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Hedley Percival Bunton (1906–1997) was a missionary in China and a Minister in the Congregational Church in Australia.
Hedley Percival Bunton was born at Devonport, Tasmania on 18 January 1906. His parents were Alphonso Robert Bunton and Isobel Bunton née Filleul.
He graduated from Melbourne University (L.Th.) in 1932 and married Clara Margaret (Peggy) Paton, B.A. Dip.Ed., (a granddaughter of John Gibson Paton) on 17 November 1932 at Deepdene Presbyterian Church, Melbourne, Victoria (Australia).
On 12 Dec 1932 he was ordained to the Christian ministry in the Collins Street Independent Church, Melbourne, for service with the London Missionary Society in Canton (now Guangzhou), South China. He and his wife left for China the following morning.
From 1933 to 1942 he worked under Chinese leaders with the Kwangtung Synod of the Church of Christ in China, a united church, in Canton and the East River District.
From July 1937 to October 1938 he lived under Japanese bombing raids on Canton. His wife and family stayed on in Hong Kong after 1937 summer holidays there but left for Australia in July 1938.
From October 1938 to July 1939 he helped to run refugee camps for Chinese people during Japanese attack upon and occupation of Canton.
In July 1939 he rejoined family for leave in Australia until to November 1940.
In December 1940 he returned to Canton (now Guangzhou) under the Japanese, the family remaining in Melbourne Australia.
From December 1941 to August 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and on Hong Kong (see Battle of Hong Kong) and Malaya (see Battle of Malaya), he continued to live in the London Missionary Society house in Canton, but under house arrest by the Japanese army.
In May 1942 he was taken with other British and American citizens to Shanghai for repatriation and exchange with Japanese from the United States and the British Empire.
On 4 August he sailed from Shanghai in the hell ship Tatsuta Maru with 800 passengers. He arrived at Lourenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa on 27 August where exchange took place. Then to Durban, South Africa for six weeks waiting a ship to Australia. He left on S.S. "Nestor" on 28 October and arrived in Melbourne 16 November 1942.
(* Recorded as Tatuta Maru in some texts.)
From 1942 to 1945 he was the minister of Congregational Church in Glenferrie Road, Malvern, Victoria, Australia.
In 1946 he returned alone to Hong Kong to help in rehabilitation there after 3½ years of Japanese occupation. He was joined by family in August 1946.
In 1947 he returned with the family to Canton (now Guangzhou), again for two years with the Chinese Church during the Chinese Civil War. Sons John Bunton & Frank Bunton returned to school ( Scotch College) in Melbourne late 1948/early 1949 respectively. The rest of his family stayed on in Hong Kong after 1949 summer holiday there while Hedley went back to await the communist revolution. So he lived under the People's Republic of China from October 1949 to May 1950, when left for Hong Kong and leave in Australia.
During 1950 and 1951 he reported to Australian and New Zealand Churches on the Chinese situation.
From 1951 to 1958 he was minister of the Congregational Church, Brown St., Newcastle, New South Wales.
In 1958 he returned to Hong Kong with Peggy and David & Rosalie to take up appointment by The Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China and the Education Department of the Hong Kong Government as Supervisor of that church's schools. Eventually was General supervisor of 54 schools which included primary schools as well as academic and technical high schools. He was invited to stay on after reaching retirement age and so did not leave until November 1973.
In 1973 he returned to Australia to live in church retirement village in Pymble, Sydney.
From 1974 to 1976 he was secretary for Australia and New Zealand of the Council for World Mission (successor to the London Missionary Society).
From 1976 to 1997 he continued to live in retirement until death in 1997.