A Reflection On Our History

Last week, I felt privileged to attend the National Lutheran Principals Australia Conference in Hahndorf, South Australia.

The conference had been delayed for two years due to COVID, so it was wonderful to meet again with my leadership colleagues.

The first Lutherans to settle in Australia, from Germany, did so seeking religious freedom. In 1817, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia had issued an order to unite the large Lutheran Church with the minor Reformed Calvinistic Church. Those who refused were persecuted and some imprisoned. Emigration to Australia was a courageous step for many who did not agree with the King’s decision.

Pastor Kavel was one of the first key people in early Lutheran settlement in South Australia. He was the Pastor in Klemzig near Zullichau, Prussia, where my mother’s family, the Paechs, came from. He was a great influence on encouraging emigration to Australia for religious freedom. He arrived in July 1838. Pictured is his grave at Langmeil Lutheran Church in Tanunda.

Also pictured is the Luther’s Rose fountain sculpture in Hahndorf near St Michael’s Lutheran Church which is the oldest continuously operating Lutheran Congregation in Australia, since 1839. As the Luther’s Rose forms the significant part of our Geelong Lutheran College logo, it was a beautiful and important connection between our College and the history of Hahndorf.

Ms Lange-Mohr OAM Head of College