George Alfred Judkins (13 March 1871 – 8 October 1958)[1] was a Methodist minister in Tasmania and Victoria, Australia. He was a tireless worker for temperance, Sunday observance, and other Methodist strictures.
History
edit
Judkins was born in Glendaruel, Victoria, Australia, also referred to as Coghills Creek, near Clunes, Victoria; a son of Henry Judkins (c. 1837 – 14 April 1929)[2] and Eliza Judkins, née Ward ( – 11 June 1889), devout Methodist schoolteachers who migrated to Australia from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England.
He is believed to have attended Sheepwash (Tourello) School where his father was headmaster and his mother also taught. He joined the Railways Department as a telegraphist and while still a teenager was a lay preacher at the Ballarat goldfields. He was engaged as a preacher by Methodist churches in Coleraine and Katamatite on a trial basis before in 1892 enrolling as a theology student at Queen's College, Melbourne. His first posting after ordination was to Queenstown, Tasmania 1897–1899, then returned to Victoria,[3] where his first postings were to Richmond 1899–1900, Yarram 1901–1903, Bendigo 1904–1907, Echuca 1908–1910 and Horsham 1911–1913.[1]
In 1914 he was appointed to the Neil Street Methodist Church, Ballarat. Throughout the Great War he displayed unswerving loyalty to Great Britain and support for Australia's involvement, and was on the side of conscription when the supply of fresh volunteers began to wane. He opposed Irish nationalism, considering it part of the Roman Catholic church war against Protestantism.[4] During the 1917 conscription campaign he supported the Orange cause, claiming that Romanism and nationalism were irreconcilable.[5]
He was a Methodist delegate to the Victorian Council of Churches, and elected its president in 1922,[6] He was elected secretary in 1925[7] succeeding Rev. J. Ernest James; he held the post till 1945.[8]
In 1925 he was appointed director of the newly formed Methodist social services department. For fourteen years he toured Victoria, railing against dilution of Victorian-era moral standards. His powerful personality and fiery rhetoric intimidated politicians from adopting reforms seen elsewhere in Australia, gaining for Victoria a reputation for moral conservatism.
He was teetotal, but did not support prohibition, expecting temperance to succeed through six o'clock closing and the reduction of licensed premises through the "local option" — the number and location of licensed premises being decided by town councils.[9]
He campaigned against public transport operating on Sundays,[10] which might encourage church attendance but would encourage frivolous pursuits such as family visits and bushwalking.
Last years
editJudkins retired in 1939[11] but acted as chaplain to Epworth Hospital 1940–1949[12] and continued to preach at the Malvern and Canterbury churches. He died at his home on Bruce Street, Box Hill, Victoria.[13] His remains were cremated at the Springvale Cemetery after a funeral service at Box Hill Methodist church.[14]
Recognition
editIn 1949 Judkins was elected life member of the Victorian Council of Churches for his long and valuable service.[15]
Criticism
editJudkins drew particular ire from Smith's Weekly for his condemnation of smoking, drinking, raffles, dancing, mixed bathing, movies and jazz music, but especially for slandering Queensland women, and reviling Kingsford Smith and Don Bradman for their support of hospital lotteries.[16]
Family
editJudkins married Aline May Giraoud at Richmond on 8 April 1901; they had two sons and two daughters:
- Henry G. "Harry" Judkins qualified as a medical practitioner and served as a medical missionary,[17] superintendent of the Mission Hospital in Salamo, Papua.
- Alfred Bowden Judkins on occasion acted as church organist.[18] He married Berta Jeanne Franklin in December 1937.[19]
- Elvie Aline Judkins married W. Armstrong
- Clare Judkins married A. W. Mitchell
His brother William Henry Judkins (1869–1912) was also a zealous Methodist reformer.
References
edit- ^ a b Graeme Davison; Keith Dunstan (1983). Australian Dictionary of Biography: Judkins, W. H. (1869–1912) (principally concerned with his brother G. A. Judkins). National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Age. No. 23094. Victoria, Australia. 15 April 1929. p. 1. Retrieved 28 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Life Summary: George A. Judkins". National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Protestant Federation". The Age. No. 20, 172. Victoria, Australia. 21 November 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 29 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Papal Documents that Concern Australia". The Ballarat Star. No. 19, 266. Victoria, Australia. 16 March 1918. p. 9. Retrieved 25 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Ban on Sunday Games". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 14, 508. Victoria, Australia. 15 September 1922. p. 1. Retrieved 28 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia. No report of the council's August 1922 election has been found.
- ^ "Personal". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 24, 689. Victoria, Australia. 24 September 1925. p. 10. Retrieved 28 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Prayer For Rain". The Sun News-pictorial. No. 7091. Victoria, Australia. 16 June 1945. p. 5. Retrieved 27 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Local Option Campaign". The Age. No. 15, 774. Victoria, Australia. 29 September 1905. p. 4. Retrieved 25 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Correspondence Battle on Sunday Trams". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 18, 498. Victoria, Australia. 28 August 1936. p. 9. Retrieved 25 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Victorian News". The Methodist. Vol. 48, no. 13. New South Wales, Australia. 1 April 1939. p. 10. Retrieved 15 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "George Alfred Judkins". Uniting Church Archives - Synod of Victoria. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "Obituary". The Age. 9 October 1958.
- ^ "Death of Rev. G. A. Judkins". The Age. 9 October 1958.
- ^ "Personal". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 32, 128. Victoria, Australia. 23 August 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 16 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Vile Accusation Against Q'land Women". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XV, no. 26. New South Wales, Australia. 5 August 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 27 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Personal". The Sun News-pictorial. No. 815. Victoria, Australia. 23 April 1925. p. 3. Retrieved 15 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Personal and General". The Methodist. Vol. 46, no. 11. New South Wales, Australia. 13 March 1937. p. 11. Retrieved 15 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 28, 490. Victoria, Australia. 13 December 1937. p. 9. Retrieved 15 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.