Backhouse Lectures

The James Backhouse Lecture, commonly known as the Backhouse Lecture, is a public lecture on contemporary issues delivered annually at the national gathering of Quakers in Australia. The lecture is recorded and published, and is available for purchase as a booklet from Friends Booksales, PO Box 181, Glen Osmond SA 5064 or ORDER BY EMAIL.

Any Friend can nominate a proposed Backhouse Lecturer, download the Backhouse Lecturer nomination form.

The lecture is given in memory of James Backhouse (pictured right), who walked around a great deal of eastern and southern Australia to enquire into the condition of the penal settlements in Australia and the welfare of the Aborigines and the free settlers. He had as his travelling companion George Washington Walker, and there is no doubt that the visit of these two Friends marked the beginning of the history of Friends in Australia.

James Backhouse Lectures, 1964 to date

Click on the items in blue to open a pdf version of the lecture for reading on screen or printing out. We hope to be able to provide a full range of Backhouse Lectures in this format within the near future.

All materials on this page are Copyright to Australia Yearly Meeting, including the pdf documents.

To buy any of the above Backhouse Lectures, email Friends Booksales or write to PO Box 181, Glen Osmond SA 5064.

Current Backhouse Lectures in print form
Cost: AU$15.00 + p & p
Cost: CD-ROM AU $15.00 + p & p
Past Backhouse Lectures
Cost: AU$5.00 + p & p