Joseph Dare (minister)

Joseph Dare (1831–1880) was an Australian Wesleyan Church leader.

A native of Dorsetshire (now Dorset), England, Dare emigrated to South Australia when a youth.[1] Possessed of a noble presence, and favored with a magnificent voice, he was a very attractive preacher. He was as useful as he was popular. His health failed, and his friends subscribed the cost of defraying his expenses for a visit to the United States and Great Britain.[1]

While in the United States he preached at Bound Lake camp meeting a sermon remarkable for its eloquence, and for the unction which attended it.[1] On his return to Australia he was elected President of the Victoria and Tasmania Conference.[1]

One story related about Dare is that he chaired the church meeting in which Henry Howard first tried to make a public speech, and completely broke down.[2] The next day, Howard told Dare that in view of his failure, he had resolved never to attempt public speaking again. Dare replied, "I don't call that a failure, a real failure is when a man talks for an hour and says nothing".[2] Howard went on to become a noted Australian Methodist minister and writer.

Dare's health gradually declined, and he died at the early age of forty-nine.[1] He had two daughters, Emily and Annie.[3] A street in Ocean Grove, Victoria, is named for him.[4]

References
  1. W. H. Daniels, The Illustrated History of Methodism in Great Britain, America, and Australia (1890), p. 812.
  2. Serle, Percival (1949). "Howard, Henry". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  3. Ailsa Gwennyth Zainu'ddin, They dreamt of a school: a centenary history of Methodist Ladies' College (1982).
  4. Ocean Grove: Street Names, Bellarine Historical Society.
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