Letter from Reverend William Walker to Reverend Richard Watson of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, London

MLMSS 11650

fonds

27 April 1822

9668500

0.10 metres of textual material (1 folder)

The Reverend William Walker (1800-1855) was a Methodist minister who was appointed by the Wesleyan Missionary Society to work with Aboriginal Australians in New South Wales. Walker adopted the son of Bennelong in 1822 and later combined being a farmer with his religious duties.

Reference
Australian Dictionary of Biography, viewed 10 October 2020, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography

A letter from the Reverend William Walker, Parramatta, New South Wales, to the Reverend Richard Watson of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, London.
In the letter Reverend Walker writes about the living and social conditions of Aboriginal men and women at the Wesleyan Parramatta mission and the impact violence and prostitution are having on the European and Indigenous communities. He also writes about a young Aboriginal man he had hoped to mentor and his belief that he had failed in his duty.
The letter is handwritten in ink on two foolscap pages which were folded and addressed and postmarked on the fourth side.

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Signed by William Walker

It is possible that the youth described by Walker is Dicky, the son of Bennelong, whom Walker baptised and adopted later that year.

Reference
Vendor description and Library Correspondence File