Diocese of Brisbane - William Thornhill Webber

William Thomas Thornhill Webber

3rd Bishop of Brisbane (1885 - 1903)

Webber wasted no time in bringing much needed changes to the administration of the diocese. By 1886 Webber had established committees to oversee lands, finance, records, immigration, Sunday schools and an origination committee to plan new parochial districts. He made synod more effective and redrafted canons even though he spent much time overseas raising capital.

1889	Nathaniel Dawes appointed Coadjutor Bishop (appointed 1st Bishop of Rockhampton in 1892)
1890	Bible in State Schools League founded
1893	Established Brisbane (later St Francis') Theological College with Archdeacon David as first Principal
	Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent (SSA) opened The Home of the Good Shepherd (later known as Tufnell Home Orphanage)
1894	Arthur Evan David collated Archdeacon of Brisbane
1895	Parliament repealed Burke's Act and gave legislative sanction to the consensual compact and incorporated synod as a body corporate
	SSA opened Eton High School (later St Margaret's) at Nundah
	John Francis Stretch appointed coadjutor bishop (first native Australian educated and ordained in Australia to be raised to episcopate - he was later Dean of Newcastle)
1896	Queensland Parliament passed act amending the Religious, Educational and Charitable Institutions Act of 1861
1898	Synod passed the Bishop's Prerogative Canon setting out the authority to be exercised by the Bishop
1900	Diocese of Carpentaria proclaimed
1901	Foundation stone laid for new cathedral
	Act passed enabling Synod to dispose of trust properties and invest monies so received in such a way as to fulfil the purposes of the trust
	Archdeacon Rivers with Reverends Gradwell, Puxley and Walker established forerunner of Bush Brotherhood at Gayndah which served Burnett, Dawson, Taroom and St George districts - a donation was received from an anonymous donor to establish Brotherhood in Western district by 1905
	Rev Horace Henry Dixon (later Bishop) started The Southport School
1904	St Luke's Mission Church, built on the corner of George and Charlotte Streets, acted as pro-cathedral until 1910