South Australia
Bethany - the first settlement in the Barossa Valley
In 1842 twenty-seven families settled near the Tanunda Creek and named the village Bethanien (now Bethany) after the place in the Bible (it means "a fertile place"). They were part of the second migration of Lutherans who went to South Australia for religious reasons. In 1841 they had arrived with their Pastor, Gotthard Daniel Fritzsche, on the Skjold and joined fellow-Lutherans who had arrived in late 1838 and early 1839 with Pastor Kavel. Initially they were accommodated in the existing German villages of Klemzig and Hahndorf. Those who went to Hahndorf later established Lobethal, and those who went to Klemzig later showed interest in the Barossa Valley[1].
"Bethany. A village of German settlers."
George French Angas, 1844-45, Art Gallery of South Australia
The German mineralogist Johannes Menge, who worked for the South Australian Company (and played an important role in identifying the colony's mineral resources) initially called the Barossa area Neu-Schlesien (New Silesia), and told Pastor Kavel about it (the name "Barossa", given to the area by the surveyor Colonel Light, prevailed). On 30th June 1839 the three German congregations of Klemzig, Glen Osmond and Hahndorf signed a contract to buy 2,080 acres (842 hectares) of land in the Barossa.
Detail of a German map of S.A. from 1849
The Pioneer Cemetery of Bethany
The photo shows the Pioneer Cemetery of Bethanien/Bethany. The first church services held by the Old Lutherans in Bethanien are reputed to have taken place under the large gum tree seen in the background of the photo[2]. The Pioneer Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the Barossa Valley. As with most cemeteries in the Barossa Valley villages and towns that were settled by Germans, many of the gravestones' inscriptions are written in German.
Hufendorf
Bethanien was the first village in the Barossa Valley, and was built in typical Silesian style, with the cottages arranged in a line along the main street. Each family had its own long, narrow strip of land stretching from the main street in front of the cottage to a common pasture bordered by the creek. A variety of crops (cereal crops, vines, vegetables, fruit) were produced by the family on their strip of land. Their strip of land ended at the village common, a pasture land where all the villagers had their animals grazing. This type of settlement is called in German a Hufendorf settlement. It guaranteed access both to fresh water and the main road. The hope was also that the long, narrow land strips, often up to a kilometre deep, ensured that everybody had an equal share of both fertile and not so good land. Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills was also established along Hufendorf lines.
Hufendorf
(from: David Schubert, "Kavel's People", 1997, with author's permission)
Friedrich Topp
As with other German settlements, the combination of church and school was important. A school was established in Bethanien by Pastor Fritzsche in 1842, and the third teacher there was Friedrich Topp, who had arrived in Adelaide on the 15th October 1842 on the Taglione. Topp started work in the Bethanien school in 1843/44. His career spanned 45 years and he was still teaching in his 80th year. He served as the verger and organist of the church, and kept minutes of meetings in beautiful hand-writing. He was known as a hard-working promoter of religious faith and he made many home visits to sick people. The children were taught in two groups: the older ones in the morning, and the younger ones in the afternoon. Apart from the usual basic subjects, there was also an emphasis on Bible stories and on hymns[3].
Gravestone for Friedrich Topp and his wife in the Pioneer Cemetery at Bethany
Part of the inscription on Topp's gravestone reads as follows:
Unser geliebter Lehrer, Friedrich Topp, gestorben zu Bethanien am 21. August 1892 im Alter von 83 Jahren und 15 Tagen.
Und seine Gattin, Anna Maria Topp, gestorben zu Lights Pass am 17 Februar 1903.
(English translation) Our beloved teacher, Friedrich Topp, died at Bethany on 21st August 1892 at the age of 83 years and 15 days.
And his wife, Anna Maria Topp, died at Lights Pass on 17th February 1903.
A comical poem about Bethany
Charles Otto of Bethany wrote a comic poem in German about Bethany, probably in the 1860s. Here are two of its nine verses.[4]
Loblied von Bethanien
Nach Bethanien, nach Bethanien
will ich meinen Weg hinbahnien,
wo gefall'ne Hütten stehn,
alle Kinder barfuss gehn,
Kuh- und Schweinstall schrecklich stinken,
Leute in den Mud versinken:
wo es düster rings umher,
dahin sehnt mein Herz sich sehr.
In Bethanien, in Bethanien,
wo die Kinder, die rotwangigen,
eilends hin zur Schule laufen,
unterwegs sich tüchtig raufen,
wo Herr Topp den Prügel schwingt,
dass es durch die Hose dringt:
Klagetöne werden laut,
wenn er gerbt die blöße Haut.
Hymn of Praise for Bethany
To Bethanien, to Bethanien,
I want to make my way,
Where collapsed huts stand,
All the children go barefoot,
Cowshed and pigsty smell dreadfully,
People sink down in the mud:
Where it is gloomy all around,
For that place my heart has deep longing.
In Bethanien, in Bethanien,
Where the children, the red-cheeked,
Run in haste to school,
On the way have real good scuffles,
Where Mister Topp swings the cane
So that it penetrates the pants:
Plaintive sounds become loud
When he tans the bare skin.
♦ Notes:
1. Munchenberg, Reginald S et al. (1992), p.24
2. Leske (1996), p.43
3. Proeve (1996), p.34
4. Munchenberg, Reginald S et al. (1992), p.159
♦ References:
Leske, Everard. (1996). For Faith and Freedom: the Story of Lutherans and Lutheranism in Australia 1838-1996. Adelaide: Openbook Publishers
Munchenberg, Reginald S et al. (1992). The Barossa, a Vision Realised. The Nineteenth Century Story. Tanunda: Barossa Valley Archives and Historical Trust Inc. S.159 [Available from Barossa Valley Archives and Historical Trust Inc., Box 51, Tanunda S.A. 5352]
Proeve, H.F.W. (1996). A Dwelling-Place at Bethany. Adelaide: Openbook Publishers