August Kavel
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August Ludwig Christian Kavel was born in Berlin, Germany on September 3, 1798. He died February 12, 1860 in South Australia. Pastor Kavel was a founder of Lutheranism in Australia.
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[edit] Training and Early Ministry
In 1826 Kavel was ordained and installed as the Pastor at the church in Klemzig, Prussia. During this period beginning from 1798 (and continuing to 1840), the Christian church in Prussia, had been subjected to a number of changes, brought about by the decrees of the king of Prussia, King Frederick William III. These decrees were intended to unify the Lutheran and Reformed Churches into one Evangelical Christian Church. By 1826, there was some opposition to the intentions of Frederick William. This escalated in 1830, when Frederick William announced a number of changes that outlawed the traditional rites of the churches, and prescribed a form of worship which many Lutherans believed was against the Will of God. It was in this environment that dissent against the decrees of Frederick William arose.
Pastor Kavel was not initially one of this group. Frederick William’s revised edition of the worship agenda that was released in 1829 (as with the first edition), was voluntary for usage in congregations. Pastor Kavel used this worship order until 1834, when under the influence of the writings of Johann Gottfried Scheibel, he ceased and joined the ranks of the dissenters. Kavel wrote to the King in January of 1835, that he would no longer use the worship agenda. Easter Monday, 1835 Kavel was removed from the ministry, and was prohibited from practicing as a pastor. His congregation likewise were prohibited from using the church premises, and participating in any worship services presided by suspended Pastors.
[edit] Emigration to Australia
Pastor Kavel began to look for avenues to lead his congregation in an exodus from Prussia, to a place where they could worship in freedom. In early 1836 Kavel traveled to Hamburg to inquire into the possibility of migrating to Russia, or the United States, however both of these options were not possible.
However in Hamburg, Kavel was informed of the possibility of migrating to Australia. Kavel traveled to London, England to meet with George Fife Angas, the chairman of the South Australia Company, which was searching for emigrants to settle the land acquisitions it had in South Australia. Kavel was met favorably by Angas, who sent his chief clerk, Charles Flaxman to Prussia to meet with Kavel’s group, and to prepare them for emigration. Kavel remained in London, ministering to the German community.
The congregation in Klemzig, went through a number of setbacks in their application to emigrate. Requiring permission from the government, they were informed that their request for emigration had been denied in 1837. Representatives who were sent to appeal the denial, were arrested, and imprisoned. It was only at the end of 1837, that the group was finally given permission to emigrate.
Financially, the migration was expensive. George Angas had lobbied the South Australia Company, to provide funding for the Lutheran dissenters, arguing that the character of the people was the ideal type for the new settlement in South Australia. However, due to financial problems within the Company, the request by Angas which had initially been approved, was now denied. Many of the Prussian migrants had also encountered financial hardship, due to the extended emigration application process. A migration to Australia appeared to now be impossible.
George Angas decided to personally provide funding to Kavel and the Klemzig group. Four ships were chartered on their behalf; the Prince George, the Bengalee, the Zebra, and the Catharina. The Prince George and the Bengalee, left Hamburg on July 8, 1838 with about 250 of the emigrants. They traveled to Plymouth, where they picked up Pastor Kavel, and then continued on their journey, until they arrived in Port Adelaide on November 20, 1838. The Zebra left in August 1838 with 187 on board, and arrived in Holdfast Bay, on December 28. Eleven people, six adults, five children died on the trip. The Catharina left in September 1838, and arrived in January 1839. In all, this group of ships transported approximately 596 migrants from Prussia to Australia.
[edit] Settlement in South Australia
Pastor Kavel as the main leader of the group of immigrants, acted as a negotiator for securing land for the settlers. These new migrants rented 150 acres from George Angas, and established their first settlement in Australia: Klemzig. On the arrival of the third ship, the Zebra, the town Hahndorf was established. A third settlement of the Prussian migrants was established by many of the passengers of the Catharina, at Glen Osmond.
On May 23 and 24 1839, Kavel convened a meeting of the elders of the three villages. At this meeting, the constitution of the new Australian Lutheran synod was adopted. The following synodical gathering in 1840, a letter was drafted and subsequently sent to the “Old Lutherans” in Prussia. It's purpose was to encourage others to also emigrate, and most importantly have a second pastor emigrate to Australia. On October 28, 1841, 224 additional Prussian immigrants arrived in Adelaide on the Skjold, with them was Pastor Gotthard Fritzsche. This group formed the main part of the settlements at Lobethal and Bethanien. In 1842, Langmeil was settled.
[edit] Division in the Church
Tension arose between Kavel and the settled migrants at Hahndorf, and Klemzig, when he strongly urged them to relocate to Langmeil.
[edit] References
- "The Confessional Lutheran Emigrations From Prussia And Saxony Around 1839", Westerhaus, Martin O.
- "Captain Dirk Hahn and the "Hahndorf" passengers to South Australia", German Australia, David Nutting
- "Records from the following Lutheran Churches", Lutheran Church of Australia Archives
