Luke Wade 1795 – 1868

The celebration of the Methodist Bicentenary is almost over, it might be said. At the last Conference, and on other occasions, we have remembered the pioneering work of those first Wesleyan missionaries. The choice of the year (1822) reflected a ‘tidying’ of the record decades ago. Its establishment began with Samuel Leigh’s first visit in 1819 and was not completed for another four years. During that period, Leigh had visited England to press the case for the Mission, received qualified support from the Missionary Committee in London and returned to the South Pacific with a wife, a vision and trade goods. In Sydney he found a couple of assistants to help with the ‘infrastructure’ and the wheels had been set in motion for the appointment of assistant missionaries. Leigh’s return to Aotearoa did not lead immediately to an agreement on where the site for the Mission should be and in any case the CMS staff knew the area much better than he did.

It was not really until the middle of 1823 that finality was reached. Leigh had been as far north as Oruru, and as far south (possibly) as Whangārei (then depopulated). When William White came in 1822, Kaeo on the Whangaroa Harbour was settled on – a risky proposition in the light of a recent serious confrontation there between tangata whenua and a European ship. Only in 1823 when Nathaniel Turner, his wife Anne and John Hobbs - chosen by Turner in Sydney to come over as an assistant missionary – finally arrived on the scene was the process completed. They were a disparate group and in those first months and for longer, they were not clear as to their priorities.

This is not the place to retell the history of that first Mission. It has been done expertly by J.M.R. Owens, backed up by Gary Clover and others. This writer, however, is intrigued by the internal dynamic of that initial team. Firstly, there was Samuel Leigh, from Staffordshire, an Independent (we might now say Congregationalist) who converted to Wesleyanism. His two assistants, chosen while in Sydney, were James Stack, a navy man with an Irish Roman Catholic background, and Luke Wade, an English-born sailmaker on a whaler. Nathaniel Turner was from Cheshire and William White from Durham. Turner’s assistant missionary from Sydney, was John Hobbs of Kent. In those days when there was no such thing as ‘Standard English,’ the serious conversation, that ended each day or while at work together, would have immediately enabled a visitor to tell where each person was from. Such differences may have also been reflected in their ways of both thinking and believing.

The histories that have been written more recently, may be said to be more objective than the earlier, often apologetic, records. Leigh is rarely described as an efficient manager but he was, of all that group, the one most imbued with the Wesleyan ideal – that their only duty was ‘to save souls.’ Before he left Sydney Leigh had been at odds with the essentially practical Walter Lawry, who ended his ministry in this country. William White was a carpenter/builder and though not married, must have understood how essential it was for Catherine Leigh and Anne Turner to have a place they could call home.

In those days, too, it was not considered necessary (by English missionary leaders) for the missionary to have the necessary language skills before they went to their destinations. It was fortunate for the Wesleyans that James Stack had considerable ability in this respect. So, how was conversion to be achieved if one could not speak to one’s audience in their own tongue? Much more might be said here but it is necessary for us at this distance to try to picture the predicament of eight very different people, literally thrown together by chance, living in the most primitive conditions for a time and surrounded by a people they did not know, or even remotely understand. Was there a sense of resignation as well as of excitement – of fear as well as of hope? And it cannot have been made easier when Leigh’s health deteriorated to the point where he returned to Sydney, retaining the responsibilities of superintendent and leaving behind a team of ‘uneven’ character.

Much has been written about Turner and White, about Hobbs and Stack. The research has been done, portraits have emerged and characters drawn. Each made his mark and is remembered in the annals of New Zealand history. The same cannot be said of Luke Wade. Even his date of death defied those who put together his essential biographical record. But he died in Sydney, well respected it would seem, in 1868 aged 73.

What more can be written? We have noted he was a sailor, on a whaling-ship where versatility was a virtue. The sailmaker’s job was both essential and skilled. When he left (jumped?) ship he would most likely have found employment in Sydney without much difficulty. Leigh may have recognized his skills and Wade may have been at a point where he wanted purpose in his life. He joined the Mission as a ‘servant’ – this versatile man even made bricks - and did so until 1829. He endured the sack of the Kaeo Mission, the escape to New South Wales and the return to Mangungu.

Luke’s wife, Sarah, came all the way to NZ to marry him, only to find that he was on the same errand to the United Kingdom. His was in an invidious social position – the only European ‘servant’ – and he felt he was underpaid for the work he did. When his wife’s health declined, they decided it was best for them to return to Sydney and, sadly, she died soon after her arrival. Luke lived on and is recorded as living in Botany, Braidwood, and Redfern. No indication has been found of his business, whether as employee or employer - though the latter may be more likely, since he is named several times in lists of males advocating for a candidate for local election. This would have meant that at the least he was a householder.

In the end we know so little. The Sydney newspapers hardly mention him and his burial certificate simply noted that his mother’s name was Hannah – and that’s all. But he helped establish Methodism in this country and we honour him for his contribution.