An Overview from Australia - Australia is a very old land!

Australia is a very old land! Possibly some 28,000 years ago natives arrived from Malay, Ceylon and New Guinea to settle here. Their main concern was just to survive. But today Australia is generally recognized as being a very new country that will face many challenging tasks in the future. To many it is a land of hope and its relatively peaceful growth and comfortable position has attracted many immigrants.

The real development of Australia did not begin until the 1770’s and the motivation for settling Australia was a mixture of reasons — over-crowded prisons, trade and politics, but probably the greatest factor in moving Britain to establish a colony here was her own poor socio-economic situation that was encouraging crime and infesting London’s once peaceful situation. However, it becomes quite clear that Heavenly Father was working hard to establish a nation at this time. England’s predicament, the social, scientific and intellectual climate were all combined to move men’s hearts to come to Australia.

When the first settlers came from England they were very hopeful but ever so ill equipped and unprepared for the future. They came with little knowledge and few tools. Many of the men were unaccustomed to hard labor and the land they met was unexplored and underdeveloped by its native people-the aboriginals. Thus from the beginning it was a struggle just to survive! However, among the officials and convicts there were enthusiastic people — men who use all their initiative to transform this once very strict disciplined penal settlement into a new land.

Australia’s actual development has followed a somewhat unusual pattern because she has been relatively free from foreign threats. The aboriginals have caused little opposition. She has been able to develop in connection with her mother country, England.

We stand on a foundation of much struggling by our ancestors so as spiritual pioneers we must be courageous, enthusiastic and use all our initiative to bring God’s love to the people. Australia has changed and still is changing much to be discovered. The Family here wants to do a lot more to realize the life and love of Heavenly Father in this huge land. The people are open, the land is open, and like Heavenly Father’s love, the potential is unlimited!