Reverend Edward Puckle, 1875

The Reverend Edward Puckle (c. 1800-1898), Anglican clergyman, took holy orders in Exeter and officiated in Cornwall before sailing on the Randolph to Canterbury, NZ in 1850. Expecting comfortable accommodation, Puckle and his wife brought 70 tons of furniture with them, but having been unloaded, it was washed out on the tide, and the couple lived as pioneers throughout their five years in the country. In 1855 they moved to Victoria, where Puckle ministered to an enormous parish centred in Benalla. In 1856, he was appointed first Vicar of the congregation of St Thomas’s, Essendon (now Moonee Ponds). The foundation stone of the church in Mount Alexander Road was laid by Sir Henry Barkly in 1857 and the church building opened for worship in 1859. Puckle remained the minister until he retired in 1878; he was also Church of England Chaplain of the Melbourne General Cemetery for many years. It was usual for him to walk great distances in the fulfilment of his duties; until he was 75 he walked an average of ten miles a day, and he is said to have suffered scarcely a day’s illness in his life of 98 years and 7 months’ duration. His memorial stained-glass window in St Thomas’s was crafted by William Montgomery of Melbourne soon after his death. Puckle Street, Moonee Ponds, was named in his honour.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2013