| Description | Hand-written presentation to the Rev. J. O. Feetham on the occasion of his leaving the Parish of St. Simon Zelotes, Bethnal Green, July 1907.
The volume contains two tributes to Rev. Feetham, the first from the members of St. Simon's Company Church Lads' Brigade Battalion XVII and the second from the Subscribers to the Testimonial of the Parish. The former gives a list of names from the Battalion, including Captain, Lieutenant, Doctor, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Lances and Privates, and also including past members and club members. The second list gives the names of the Subscribers to the Testimonial presented to Rev. Feetham on his leaving the Parish of St. Simon Zelotes, it is 14 pages long and gives some 250 names and addresses. |
| AdminHistory | Reverend John Oliver Feetham (28 January 1873 14 September 1947) was a long-serving Anglican bishop in Australia who was aligned with the Anglo-Catholic tradition.
John Oliver Feetham was born in the United Kingdom on 28 January 1873 into an ecclesiastical family. His father was the Reverend William Feetham, Rural Dean of Raglan, Monmouthshire, Wales and his mother the daughter of an archdeacon. He was educated at Marlborough and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, England, ordained in 1899 and subsequently had a ministry at St Simon Zelotes, Bethnal Green, London from 1899-1907. The parish of Saint Simon Zelotes was formed in 1844, taken from parts of the parishes of Saint John and Saint James the Less. The church was constructed between 1840 and 1847, designed by B. Ferrey in a Gothic style. It seated 933. The church was damaged by bombing in 1943 and 1944 and was later demolished. The parish was united with Saint Anthony, Stepney, in 1936; and in 1971 united with Saint John, Bethnal Green.
In 1907 Reverend Feetham left England and moved to Australia where he became a legendary figure in North Queensland. He founded a number of schools in North Queensland, including All Souls and St Gabriel's, Charters Towers, and St Anne's, Townsville, and St Mary's, Herberton. He was also co-author (with Rev. W.V. Rymer) of the 'North Queensland Jubilee Book 1878-1928.' In 1913 he was ordained to the episcopate as the fourth Bishop of North Queensland, Australia and served in this role until his death on 14 September 1947. His ashes were interred beneath the high altar at St James' Cathedral Townsville, North Queensland and he is commemorated in the Australian Anglican calendar on 15 September. |