LOVE, James Robert Beattie, Rev, M. C., D. C. M., M. A. (1889-1947)
Assembly memorial minute, 1947
James Robert Beattie Love, well described by one entitled to speak, as “one of the truly great men of our Church, ” was born at Killeter, Ireland, on June 16th, 1889. He was son of the Rev. G.C. Love, M.A., B D., afterwards at Strathalbyn, S.A., and in 1917 Moderator of the Assembly of South Australia. While Robert Love was still a boy in Strathalbyn, the Inland and its aboriginal inhabitants laid their spell upon him. He determined to dedicate himself to Christian work among the natives, and this became the master passion of his life. It was no lip-homage that he paid to the principle of Minority Rights: rather was it the testimony of his whole life. For a time he was a school teacher in the north of South Australia.
In 1912, at the age of 23 years, he applied for, and received from the Church, an honorary commission to investigate the conditions under which the Central Australian aborigines were living. The greater part of two years was spent in doing this work. He travelled from Flinders Range to Darwin, and from Wyndham to the Queensland border, and all at his own charges. The Board of Missions pronounced his report “very valuable. ”
Meanwhile the Western Australian Church had, in October, 1912, established, after many setbacks, the Mission at Port George IV. The natives in that area were regarded as most dangerous and treacherous. It being necessary for Mr. and Mrs. R.H. Wilson (in charge at Port George IV) to have a holiday, Robert Love, then a student at the Adelaide University, was invited in 1914 to relieve them. Despite opposition from the home base, this “lion-hearted man” went alone to Port George IV, and held the fort there for six months. An almost contemporary account says: “An expert student of language, he mastered the native vocabulary, and unravelled the complicated grammar.... With an enthusiasm that knew neither weariness nor fear, he tramped all over the 90 square miles of the Mission block, and found a much more desirable site, ” known as Kunmunya.
He strongly recommended the adoption of this new site for two reasons: first, it provided a much larger extent of cultivable land; and secondly, as it was about 10 miles inland, it afforded protection to the moral life of the natives against the corrupting influences of Asiatic pearlers. This advice was later carried out, and thus Kunmunya became the headquarters of the Mission. On his return to Adelaide from Port George IV, he resumed and completed his interrupted Arts course and graduated Bachelor of Arts.
As the first World War was then raging, he felt it his duty to enlist. He obtained the rank of Lieutenant, served with distinction in Sinai and Palestine, was twice wounded, and was finally discharged in 1918. He was awarded the Military Cross and the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
By this time he was 30 years of age, burning to return to his life work. This involved a further delay, namely, the doing of the Theological Course. A few weeks after his return he entered our Hall at Ormond College, and threw himself with characteristic zeal into his studies. He did his first year in 1919, obtaining First Class Honours. He at once made off to Mapoon to relieve Mr. and Mrs. Hey.
Then followed his second and third years at the Hall (1920, 1921), and he finished his course with Second Class Honours. He was ordained at Adelaide by the Presbytery of Adelaide on October 10th, 1921. He was now ready to devote himself wholly to work among the aborigines, and till 1927 he was Superintendent of our Mission at Mapoon. Some time during that period he published a book on “Our Australian Blacks, ” which formed an excellent text-book for Mission Band studies. While at Mapoon he married Miss Holinger, from Canterbury, one of the staff there, who shared his views in regard to the work, and who proved an inspiration to him.
His next position was that of Superintendent of Kunmunya, where he arrived on August 23rd, 1927. His first report, dated June 30th, 1928, tells of his views and hopes. The Mission was in contact with about 300 aboriginals; those 300 he served with as much devotion as if they were 30, 000. He describes the Worrora tribe, with which the Mission was in direct contact, as a people of splendid physique and large stature. He says: “Many people have a feeling that the aborigines are really little more than brute beasts. An intimate study of them dispels such illusions. Naked and houseless savages as they have been, they yet evince a surprisingly high range of thinking. The Worrora language is a thing of beauty in its grammatical structure. I have got over 40 pronouns. There are four numbers for the verb: singular, dual, limited plural, and extended plural.... In the tales which the old people tell the little ones are revealed some delicacies of mental working which show that they are very far removed from the level of beasts. No one who has faithfully studied these people could say that they are not human to a very high degree. As such, they warrant all we can do. ”
While at Kunmunya he translated the Four Gospels into the Worrora language—a priceless act of service. The translation was printed and published by the British and Foreign Bible Society. In 1936 he published a very fine work entitled “Stone Age Bushmen of Today. ” For his literary work he received from the University of Adelaide the honorary degree of Master of Arts.
He was appointed to Ernabella in 1940, after 13 years at Kunmunya, and began work there on March 1st, 1941. He took part in translating some prayers, hymns, and part of the New Testament into Pitjantjatjara, the language of the natives in that area. He remained at Ernabella until his long furlough in 1946.
By now he felt that his health necessitated a change from the long, strenuous years of missionary work. He was appointed Moderator of the South Australian Assembly in March, 1946. On October 11th, 1946, he was inducted into the Woodville-Lobethal-Mount Barker Charge. Immediately thereafter he took ill and died on February 19th, 1947, at the age of a little over 57 years.
Robert Love was a man of many and varied interests, but he might well have said, “This one thing I do. ” He had mental and moral qualities which might have won worldly distinction for him, along many lines: but, he chose to devote all his powers to the uplift of an unfriended, despised, unwanted, and perhaps dying race. The unsettling influence of war failed to shake his boyhood’s ambition. His strength of will enabled him to resist all allurements to an easier and less noble life. His reports reveal a man wholly interested in the smallest details of the life of his native friends. He had an instinctive knowledge of the true approach to the mind of the native. His literary aptitudes were of the highest kind. But with all these sterling qualities he was a man with a great gift of humour, and most sociable withal, rejoicing in genial fellowship with others. He loved to unbend, and then no companion could be more delightful. His modest diffidence disdained all self-advertisement. He was truly “one of the great men of our Church. ”
Mr. Love leaves a widow, three boys, and a girl. One of his sons is studying for the ministry. To them all the Assembly tenders sincerest sympathy.
Gender
- Male