Kingsley Educational Pty Ltd

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Of course I'm talking of the surname, and I haven't gone back to the origins of the name at all, nor it's origins as a first name. I might add that "my" Kingsleys are not related to Charles Kingsley, author of "Water Babies" and not a character I admire deeply. He was English; "mine" were Irish.

William Bowman Kingsley (born 1833 in Athlone) married Susan Eason (born 1839) in 1856 and came to Australia 1861. One of their six children was Hannah, born 1862 in Melbourne. Hannah had two illegitimate sons when she was 19 and 21, by a man who was older than her father, and had recently lost a wife, but who had looked after her well. Hannah named the boys William and Alexander, both carrying their father's surname (Marriott) as a middle name, and Kingsley as a surname. Later William "fell out" with the Kingsleys and used Marriott as his surname, simply dropping his mother's name. William had many privileges as his father had provided for him well, but found many grievances with life. He was an obese fellow - grossly obese. When he sat on a couch, his stomach hung to the floor. When he drove around in his dray, with the usual bench seat at the front, there was no room for his wife, who would have to walk or ride on top of the load. William claimed he couldn't do any of the hard work on his market garden, orchard and pig gerry - his wife and two daughters did it all. He didn't even take much produce to market - instead he got the girls to set up a roadside stall on their property. At home, meals were a drab affair when everything was deathly quiet. He objected to clattering cutlery and even to the clacking of knitting needles when the news was on. I tell all this by way of contrast. William, who did not pass on the Kingsley name anyway, embodies a character we would not wish to emulate! We do not know why he "fell out" with his mother and brother - but we do know that his mother became a Christian somewhere in these years of the boys' growing up.

Alexander also had a very strong and evangelical faith, and married a fine Christian lady. They had nine children, all of whom were very active in Christian works, as were many of their children. People who knew them say that their home - right next door to William's - was always full of laughter and music. The Alexander Kingsley family ran outreaches to the local people, activities for their children, and eventually church services. They built the Waverley Gospel Chapel - both numerically/spiritually and physically - and it still stands as a testimony of what one family can achieve. Alexander's oldest was Harold. Harold bought the land that is our street (Kingsley Grove) now, and cultivated it successfully till he retired in 1952. Then it was subdivided, though he still lived here for many years.

So there you have it. "A Tale of Two Brothers," you might call it. The same start, morally, though luckier than most in provision. The same hard-working mother. The same training in market gardening and self-employment. But - very different reactions - the one, bitter, self-seeking, nasty, morose; the other joyful, purposeful, Godly, kind.

William's daughters both married poorly and moved away, not speaking to the other members of the family. There are few if any descendants now.

Alexander's children all took up the faith, married well and had happy households with children who largely followed the faith. Eg his grandson Ron Kingsley is an executive of Missionary Aviation Fellowship. Many of Alexander's descendants are Christian home educators and our customers - in fact it was them who alerted us to the history of the name. One is a close friend of mine, with whom I correspond regularly. I'm not sure exactly how many descendants Alexander has - nine children, each had 3-5 children, each now a grandparent. Nor am I sure how many are Christian - but lots are.