Person:Arthur Hart (16)

Often known as Max, Arthur Maxwell Hart was a missionary to Uganda. The following is taken from his speech read at a family reunion in 1999:

"I went out to Uganda in 1938 as a missionary to train teachers for church primary schools. My fiance Marjorie came to join me in 1939 after the war had started. We were married in Lira, Uganda. Unfortunately Marjorie caught polio approximately 18 months later which left her a paraplegic. At much the same time, she gave birth to David at Kampala. She was then moved to Durban in South Africa and from there back to Australia. In Australia Peter was born.

"In 1952 Marjorie and I and the boys went back to Africa to Butere in North West Kenya. I went back to training teachers for local schools. The local Pastor asked me to design a new church to accomodate up to 1000 people. He didn't want pillars to obstruct the congregations view of the preacher. We returned home on leave, and during this time I researched what was needed for the structure.

"The church was completed in 1960. It had windows but no glass. I was proud to be associated with the design and building of this church. They have since built guest houses to accomodate travellers. My brother and his wife Grace visited us in Kenya and stayed 6 months, giving valuable assistance as a teacher to both students and staff. During the 12 years we spent in Kenya, we visited many beautiful places including game parks in Uganda and Kenya. Kisumu, our nearest town was on the shores of Lake Victoria.

"Peter and David attended primary and secondary school in Kenya, firstly at Kericho, a picturesque location in the tea growing country, and then in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. We encounted many African Christians in the revival movement and those who opposed the Mau Mau terrorists movement. Marjorie, although a paraplegic, managed to work tirelessly as house matron to the many boarding African students at the Butere teacher training college. The legacy of our work is epitomised by the brick church at Butere."