Friedrich Wilhelm Albrecht (15 October 1894 – 16 March 1984) was a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

missionary and pastor who was the superintendent at

Hermannsburg Hermannsburg is a village and a former municipality in the Celle (district), Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Südheide (municipality), Südheide. It has been a state-recognised resort t ...

Mission in

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...

from 1926 to 1952 where he made a significant contribution.

Early life

Albrecht was born on 15 October 1894 at

Pławanice Pławanice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kamień, within Chełm County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies approximately east of Kamień, east of Chełm, and east of the regional capital Lublin Lublin is ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

to Ferdinand and Helene Albrecht and is the eldest of their 10 children. Albrecht initially attended the local village school before he moved to study and live at the

Hermannsburg Mission The Hermannsburg Mission () was founded as the Hermannsburg Mission Centre (''Missionsanstalt Hermannsburg'') in 1849 in Hermannsburg, near Celle, North Germany, by Louis Harms. In 1977, the independent mission society was merged into the work ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1913 and he graduated in 1924.

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

did interrupt his studies and, due to a childhood injury making him lame in one leg, Albrecht served in the German medical corps on the Russian front. He was awarded an

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

for tending wounded soldiers when under fire. After completing his studies he received a call to work at Hermannsburg Mission, from

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

, but before he could begin he received English tuition in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Minna Maria Margaretha Gevers, who Albrecht met in Germany, followed him there and they married in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

on 14 September 1925. Following their marriage they sailed to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

where they arrived on 18 October 1925 before immediately travelling to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. In South Australia, at Nuriootpa, Albrecht was ordained as a pastor in the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia on 14 February 1926.

Life in the Northern Territory

Albrecht reached Hermannsburg on 16 April 1926 where he was the replacement for

Carl Strehlow Carl Friedrich Theodor Strehlow (23 December 1871 – 20 October 1922) was an anthropologist, linguist and genealogist who served on two Lutheran missions in remote parts of Australia from May 1892 to October 1922. He was at Killalpaninna Missi ...

who died unexpectedly in October 1922.

Gerhardt Johannsen Gerhardt Andreas Johannsen (14 November 1876 – 4 April 1951) was a stonemason, builder and pastoralist in the Northern Territory. Early life Johannsen was born in Denmark on 14 November 1876 and, in 1899, he left to emigrate to Australia: ...

delivered the couple to the mission, driving them from

Oodnadatta Oodnadatta is a small, remote outback town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located north-north-west of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide by road or direct, at an altitude of . The unsealed Oodnadatta ...

, via Alice Springs. Anton_Faymann_009_Auto_Colour

Albrecht's first priority after arriving at the mission was to learn

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

and he was assisted in this by Moses Tjalkabota Uraikuria, an Arrernte man of high degree and Christian evangelist, who served as a teacher and guide to the missionaries at Hermannsburg (and T. G. H. Strehlow). After achieving language sufficiency Albrecht continued work on translating the Bible, delivering sermons and training Aboriginal evangelists. Albrecht arrived in Hermannsburg during a period of extreme drought and there had already been thoughts of closure; between 1926 and 1929 it is recorded that 41 of the 51 children born at the mission died and this ill health also affected Albrecht's family with his infant daughter Helene weighing less at four then she had at two. Adults were also affected with some deaths from scurvy and general ill health, primarily from eczema, kidney disease and tuberculosis. Spurned on by this tragedy Albrecht advocated for the construction of the

Kuprilya Springs Pipeline The Kuprilya Springs Pipeline, sometimes spelled Kaporilja, is a pipeline in the Northern Territory of Australia which runs between the Kuprilya Springs to Hermannsburg, Northern Territory, Hermannsburg, which was then functioning as a Lutheran ...

, which the Lutheran Mission Board refused to support, and he ultimately received the funds required from artists Jessie Traill and Una and

Violet Teague Violet Helen Evangeline Teague (21 February 1872 – 30 September 1951) was an Australian artist, noted for her painting, printmaking and her critical writings on art. Early life and training The only daughter of Melbourne homeopath James Te ...

. The completion of this pipeline, and the associated fresh fruit and vegetables they were able to grow, infant mortality decreased significantly. Albrecht later lamented: Albrecht had a deep respect for Aboriginal spirituality but he saw no way to reconcile it with Christian faith. Because of these views Albrecht removed and disposed of the

Tjurunga A tjurunga, also spelt churinga and tjuringa, is an object considered to be of religious significance by Central Australian Aboriginal people of the Arrernte (Aranda, Arunta) groups. The word derives from the Arrernte word ''Tywerenge'' which ...

in the sacred Manangananga Cave; unlike Albrecht, Carl Strehlow had always acknowledged the importance of this site and the sacred objects, and had left it untouched. Despite this Albrecht is remembered as an advocate for Aboriginal people, who was concerned for their material and social welfare. A part of this in action was his work with

Charles Duguid use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Kent Town, Adelaide , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = ...

and T.G.H Strehlow to establish Aboriginal settlements like Areyonga and

Yuendumu Yuendumu is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia, northwest of Alice Springs on the Tanami Road, within the Central Desert Region local government area. It ranks as one of the larger remote communities in central Australia, and has a ...

. He was also instrumental in establishing the arts and crafts industry in Hermannsburg as a way for the community to make money, especially when tourists began arriving in the 1930s. He also encouraged

Albert Namatjira Albert Namatjira (; born Elea Namatjira; 28 July 1902 – 8 August 1959) was an Arrernte painter from the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia, widely considered one of the most notable Australian artists. As a pioneer of contemporary Indige ...

who he helped sell his paintings. Additionally Albrecht operated the mission as a working cattle station and established a tannery; the hides of which were used for leather-work products. In 1952 Albrecht and his family (3 sons and 2 daughters) moved to Alice Springs following his wife, Minna, experiencing regular ill health. Albrecht continued his work as a pastor in Alice Springs until his retirement in 1962. In 1958 he was appointed MBE.

Later life

In 1962 the Albrecht's retired to

Linden Park, South Australia Linden Park is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Burnside. It derives its name from the Linden tree. Linden Park was created when an existing allotment was subdivided and sold for housing in 1882. Many of its streets are na ...

; although he continued to carry out pastoral duties. Albrecht died in

Fullarton, South Australia Fullarton is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Unley. It adjoins Parkside, Unley, Malvern, Highgate and Myrtle Bank and is bisected by Fullarton Road. Fullarton is bounded by Cremorne Street, Randolph Avenue ...

on 16 March 1984, four months after his wife's death, and was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery,

Pasadena, South Australia Pasadena is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Mitcham. History ''Panorama'' Post Office opened on 1 August 1947 and was renamed ''Pasadena'' in 1982. Facilities * Centennial Park Cemetery * Naomi Reserve * Sp ...

Publications

A full list of publications are available o
Trove

Legacy

Albrecht Drive and Oval in Alice Springs are named for him as well as Albrecht Road in Kintore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albrecht, Friedrich Wilhelm 1894 births 1984 deaths People from the Northern Territory Lutheran missionaries in Australia Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire