RHS 1 (First from the back)
Depicts:- The early scenes of life and settlement in Gippsland.
The small tracery (up the top) window depicts the first church building erected in Gippsland at Tarraville and dedicated in 1856.
Designed And Installed By:-   Philip Handel    Easter Day 1980
In Memory of:- The very early settlers who established their farms and the Church in Gippsland.

Religious Significance:
This window is not based on a biblical story or text but it is designed to remind us of the tremendous fortitude and faith of which the early settlers were motivated, especially our Church Pioneers. 

One reads in our history books of the dedicated efforts of the first Anglican Priests, such as Rev. E.G. Pryce who in 1846 came on horse-back from the Manoro in N.S.W. and held Services at Flooding Creek, Sale, before continuing on to Tarraville. Then followed in 1847 Rev. Francis Hales who visited all settlements in Gippsland on horseback from Alberton during his year's stay.

Perhaps however the clergyman who deserves most thanks and praise from the Church of England parishioners, was Rev. Willougbhy Bean who resided at Tarraville from 1848 to 1854. During that time he covered the whole of Gippsland on horseback and a census of the population which he carried out in 1850 revealed a total of 1302 white persons in the whole province from Alberton to Bairnsdale and to Morwell.

We are also reminded of our first Bishop Arthur Wellesley Pain who organised the Gippsland Diocese for 15 years from 1902. Then followed Bishop George Harvard Cranswick who was to serve the large and growing diocese for a further 25 years from 1917 to 1942.

Deaconess Sister May Lambert was also a pioneer of considerable note, mainly under Bishop Cranswick's direction she visited many outlying settlements in all the four corners of Gippsland's hills, administering services to the many small groups that gathered. The small tracery window depicts the first church building erected in Gippsland at Tarraville and dedicated in 1856.

The other panels feature various aspects of early settlement in the area and indicate the beautiful mountains and rivers, the huge timber forests from which the settlers had to carve their way and an existence. The primitive transport and original housing are also featured. The lower right hand corner displays from a well known photo a copy of the Old Bark Hut which was in Cunninghame Street Sale diagonally opposite the Chapter House.

The surrounds of this very unusual but attractive and exquisitely designed window shows varieties of wild flowers which abounded at that time and are taken from an artist's impression of the local vegetation.

As the wording at the base of the window indicates we should all give thanks for many blessings and for those who established our Church in Gippsland.  

Gift Of and Wording: This window was a gift from the Davis family who are descendants of an original settler in Gippsland. George Davis selected land in Riverslea near Maffra which was formerly a part of Mewburn Park Station. There was a large family of twelve children and most of the eight boys took some part in the development of farming land in Gippsland. A great grandson of the original settler Philip, still lives in Sale.

The Wording on the window is as follows:
To the glory of God in memory of the early settlers of Gippsland and in thanksgiving for many blessings Max and Enid Davis - 1980

The Davis families origin in Australia dates back to 1851 when George Davis aged 18 years migrated to Western Australia from Worcestershire in England. In 1862 after trying his luck in the goldfields of W.A. and Victoria and travelling around other states he settled on 2000 acres of land at the junction of the Thompson and Macalister Rivers near Maffra. He married Mary Silvester from Lindenow and they had twelve children many of whom are now buried in the Maffra cemetery.

From the early days the Davis family have been closely connected with the Anglican Church in Maffra and Sale. The eldest son George Martley Davis settled in Macarthur Street, Sale and commenced a Stock and Station Agency business which was eventually taken over by Dalgety's.

He followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a member of the Victorian Parliament for some sixteen years. He lost his sight and became known as "the blind member". But during these years he continued to attend St. Pauls regularly with his family. Several of his younger brothers selected land at Foster

in South Gippsland and carved their living out of the old virgin bush while fourth son Charles stayed at home and settled on the property "Riversdale". Later Charles married one Ethel Dobson who came from Sydney to become Principal of the Sale Girls High School which was attended by the daughters of many of the original Anglican settlers.

This was a private school and originated from the efforts of Bishop Pain, the first Bishop of the Gippsland Diocese whose installation was on 10th July 1902 in this Cathedral. Bishop Pain had three daughters and was particularly keen to see such a school established and of course it follows that the St. Annes Girls Grammar School and now the Gippsland Grammar School had their origins in that first private school.

The Sale Mens Club in York Street was originally built as the first girls school and the two sister Dobsons teachers subsequently married two Davis brothers.

Mrs. Charlie Davis, as Ethel became affectionately known, was a devout Christian and a tireless worker for the Church and community organisations both in Maffra, Sale and throughout the whole Diocese of Gippsland.

During her work for the Church she helped establish the Mothers Union in Gippsland, was correspondent for the Birthday Band and worked hard for the British and Foreign Bible Society. She also developed a close association with Bishop Cranswick, Gippsland's second bishop, on various church matters including the establishment of boarding hostels for Gippsland's country students and was a member of the original St. Annes' School Council.

 It is also well remembered the very close friendship and support Mrs. Davis gave to the Deaconess' of that time.   Sister May, Sister Marie, Sister Winnifred and Sister Maud were well known to the Davis family and frequently spent their leisure time as guests of Charles and Ethel Davis at "Riversdale".

Mrs. Davis was a true Christian and her generosity towards the needy knew no bounds. She was always the first to appear on the scene when a family suffered hardship or needed help of any kind. It could be said that she spent her life working for others.

It was her son Max and his wife Enid who conceived the idea of a stained glass window in Gippsland's Cathedral as a tribute and in memory of all the early settlers who established the land and the Church for future people. (They wrote the original versions of these Cathedral Window articles)