An antique clock that originally belonged to James White, one of the early pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has been given to the church's South Pacific region. The clock had been in the Conley family for almost 100 years.
An antique clock that originally belonged to James White, one of the early pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has been given to the church’s South Pacific region. The clock had been in the Conley family for almost 100 years.
The clock was manufactured by Welch, Spring and Company and patented on March 17, 1868. Ellen White and James White were both pioneers of the Adventist church. James White died in 1881. Ellen White gave the clock to Robert Conley as she was leaving Australia. This was after she spent nine years in the country as a missionary.
“Our family feels very happy to present this clock to the church,” says Mrs. Sheila Dever, granddaughter of Robert Conley. “The clock is something very special to our family and we have been looking after it for years. It is something tangible to remember the Whites by.”
Robert Conley resided in Cooranbong, New South Wales and was responsible for plastering almost every original building on the property of Avondale College—the church’s tertiary institution. He also plastered 27 wells in the area, as well as Sunnyside, home of Mrs. White while she was in Australia.
The clock was passed down from Robert Conley to his son, J.B. Conley, the first non-Adventist to enroll in Avondale College as well as the youngest. The younger Conley was baptized and graduated from Avondale’s ministerial course in 1919 and became one of the more prominent Adventist evangelists in the South Pacific. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he was Ministerial Secretary of what was then called the Australasian Division. Pastor Conley then handed the clock down to his son Wallace Conley, who passed away two years ago.
“This is a fitting piece of memorabilia to remind us of our heritage and roots,” said Pastor Laurie Evans, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, during the presentation ceremony. “It will serve as a catalyst in telling our children the story of the church in this part of the world.”
According to Ms. Rose-lee Power, curator of the Adventist Heritage Centre, the delight of being presented the clock does not stem simply from the historical significance it has to the church.
“Very few of these clocks come on the market or are even seen publicly. We have in our hands a piece of treasure,” she says. “It is a very well-preserved clock that still works despite its age.”
The clock will eventually be displayed at Sunnyside, now a museum depicting the life of the Whites in Australia.
