A word about Leongatha's link with Bismarck’s Germany

HOW can there be a connection between a giant figure of German history, Otto von Bismarck, and Leongatha?

If there wasn’t one before, there is now after a new book by Melbourne academic, historian, linguist and author Dr Volkhard Wehner.

The book entitled 'The Leongatha Labour Colony and its antecedents in Bismarck Germany' is set to be launched locally on Wednesday, January 12, prompting Secretary of the Leongatha Historical Society, Lyn Skillern to provide some details, of the book, its author and the launch event:

The Leongatha Labour Colony ran as an experimental farm and place for unemployment relief from 1893 until 1919. It was located on an 800 acre site running from the present site of Mary McKillop College to the site of the current Leongatha Primary School and Secondary College.

Leongatha Agricultural High School was established on part of the colony in 1912.

About ‘The Leongatha Labour Colony and its antecedents in Bismarck’s Germany’: What, you may ask, has Bismarck to do with Leongatha? Bismarck, the ‘Iron Chancellor’ of Imperial Germany - This clever but power-hungry political manipulator of 19th century Europe?

The answer is, it was an idea, or rather an idea the chancellor didn’t like. An idea to do with taking care of the unemployed, the down-and-outs, that aimed at rehabilitating and empowering them, to encourage their self-respect and to improve their chances of finding employment and earning a living.

That was the principle on which the Leongatha Labour Colony was founded, a welfare institution established in 1893 at the height of the economic depression, when almost of a third of workers in Victoria were unemployed. The Labour Colony was based on very successful workers’ colonies founded in Germany by social reformers opposed to the Iron Chancellor.

Here is a brief background to this story: a social movement known as the ‘Inner Mission’ was sweeping through Germany in the second half of the 19th century which aimed at overcoming unemployment and poverty through reform of Christian practice, replacing ‘lip service’ with a genuine love of one’s neighbour.

One constructive form of this movement was to set up agricultural colonies for unemployed workers that aimed to improve their skills as well as to help them regain self-respect. Melbourne Lutheran pastor Hermann Herlitz heard of the German experiment, was much impressed, and at an 1890 Conference on Charity in Melbourne, gave a detailed description of the German scheme.

The conference delegates liked the idea, and following joint government and private discussions it was decided to set up a similar workers’ colony at Leongatha.

Melbourne historian Dr Volkhard Wehner has researched both the German and Leongatha experience and has published his findings. His book will be launched in January at a meeting of the Leongatha and District Historical Society. Information is available from the author at volkhard@bigpond.com and the Leongatha Historical Society at https://www.leongathahistory.org.au/

The non-profit price of the book is $20.

Contributed by Secretary of the Leongatha Historical Society, Lyn Skillern.

Dr Volkhard Wehner is a historian and linguist, and a former librarian and horticulturist. After university studies in Germany and Australia and a career as a librarian at the National Library of Australia and at Monash University, several years as a lecturer at RMIT, horticultural studies at Burnley College, work as a part-time horticulturist in the Dandenongs near Melbourne, and postgraduate studies at the University of Melbourne leading to a doctorate in History, he now freelances as a writer and publisher.

The Leongatha Historical Society will be hosting the launch of the book 'The Leongatha Labour Colony and its antecedents in Bismarck Germany' by Volkhard Wehner on Wednesday, January 12 at 2pm at the Leongatha Mechanics’ Institute. Mr Volkhard will give a talk on the subject as part of the launch. Members of the public are most welcome to attend.