| William Perry French Morris | |
| Church: | Church of England |
| Canon | |
| Birth Date: | 21 October 1878 |
| Birth Place: | Brighton, Victoria, Australia |
| Death Date: | 21 May 1960 |
| Death Place: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Ordination: | 22 December 1901 |
| Ordained By: | Mandell Creighton |
| Spouse: | Ethel Ida Remfry |
| Honorific Prefix: | The Reverend |
| Rank: | Deacon |
William Perry French Morris OBE OM (21 October 1878 – 21 May 1960)[1] was an Australian Anglican priest and school headmaster. He founded the Anglican Church Grammar School ("Churchie") in Brisbane, Queensland.[2]
Morris grew up in an upper-class Melbourne family with strong ties to the Anglican church. A proponent of Muscular Christianity, Morris "eschewed emotional displays of Christian belief" in favour of a firm hand, which occasionally brought him into conflict with the Church. He spent years assisting needy communities in London, before returning to Australia to begin a teaching career. Morris founded Churchie in 1912 and served as headmaster for over 30 years.
Archbishop Keith Rayner has described Morris as "a broad churchman whose religious understanding focused on the 'crises of humanity'".
William Perry French Morris was born in Brighton, Melbourne, on 21 October 1878. He was the eldest son of William Edward Morris, a deputy-registrar of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, and his second wife Clara Elizabeth (née French). His father was born in the village of Leintwardine, Herefordshire, and migrated to Australia in 1853. His mother was born in British India, the daughter of an army officer.
Morris had ten brothers and sisters, and he was known as Will or Bill to his family.
The Morris family has been noted as being particularly liberal for their time. Will's sisters Mary and Marcia respectively studied Arts and Science at university. Sisters Mary and Edith were the first principals of girls' school Merton Hall (now Melbourne Girls Grammar). Will's younger brother, Major General Basil Morris, was an Australian Army officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars.[3]
William Perry French Morris was baptised on 21 November 1878, and is named after his godfather, Charles Perry, the first Anglican bishop of Melbourne.
Morris entered the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School in 1886, and became a prefect. The school had been established in 1849 by his godfather Perry,[4] though Morris and Perry never met.
Morris was awarded his bachelor's degree from Trinity College, University of Melbourne in 1900. He later completed an M.A. from Trinity College in 1915.
Beginning in July 1900, Morris pursued his studies at Ridley Hall, a theological college in Cambridge, England. He read theology and medieval history. His readings on the medieval period may have influenced him in choosing St Magnus, Earl of Orkney as Churchie's patron saint.[5]
Around this time he became influenced by the concept of "Muscular Christianity", a philosophical movement that originated from English public schools during the Victorian era. It centres on patriotism, masculinity, discipline and athleticism.[6] In his first address to students' parents as Churchie headmaster, Morris would state his belief in training "characters as well as minds", encouraging students to participate in sport in addition to their studies.
He prepared for his Orders from July 1900 to August 1901, and gained First Class Honours in the Preliminary Theological examination.
Morris moved to London to work as Assistant-Curate at the Church of St Mary in Whitechapel, a historically impoverished area. This was based on his desire to “do social work on a religious basis, instead of doing religious work on a social basis”. He wrote of his time in Whitechapel:
On 22 December 1901, he became a deacon of the Church of England. He was ordained in St Paul's Cathedral by the Bishop of London, Mandell Creighton.
Morris was ordained as a priest on 7 June 1903 and returned to Melbourne soon after. He became vicar of the parish of St. Barnabas, South Melbourne.
Suspicious of dogma, Morris had a moral disregard for "institutional expressions of faith", which occasionally brought him into conflict with the Church.
Before his ordination as a deacon, he expressed his doubts to Creighton on the articles he was required to agree to. Creighton's response was reportedly "Oh, Morris, we all have those doubts." Morris later doubted if he should have been ordained.
During his time as vicar of St Barnabas, Morris came into conflict with Archbishop Lowther Clarke, who refused to authorise special missions for wharf laborers and their families.
Morris found his vocation in teaching. He served an apprenticeship at Geelong Grammar School, eventually becoming honorary chaplain by 1908. He was assistant boarding master and chaplain at St Peter's College, Adelaide from 1909 to 1911. Morris advocated for smaller class sizes, where teachers could focus on individual pupils.
On 8 February 1912, Morris and his wife Ethel Remfry founded a small private school, St Magnus Hall, in Toowong, Brisbane.[7]
In early 1913, the school was moved next to St John’s Cathedral. Its name was changed to St Magnus Hall Collegiate School For Boys, then to The Cathedral School, then to Brisbane Church of England Grammar School for Boys.
Due to increasing enrolment numbers, Morris decided to purchase land in East Brisbane and once again move the school. On 10 June 1918, Governor of Queensland Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams officially opened the Church of England Grammar School. The foundation stone was laid, establishing Churchie at its present site in Oaklands Parade, East Brisbane.
Morris had hoped that students would be referred to as "Magnates".[8] He disliked the nickname "Churchie", however it had become commonplace by the 1930s and he accepted the change.[9] His own nickname at Churchie was "the Boss".
He married Ethel Ida Remfry at St John's Church, East Malvern on 3 January 1905. Remfry was similarly a University of Melbourne graduate and taught at Merton Hall.[10] In late 1906 Morris and Remfry separated. They had no children.
Morris was appointed as an honorary Canon on 1 September 1935, and he received an OBE in June 1955.[11]
Morris retired in 1946, having served as headmaster for over 30 years. His memoir, Sons of Magnus: first steps of a Queensland school, was published in 1948. He also published Havenhome and Other Verses, a collection of poems.[12]
He died in Brisbane on 21 May 1960.