Samuel WAY

WAY, (SIR) SAMUEL (b. Portsmouth, England, 11 April 1836; d. North Adelaide, SA, 8 Jan 1916). Baronet, chief justice and Methodist layman in SA.

Samuel Way was the son of James Way (q.v.) pioneer superintendent of the Bible Christian mission in South Australia. He was educated at Shebbear College, Devon and at a private school at Chatham, Kent. When his parents migrated in 1850 Samuel was left behind to complete his education. Way joined his parents early in 1853. He was articled to a legal practice and was admitted to the Bar in 1861. He soon proved to be an able barrister and in 1869 appeared in two cases before the Privy Council in London. He became a QC in 1871. In 1875 he was elected to parliament and was given the post of attorney-general. In the following year he was appointed to the bench as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in SA. Way held the position of chief justice (and from 1890 lieutenant governor) until his death in 1916. During his long legal career he was closely identified with a number of public institutions such as the University of Adelaide (Chancellor from 1883 to 1916), the Public Library, Museum, Art Gallery and the Adelaide Children's Hospital.

Way remained loyal to the Bible Christian church in which he had been nurtured and was a bright and shining light in the firmament of this small branch of Methodism. He never forgot his links with Shebbear. In 1891 he attended the Ecumenical Methodist Conference in London and at the Speech Day at Shebbear he announced that he had purchased Lake Farm (the site of the original Bible Christian society) and was presenting it to the college. The college still derives income from this gift and 'Way House' honours him as a benefactor.

Way was not a local (lay) preacher but he was always ready to speak at Methodist functions and in the course of his term as chief justice laid foundation stones, opened churches and gave the main address at innumerable church anniversaries. He believed that God intended Methodism to have primacy in English-speaking Protestantism. His theological stance seems to have been the main-line Methodism of his day. He was one of the chief advocates of Methodist union throughout Australia and was confident that the consolidation of the Methodist forces in 1900 would make a signal contribution to the religious life of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Way did not marry until he was sixty-two, his wife being a widow with a grown-up family. He accepted a baronetcy in 1899. He was a wealthy man when he died leaving an estate valued at £55 000. This included a farm north of Adelaide where he had bred Shropshire sheep. His legacies went to 35 beneficiaries. Apart from his sister and various Methodist bodies he left money to both the Anglican bishop and Catholic archbishop, the Salvation Army and the Sudan United Mission. His library was willed to the University of Adelaide. There is a statue of Way on North Terrace, Adelaide near the University. Way Hall within the Adelaide Central Mission is a reminder of his membership of the Methodist church.

ADB 12; A D Hunt, This Side of Heaven: A History of Methodism in South Australia (Adelaide, 1985); A J Hannan, The Life of Chief Justice Way (Sydney, 1960)

ARNOLD D HUNT