Joseph Coles Kirby

Joseph Coles Kirby (10 June 1837 – 1 August 1924)[1] was an English flour miller who migrated to Sydney, Australia in 1854.

In 1864, Kirby was ordained in the Congregational Churches and then ministered to rural and city congregations in Queensland and South Australia and supported or led many causes for social reform such as the temperance movement, women's suffrage and "social purity", raising the age of consent to 16 in Australia.

[2] Here Kirby criticised the dominant social groups in New South Wales and advocated total abstinence.

[2] While in Queensland he became aware of the policy of large property owners replacing "white" labourers with "kanakas" imported from New Britain and New Ireland, who were prepared to work for lower wages.

As chairman he attacked academicism in the ministry and advocated stronger central initiative in home missions and acceptance of land from the government to build new churches.

While still the minister of the Port Adelaide church, Kirby became secretary of the Social Purity Society in 1882 and spent time in Melbourne and Sydney advocating temperance and women's suffrage.

[5] Although deeply devoted to the Bible and opposing any criticism of it, Kirby was open minded towards Darwinism and eugenics.