William Lockhart MORTON

MORTON, WILLIAM LOCKHART (b. Loddon River, Vic, 1851; d. Melbourne, Vic, 19 Aug 1928). Presbyterian minister, rescue missioner, evangelist, missionary promoter.

W L Morton's father, a pastoralist, explorer and inventor, migrated from Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1841, and managed sheep properties in the Kyneton and Thalia districts of Vic. Following the influence of his mother, Morton as a boy worshipped in the Church of England, but later the family transferred to the Presbyterian Church with which his paternal ancestors had been deeply involved.

Turning aside from an earlier interest in the law, he studied for the ministry at the Presbyterian Theological Hall of Victoria and was ordained by the Presbytery of Melbourne in 1875, taking his first charge at Dandenong. After a brief but effective ministry, he moved to Camperdown where he served for five years.

The 'Ebenezer' Church at Ballarat was his next charge. Here his ministry was so fruitful that plans to close the church due to poor support were quickly changed, the buildings restored and enlarged. While at Ballarat, Morton responded to serious community needs by providing housing and social help for homeless and lonely men whose lives had been adversely affected by the abuse of alcohol. He continued pastoral, evangelistic and rescue work at Malvern to which he was called in 1889.

When visiting SA in 1892, Morton met the noted philanthropist, Hon J H Angas MLC, who had already supported his rescue work financially, but now invited him to carry it out in Adelaide. Angas provided a large property at Belair known as 'Hope Lodge'. Relinquishing a regular charge, Morton began this work in 1893. He continued on the same faith principles he had followed in Victoria, inspired by George Muller, whom Morton had heard speaking during a visit to Ballarat in 1886, and his work with orphans in England. The rescue work at Belair expanded rapidly, but soon after Morton was challenged by Dr Harry Grattan Guinness who was visiting Australia, to leave the administration of Hope Lodge to others to devote more time to evangelism. Accordingly concluding 18 years personal involvement in such rescue work, Morton visited Melbourne to assist in the Torrey-Alexander Campaign, then travelled widely throughout the colony for this and general evangelistic activity.

While still in Melbourne, Morton had become an ardent supporter of missionary work after hearing Mary Reed, a Tasmanian missionary from China. He had joined his friend H B Macartney (the elder) (q.v.) and others to establish the first Council of the China Inland Mission in Victoria which was formed just before J Hudson Taylor's visit to Australia in 1890.

When his offer to become an overseas missionary was not accepted, Morton responded enthusiastically to requests to commence an institution to train men for home and foreign missions, using part of the Belair premises. The first students, C W Pearce and C B Barnett, were accepted in March 1893. It was an interdenominational work based on faith principles and solidly biblical, the first of its kind in Australia. In 1895 women were also accepted for training in their own institution. During 30 years of operation, there were well over 300 graduates who served around the world, including many of the pioneers of the Australian interdenominational missions movement. In 1898, J H Angas made available another property situated at Ward and Jeffcott Streets, North Adelaide. It was renamed Angas College. Belair was later sold and the women were housed at more convenient premises in Magill Road, Kensington.

Morton returned to Melbourne in 1922 taking the training work with him to Punt Road South Yarra and Wrexham Street, Windsor. He resumed association with his original church at South Yarra and became involved in denominational life. He retired after two years, and died in 1928, but the property and proceeds of his Angas Missionary College benefited Bible colleges in Adelaide and Melbourne. The North Adelaide property ultimately passed into the hands of the Lutheran Church.

William Lockhart Morton, Drifting Wreckage (London, 1913)

DAVID PARKER