3rd March, 2006

DAVID ADAMS

Four hundred years ago, in 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed in England for his role in the ‘Gunpowder Plot’, a Dutch painter by the name of Rembrandt was born and the so-called ‘Long War’ between the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires came to an end in Hungary.

Perhaps lesser known is that 1606 was also the year that a Portuguese explorer stood on a beach on the island of Espiritu Santo - one of the outer islands of what is now Vanuatu - and proclaimed that he had found Terra Australis de Espiritu Santo, the “Great Southland of the Holy Spirit”.

MAN OF DISCOVERY: Portuguese-born explorer Pedro Fernandez de Quiros. PICTURE SOURCE: Wikipedia (image is public domain)   PROCLAIMING THE GREAT SOUTHLAND "Let the heavens, the earth, the waters with all their creatures and all those here present witness that I, Captain Pedro Fernandez de Quiros...in the name of Jesus Christ...hoist this emblem of the Holy Cross on which His (Jesus Christ's) person was crucified and whereon He gave His life for the ransom and remedy of all the human race...on this Day of Pentecost, 14 May 1606...I, take possession of all this part of the South as far as the pole in the name of Jesus...Which from now on shall be called the Southern land of the Holy Ghost...and this always and forever...and to the end that to all natives, in all the said lands, the holy and sacred evangel may be preached zealously and openly."  - Edited version of Pedro Fernandez de Quiros' declaration, made on Espiritu Santo on 14th May, 1606.

Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, who was acting of behalf of the Spanish Government, was on a mission to discover the Great Southland when he landed on one of the northern islands of Vanuatu on Pentecost Sunday, 14th May, 1606, and took possession of all the lands as far south as the South Pole in the name of, among others, Jesus Christ.

Brian Pickering, national coordinator of the Australian Prayer Network, says that de Quiros’ proclamation was “very profound” for Australia and all the nations of the South Pacific.

“(H)e claimed the land for Jesus Christ,” he says. “He made a declaration that the land on which he stood and the lands right to the South Pole (were) claimed in the name of Jesus and he declared them to be called the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit. He went on to prophesy that the Gospel would be proclaimed freely for generations to come.”

As part of Vanuatu’s celebrations of 400 years since European “discovery”, hundreds of Christians from Australia and all over the South Pacific will be travelling to the exact beach on which de Quiros stood to join in celebration with locals of his proclamation on the 13th and 14th of May.

Pickering, whose organisation along with City Harvest International is gathering the Australian contingent (which they expect may number about 100), says he believes that de Quiros’ arrival and declaration was not only a watershed moment in Vanuatu’s history but also in Australia’s.

“We do because in Australia right at this moment, we are undergoing an attack upon our Christian heritage with the coming into the nation of other faiths and secular hedonism wanting to downplay Australia’s Christian heritage,” he says.

“There is a move independent of the 400th anniversary to see this year as a year where we seek to reclaim our understanding of our Christian heritage as a nation so we see this as God-given timing that the 400th anniversary happens to fall also in this year. We need to review the fact that we are a Christian nation by heritage and to reinforce that and reclaim that and rededicate our nation to God.”

Pickering says he believes anniversaries such as this are “spiritually important”.

“I think anniversaries of any description are always important events - just like why we celebrate the bicentenary of our nation or it’s 100 years since something happened - we recognise as human beings that there is something about birthdays and wedding anniversaries and we do it right through our life...

“We remember these things because it reminds us of what has gone in the past. So I think the 400th anniversary is a very strategic, important time to remember what was said and to reaffirm it in our generation and for future generations.”

De Quiros’ place in history has gone largely unnoticed by many Australians and Pickering says that it was Geoff Bullock, with his song The Great Southland, who took the message of de Quiros’ landing to a wider audience.

“I would go so far as to say that if Geoff Bullock hadn’t written that song The Great Southland probably we wouldn’t be aware that the 400th anniversary is upon us,” he says.

“I think that song - at least to my understanding - reignited an understanding within the hearts of many Australians, especially Christian Australians, that we had that heritage...And then, of course, we discovered that it wasn’t Australia which was the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit but the nations of the Pacific so it’s part of our heritage but it’s also part of the heritage of many nations.”

Vanuatuan Pastor Raynold Bori says Christians locally are looking forward to the upcoming celebrations.

"We are looking at this prophetic and historical event in the light of the calling of our nation to the wider body of Christ and a cooperate destiny for our region in the South Pacific that we can achieve it together for the glory of His name".

Graham McLennan, chairman of the Australian Christian History Research Institute - an organisation which aims to promote Australia’s Christian heritage, says he has been writing about de Quiros for years.

He says he first became aware of the de Quiros’ landing and his declaration after reading Manning Clark’s works on the history of Australia.

“I knew the whole history of it...” he says. “So I talked to people including the Prime Minister of Vanuatu at the time saying, ‘This is a great opportunity to renew the island’s vision’.”

McLennan believes it’s important Australians have an understanding of their country’s Christian heritage, particularly at a time when the question of what Australian identity is being questioned.

“A lot of that’s to do with our historic Christian roots and even secularists realise that our heritage is intertwined with our Christian faith: the institutions we have like Parliament, law and so on and even our education - the first schools in Australia were Christian schools...”

In that vein, McLennan, who is also the chairman of the National Alliance of Christian Leaders, says the organisation is currently pushing for the creation of a national Christian heritage museum.

Gordon Griffiths, of Hornby in Sydney, will be among the Australian contingent heading to Vanuatu.

The 69-year-old retired secondary teacher has had a long association with the South Pacific - he spent the first five years of his life with his missionary parents in the Solomon Islands and has maintained contacts in the area ever since. He says that not only is he looking forward to catching up with friends, he is also looking forward to affirming de Quiros’ declaration and seeing how God moves in the lead-up, during and after the celebration.

“There could be things happening there that no of us anticipate...” Griffiths says. “I feel that if we’re really open to what God can do, He can surprise us.”

Pickering, meanwhile, says that the 400th anniversary of de Quiros’ declaration will also be a major focus of this year’s National Day of Thanksgiving on 3rd June.

“We’ll be asking churches right across Australia on the night of the National Day of Thanksgiving to hold worship celebrations to rededicate our nation to God and to celebrate the 400th anniversary,” he says.

~ For further details, visit www.cityharvest.org.au or www.ausprayernet.org.au.