther was educated at the Basel Mission Institute, Switzerland. In 1832 he was one of four students annually directed by the institute to the service of the CMS. Ill health delayed his ordination until 1836 and was a consideration in his appointment to the Aboriginal mission at Wellington.

Gunther proved an unenergetic and unsuccessful missionary. He had no sanguine expectations, was revolted by the Aborigines' appearance and habits, would make no concessions to their beliefs or values and grievously offended them by insisting on marriages illegal under Wiradjuri law. He complained that in teaching the children and leaving him the youths Watson took the easier task for himself, but he had difficulty in controlling even the children and did not acquire a single child for the mission. Gunther strenuously opposed Watson's policy of incarcerating women and children to prevent absconding and sexual exploitation but by 1846 was conceding his belief in the need for such a policy. The worth of his language papers has been acknowledged by linguists, but he meanly attempted to deny the very considerable assistance derived from Watson's work.

Gunther accepted that he had married above himself and strove to satisfy the demands of his discontented wife Lydia Paris, who wanted him in more comfortable and better-paid chaplaincy employment, or at the least with better accommodation and European servants. Gunther felt obliged to stay because the CMS had financed his education, but a large part of his time was occupied by domestic chores.

Gunther was extremely suspicious of Watson's bona fides. Assisted by William Porter, agriculturist from 1838, he subverted his colleague with repeated complaints, many of them too vague to come to grips with, to their superiors. Watson, who was not told of some of these accusations, was given neither a chance to answer nor the enquiry he sought but was sacked and driven from the mission in 1840.

From the departure of the Watsons with most of the Aborigines the mission was a nullity and Gunther pressed for its removal to another locality. After Porter's dismissal in June 1842 Gunther was seldom other than a farmer. His report for 1842 amounted to a confession of defeat at the hands of the tribal elders. The CMS abandoned the mission and Gunther left in Sept 1843. He later testified that 'very little or nothing can be done for the welfare of these Aborigines'.

In May 1841 Gunther told Bp Broughton that Watson was guilty of repeated adultery with Aboriginal women. Broughton appeared to dismiss this charge out of hand and the CMS corresponding committee in Sydney treated it as unworthy of notice. However, in 1855 Gunther succeeded in prejudicing Bp Barker against Watson with an inaccurate account of the mission's history.

For years Gunther had made periodic visits to Mudgee. He was licensed as incumbent there on 1 Nov 1843 and remained until his retirement on 1 May 1879. As a parish clergyman Gunther was in his proper sphere. Bp Barker considered him 'one of the most intelligent clergymen I have met with & the most to my taste'.

Gunther Papers, ML; B J Bridges, 'The Church of England and the Aborigines of NSW 1788-1855', (PhD thesis Univ NSW, 1978)

BARRY BRIDGES