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Wesley Mission and Mr Ebenezer Vickery, a Former Member of the Legislative Council

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Subjects -  Churches: Christian; Members of Parliament
Speakers - Moyes Reverend the Hon Dr Gordon
Business - Adjournment


    WESLEY MISSION AND MR EBENEZER VICKERY, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Page: 15963


    Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES [9.30 p.m.]: This month marks the centenary of an important event that occurred between Mr Ebenezer Vickery, a former member of the Legislative Council, and Wesley Mission, which I have had the honour to lead for the past 27 years. As a six-year-old boy Ebenezer Vickery arrived in Sydney with his family in 1833. As a self-made man in the colony of New South Wales Mr Vickery made a fine income as a merchant, manufacturer, mine and property owner, and pastoralist. He was to become an outstanding philanthropist in the colony. One hundred years ago this month Ebenezer purchased what was to be one of his most philanthropic legacies to the people of Sydney. For a long time Mr Vickery had wanted to erect for the Central Methodist Mission, now called Wesley Mission, a large hall to replace Centenary Hall in York Street, which had become too small.

    Mr Vickery inspected Lyceum Hall in Pitt Street, which he purchased at the urging of my predecessor, Reverend W. G. Taylor, who said, "Never mind, you have got the money and can afford it. This is the chance of a lifetime." And so Lyceum Hall passed into Mr Vickery's hands. It had 70,000 square feet of floor space, two halls—the larger of which seated 2,500 people—130 rooms, an adjoining hotel and land running from Pitt Street to Castlereagh Street on which stood a notorious two-up school and two cottages which were used as brothels. The Central Methodist Mission soon developed Sunday night services for the congregation of more than 1,500 men without harming any of its Centenary Hall services. By the end of 1905 a change of venue for the Central Methodist Mission had become inevitable when a report to this Legislative Council named Centenary Hall as one of the most dangerous firetraps in the city. In May 1906 the Central Methodist Mission decided to sell Centenary Hall and centralise all of its work in the Lyceum property.

    Before his departure from Sydney for London, Mr Vickery settled the Lyceum on four trustees who were members of his family. However, Vickery's death on 20 August 1906 in Leeds changed the situation. The trustees were then free to make the Lyceum available to the Central Methodist Mission free of any obligation. In 1979 I was appointed as the last trustee. The Central Methodist Mission would have a main hall to seat about 2,500, a second hall to seat 500 to 600, a block of buildings in Castlereagh Street, four shops, home and foreign mission offices, a presidential room, classrooms and other offices. Alterations were finally completed and they opened with a capacity crowd of about 1,000 attending the second evening service. Some had felt that Mr Vickery's donation of the Lyceum was a personal expiation for a lifetime as a hard employer, including his failure to take elementary safety precautions that caused the death of 95 mine workers at Port Kembla—Australia's worst mine accident. This event seems to have begun a philanthropic turnaround for Mr Vickery in his later years. Today one of the largest coalmines in New South Wales in the Hunter is named Vickery mine after him.

    Mr Vickery was a benevolent person who purchased many other properties that were given to the mission, including a 14-room house in Woolloomooloo, which began the Wesley Mission's Dalmar Child and Family Care Service. Today that service cares for more than 4,000 children annually. Vickery was responsible for founding the YMCA and the YWCA. For many years he was a director of the Benevolent Society of New South Wales. The old Lyceum burnt down in 1964, but out of the dynamic leadership of Reverend Alan Walker a new Lyceum theatre was opened, providing a well-equipped fellowship centre for the people of Sydney. In 1988 it was my privilege to lead a team of people who were responsible for demolishing the entire block—over two acres in size—going down 8 storeys and up 40 storeys and building one of Sydney's largest buildings of the time, which opened in 1991 at a cost of $320 million debt free. I named the building where the Lyceum once stood the Wesley Centre. It includes four venues for the 56 church services held every week for several thousand worshippers. I thank God for the original gift of this site through the generosity of a member of this House 100 years ago this month.

    Motion agreed to.
    The House adjourned at 9.35 p.m. until 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday 26 May 2005.
    _______________


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