DON, ALEXANDER (1857-1934) was born at Ballarat, Victoria, the son of John Don. Educated at public schools, he left at the age of 10 (having passed the sixth standard) and took odd jobs in the mining industry at Bendigo (1866-72). His Bible class teacher advised him to qualify for teaching, and at 15 he passed the entrance examination and commenced as a pupil teacher. During his employment in that profession (1873-79) he devoted himself to entomology, taught in the Sunday school and was precentor in the church, a member of the board of management of the Y.M.C.A. and later corresponding secretary.

Hearing Dr John G. Paton speaking on the New Hebrides mission (1877), Don offered his services and was advised to come to Otago. After some correspondence he was appointed second assistant at the Port Chalmers school (1879). He took part in cricket and football, sprinting and other field sports, taught music at school, and wrote regular articles on New Zealand for the Australian press. A young man being required for the Presbyterian mission at Canton, Don studied Chinese as well as he could in New Zealand and left for China. In 46 months he had fully mastered the language. Having suffered a severe attack of yellow fever, he returned to New Zealand, entered Theological Hall and was sent to labour at Riverton (1882). In 1883 he married Amelia, daughter of Francis Warne (Bendigo) and in 1886 moved to Lawrence, where there was a larger Chinese community scattered between Waiahuna, Glenore and Waipori. He toured the goldfields regularly, mainly on foot or driving. In 18 tours he walked 16,000 miles.

In 1889 the missionary centre was changed to Dunedin, a Chinese church was opened and Don contemplated the Otago church establishing its own mission among the villages and market towns north of Canton. He visited that field in 1898, and in 1901 the mission was opened, G. H. McNeur being the first missionary. In his address as moderator of the Assembly in 1907 Don proposed opening a mission in India. He launched an appeal for relief for sufferers from the famine in China, and as a token of gratitude received from the Chinese government the seventh council insignia of the Excellent Crop. In 1913 he moved his headquarters to Palmerston North, but a year later returned to Dunedin to become organising secretary of foreign missions. In 1922 he again visited the mission field and in 1923 he retired to live at Ophir.

Don continued his interest in the Sunday school and the P.W.M.U., and for the jubilee of the Otago presbytery compiled a volume of recollections, Memoirs of the Golden Road (1931). He wrote regularly to the Outlook and published a number of books, including Under Six Flags, Light in Dark Isles, and Peter Milne of Nguna. He died on 2 Nov 1934.

Proc. General Assembly of New Zealand, 1871-1934; The Outlook, pass; Don, op. cit. (p); Otago Daily Times, 3 Nov 1934.

Reference: Volume 1, page 125

🌳 Further sources