While on holiday in Adelaide last May, we visited the town of Hahndorf. Just outside Hahndorf is the former home and workshop of the landscape artist, Hans Heysen. Heysen emigrated to Adelaide from Germany in 1884 at the age of 7. Along with many other German Lutherans he settled in the Hahndorf area. Lutheranism has a long history in South Australia, particularly the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills. The evidence is everywhere with church buildings, schools, memorials and place names dotting the landscape. As we were walking along the main street in Hahndorf we found a memorial with the title “Food and Faith.” The words are copied below.
In 1838 when the colony of South Australia was only two years old Lutheran refugees from Prussia arrived here and established a farm village which they named Hahndorf. To earn wages, many of the men (and sometimes whole families) left the village to work for wealthy landowners clearing the bush and building fences. Many women were, therefore, left to labour alone on the small farms, raising animals and vegetable gardens, and making butter and cheese.
Conditions in the colony were very difficult. Animal transport was scarce and food was generally poor in quality and expensive since everything had to be imported. So the German women found a ready market in Adelaide for their fresh vegetables and diary produce. But they had to carry it themselves in baskets on their backs, or suspended from yokes across their shoulders, all the way to Adeliade!
The women and older girls would leave Hahndorf at midnight and follow a 35km winding track through dense bushland to arrive at Beaumont at 4 o’clock in the morning. Here they rested by a creek and sang hymns before walking on to Adelaide to sell their produce. On the homeward trek they carried their money along with household goods such as tea, coffee, sugar, needles and sewing thread and tobacco for their menfolk. They also carried stout sticks to ward of thieves.
This memorial honours the German women of Hahndorf whose courage and perseverance helped South Australia prosper in its early years.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Hans Heysen’s property – “The Cedars.” I thoroughly enjoyed the old buildings and autumn trees in Hahndorf. But the words on the memorial moved me and stayed with me. I thought about the danger and difficulty of walking through dense bushland, day and night in all kinds of weather. I thought about the women and children singing hymns by a creek in the early hours of the morning. I thought about the long journey back (uphill) and the threat of thieves. I thought about them arriving home well after sunset, a roundtrip of over 70kms. These were women of faith who trusted the Lord for strength and protection as they served their families.
The Bible presents many examples of faith, faithfulness, perseverance and endurance (we recently considered Heb 11). There are also many examples outside of the Bible. This is one of them. When we are tired and the journey is long and difficult, look to the witness of others. The Hahndorf women do much to challenge and encourage us. But ultimately, let us cast our eyes further afield to the supreme example of the Lord Jesus Christ. Heb 12:1-2, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”