A PIONEER AMONG PIONEERS

Noted for his determination and persistence to “get the message through” in the outback was Ben Brickell. For decades he plied the remote areas of the country as an isolated pioneer. Brother Brickell had come from New Zealand in 1932 and became another of the faithful band of rugged pioneers of those early days. He continued on in the full-time ministry right up until his death in 1974.

The following is typical of the colorful life and experiences that Brother Brickell enjoyed to the full:

“In early August 1932, I left Townsville, Queensland, on an 800-mile (1,300-km) journey to Normanton on the Gulf of Carpentaria. Loading my bicycle with 60 bound books, some booklets and magazines, a change of clothing, a roll of two blankets, some foodstuffs and a small water bag, I set out on the first stage of my journey over Mount Fox on the Great Dividing Range. The one-mile (1.6-km) climb over Mount Fox, on a track of one-in-three gradient, took me nine hours of arduous toil as I propelled my heavily loaded bicycle with my right hand and my left shoulder behind the load. Then down the steep track on the other side the next day, after witnessing to the small settlement on the mountaintop and receiving a night’s hospitality at one of the homes there.”

Many aboriginal Australians were contacted by Brother Brickell over the years. “After my giving a talk to one gathering,” he related, “the entire audience came forward to thank me warmly for the truths I had told them from the Bible. On another occasion, 50 aborigines came to hear a talk within a few minutes of my arrival, although the camp was in complete darkness.”

[Picture on page 58]

Ben Brickell, a most outstanding pioneer in theocratic history