THE P RTAL
November 2014
Australia Pages - page 8
A Compassionate Woman:
Caroline Chisholm
Australia
Pages
This remarkable woman’s life is outlined by J T Stockman
In 1808
a daughter was born to a well-to-do farmer and his wife, William and Sarah Jones, in Wootton
a village south of Northampton. William Jones had been married four times; his first three wives had
died either in childbirth or from illness. Caroline was William’s youngest child, and she, by contemporary
standards, had the extraordinary total of 15 siblings.
New South Wales
William was an upright man and Sarah
was blessed with a kindly and pleasant
countenance, constantly practising
Christian principles in their daily lives;
neither could ever be accused of being
parsimonious.
Caroline was christened and brought
up in the traditions of the Church of
England. Tale has it that, when Caroline
was quite young, her Father arranged
for a badly wounded soldier to stay at their home.
Archibald took ill and, instead of
returning to their homeland, they
decided to move with their two sons
to the colony of New South Wales, the
climate in Australia being decidedly
beneficial for Archibald’s health.
Arriving in October 1838, they settled
at Windsor, West of Sydney.
They became aware of the difficult
conditions that faced emigrants, particularly young
women, many of whom arrived penniless, friendless
and without any means of support.
William conveyed to the family the debt of gratitude
the community had to this man who had fought for
the nation. This had a profound impact on Caroline
Thus Caroline Chisholm commenced her
and remained with her throughout her life.
philanthropic ventures in Australia. During the next
seven years she placed over 11,000 people in homes
As she matured, she became aware that she was being and jobs, established homes for women in Sydney and
called by God to dedicate her life to help the needy and rural areas of the colony.
oppressed.
In latter years she provided invalu