A long way from home

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Rosendo Salvado was born in 1814 in the Spanish town of Tue. In 1846, Salvado and Joseph Serra came to Western Australia as Benedictine monks and set up a farm and monastery 130km north of Perth. The settlement was named New Norcia and Salvado stayed on to become the first abbot of the monastery. There is great controversy over whether he exploited the local aboriginals or whether he had their best interests at heart. He taught them farming skills and established schools for the children. He was a strong supporter of Aboriginal rights. He made several trips overseas to raise funds for the mission and once walked to Perth to give a piano recital. He spoke five European languages and a number of aboriginal dialects. Although he died in Rome, his body was returned to New Norcia and his remains are buried in the abbey church. As a young student, I learnt about Florence Nightingale. She and Salvado were in regular correspondence, a fact which blew me away for some reason. The photo shows Bishop Salvado with his aboriginal guide.