Christianity in Australia got off to an inauspicious start. The First Fleet arrived in 1788 with the first load of convicts and with the Reverend Richard Johnson appointed to the thankless task of official chaplain. A further chaplain, Reverend John Crowther, was sent out in 1790 but was shipwrecked by an iceberg in the Indian Ocean.
Reverend Samuel Marsden was the next reluctant recruit, arriving in Australia in 1794. He was given 100 acres of land and 26 convict labourers, and he soon managed to amass a considerable fortune through farming activities. He was appointed a magistrate and became well known for his unusually harsh and cruel punishments, earning the name The Flogging Parson. He disliked Roman Catholics and Irish people, and he felt that efforts in reaching Australian Aboriginals were wasted because they rejected material civilisation.
However, Marsden showed considerable interest in the Maoris in New Zealand. In 1814 he visited New Zealand and showing great courage, tenacity and resourcefulness in establishing a mission station there. Thus, although Marsden’s work in Australia is regarded as somewhat embarrassing, he is, for the most part, fondly remembered in New Zealand.