Testimonies

John Fairfax, Sydney Morning Herald founder

John Fairfax was born in Warwickshire England in 1805. His parents were lower middle class folk. His father was a furniture maker and both his parents were Christians who were involved in a local evangelical Chapel. When he was 12 years of age he left school and became apprenticed to a family friend who was a bookseller. He spent Sundays attending various churches where he heard a number of very celebrated preachers.

When he became bankrupted because of a legal suit, John Fairfax left England for Australia. He arrived in Sydney in 1838 with his young family, 10 pounds and his experience as a printer and small newspaper owner in England. At that time Sydney had a population of 25,000.

John and his wife, Sarah, settled into the Congregational Church in Pitt St and made friends with a number of business men including David Jones, the retailer. He commenced work as publisher of  "The Sydney Morning Herald"

This was his first taste of independence in a city  where whole swathes of the city were given over to prostitution and alcoholism. It was during these years that John made the faith of his father his own.

His prayers were answered and he enjoyed a stable assurance and confidence in his Christian faith for the remainder of his life. Just before he died, when he was 72, someone asked him about his faith. He replied that this had been settled more than 50 years before.

The gifts that the Lord gave to John Fairfax were used in remarkable ways. He saw his mission in the commerce of Sydney. He developed a strategic way of reflecting his Lord in ordinary everyday work.

He was never in so-called 'full time' ministry, but he was a Christian who was involved in his community. A Christian who made a difference both spiritually and physically to the lives of many people. His achievements and contributions to his community included his being:

  • The owner of Fairfax Publications.
  • A foundation director of the AMP Society.
  • A Director of a Sydney insurance company.
  • A Trustee of the Savings Bank of NSW.
  • A member of the Council of Education.
  • A Member of the Upper House of NSW Parliament.
  • A founding deacon, lay preacher, and Sunday School Superintendent of Pitt Street Congregational Church.
  • The Foundation President of the YMCA in NSW.
  • A key supporter of the non sectarian Sydney Ragged Schools Movement.
  • A promoter of the Arts, adult education and other philanthropic endeavours.

Few today know much about John Fairfax but he was one of the most famous names in Australian business in the Nineteenth Century and the "father of Australian Journalism". Few Australians were as respected then as he was and his death, in 1877, provoked one of the largest funerals in the history of the colony to that time.

Fairfax was  man of God with a vision for commerce, the church and people.

Hebrews 12:1 says "as we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses... let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

John Fairfax was a a role model of being salt and light in society.

Note: The above story is as accurate as we know it. Further input is invited.

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