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a case of ‘fix it or you’re fixed’, POP—Persevere or Perish. Griff’s amazing versatility and his ability to come
forward with a solution to almost every problem were invaluable characteristics.
He was a splendid bushman, combining observation and commonsense. While walking through scrub he would
periodically break a twig on a bush or leave some other mark to show his course. A clump of trees would indicate
a watercourse and the greener tree would assure Harry of the presence of water. These bushcraft skills enabled
Griff to come to the rescue on many occasions of people who had found themselves in difficulties in the harsh and
unforgiving country.
While working and ministering Griff was also studying theology and associated subjects to enable him to
complete the requirements for ordination. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in Adelaide in 1932. He continued
with his patrol work but with Alice Springs as his home base. From there Griff’s patrol extended 1 000 miles
(1 600 kilometres) north to Darwin, 400 miles (640 kilometres) south to Oodnadatta, 450 miles (720 kilometres)
east to the Queensland border and an equal distance west to the Western Australian border.
Griff was able to turn his hand to almost anything and his skills as a mechanic, dentist, medico, horseman,
carpenter and coroner’s assistant were valued by the people he served. When Dorothy and Griff arrived in
Alice Springs the only Protestant church building in the Northern Territory was in Darwin. Griff set about changing
that, enclosing a verandah around the single room and dividing it up into bedroom, study, kitchen, and later a
bathroom. He procured a small pump engine and was able to use it to provide water for showers. This same pump
was also used to generate electricity for the manse.
However not all the time was spent coping with practical challenges. Griff was first and foremost a Christian
minister and meeting people’s spiritual needs was important to him. He was asked to conduct baptisms, funerals
and weddings in some strange places and unexpected ways. Griff also knew the value of conversations around
a campfire at night or while travelling long distances in a vehicle when great truths and deep feelings would be
expressed.
The role played by Dorothy in Griff’s work in the Territory must not be overlooked. She accompanied him on
many of his patrols coping with all conditions. Although having no children of her own, Dorothy felt a particular
concern for the children of the outback. She always had books and stories for them and took a special interest
in their education. The service given to women and children by Dorothy Griffiths was an epic of courage as she
battled alongside them with heat, flies, mosquitoes, malaria, dysentery—and all without complaint.
Affectionate concern for Aborigines was characteristic of Griff’s ministry. Through friendships with them
he gained an insight into Aboriginal lore and he used his medical knowledge to treat their wounds and illnesses.
He once spent six weeks confined in a barbed wire compound at Alice Springs treating Aborigines who had
contracted gonorrhoea in the eye, a distressing disease and a heritage from the Europeans.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Harry Griffiths re-enlisted and served as chaplain with the
Australian Imperial Force in the Middle East.
In 1941 the Federal Methodist Inland Mission recognised the need for suitable accommodation for single
young men and women employed in Alice Springs. A residential hostel was built and named Griffiths House as a
tribute to the outstanding work of Harry and Dorothy Griffiths ‘for their efforts to establish our church in Central
Australia. Their long ministry deserves a worthy memorial’.
The outbreak of the Second World War changed The Alice dramatically. It became an important staging post
for convoys of men and vehicles moving between Adelaide and Darwin. In June 1941 Griffiths House opened as a
soldiers’ and servicemen’s club. After the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese the Northern Territory Administration
was evacuated to Alice Springs and took the top floor for offices. The lower floor provided accommodation
for visiting wives and girlfriends. Griffiths House continued to be a popular venue for social and recreational
activities.
In 1945 Griffiths House became a hostel for outback children who came to Alice Springs for education. In time
this service was amalgamated into the present day St Phillip’s College.
After his war service Harry served as parish minister at Newport in Victoria. In 1946 he was appointed Director
of the Federal Methodist Inland Mission and returned to live in Alice Springs. Previous directors had lived in
the south but Harry insisted that as Director he needed to reside in the Territory. He undertook this task with
characteristic enthusiasm and dedication and served until 1951. He and Dorothy were tireless travellers, visiting
padres and other workers who were serving the Church in the Inland.
This superb bushman was never at home in a committee or board meeting and did not take easily to the
techniques and presentation of routine business. He was quoted as saying ‘I’d sooner cross Simpson’s Desert
without a waterbag’.
In 1951 the General Conference of the Methodist Church reverted to its original system of an Honorary
Director, and Harry and Dorothy Griffiths concluded their monumental work for inland Australia. They spent the
next 10 years ministering at Murray Bridge and Prospect in South Australia before retiring in 1963.
A lifelong interest for Harry was Freemasonry and he was initiated into its mysteries and obligations while
living in Victoria in 1929. He held many positions in lodges in Victoria, Northern Territory and South Australia,
serving always with enthusiasm and energy.
Often Harry’s inspiration for preaching and the poetry he wrote was his love of the Australian outback and its
people. He could tell wonderful stories with humour drawing on the experiences and the people he had known and
loved in the Territory.
Dorothy Griffiths died on 25 May 1980. Harry survived her for seven years and died on 10 February 1987.
They were both cremated at Centennial Park in Adelaide. Their ashes were interred under a step on the western