Australian Dictionary of Biography entry:
George Henry Backhaus (1811–1882)
by A. E. Owens

This article was published: in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, 1969, online in 2006

George Henry Backhaus (1811-1882), Catholic priest, was born on 15 February 1811 at Paderborn, Prussia, one of nine children of a boot merchant. He made his early studies with distinction in Paderborn, going then to Rome to study for the priesthood at the College of the Propagation of the Faith (D.D., 1836). He was ordained priest on 24 August 1836. His missionary zeal drew him to India; he sailed from Ireland as chaplain to some troops, and later worked at Berhampur in the vicariate of Bengal under Dr Carew. He laboured in that area for several years and in 1841 visited Ireland, whence he brought some Loreto Sisters from Rathfarnham to his vicariate.

In 1846 a liver complaint and poor health caused him to leave India in search of a cooler climate. After visiting Singapore and Batavia he came to Australia, and spent eleven months in Sydney, finding scope for his musical ability with the Sydney Metropolitan Choir. Life was congenial there, but on learning that the Bishop of Adelaide was unable to obtain a priest for the German Catholics in his area, he decided that his place was with them. He left Sydney on 20 October 1847 and worked hard in poor conditions in the Adelaide diocese for more than four years. In that time he decided to make the Australian mission his life work, and took the oath of allegiance in June 1849. In 1851 a group of influential citizens at East Adelaide petitioned him to stand for the Legislative Council but he declined.

Many struggling settlers left South Australia when they heard of the gold discoveries in Victoria and on 19 February 1852 Bishop Francis Murphy wrote to Backhaus suggesting that he return to Sydney as it was no longer possible to find sufficient revenue to support him. The suggestion must have been tempting, but the pioneer priest decided instead to go where he was needed most, to the Victorian goldfields. He sailed from Adelaide in the Marshal Bennett on 4 March, arrived in Melbourne eleven days later, and volunteered to make the diggings his mission field. An entry made by him in a family Bible states that on Sunday, 25 April 1852, he, 'having been appointed the first priest to take charge of the Catholic population on the Victorian goldfields, celebrated the first Mass in the Gold Commissioner's camp at Forest Creek diggings'. He said the first Sunday Mass in the Bendigo area on 2 May.

In those first months he travelled constantly round the various diggings, his base of operations being at Mount Alexander. Later that year another priest was stationed at Kyneton, leaving Backhaus free to concentrate on the area along the Bendigo Creek. The original Mass site in that district was at Golden Square, but before the end of 1852 he pitched his tent at the site where St Kilian's Church now stands. The first church was a tent; a slab-walled chapel with a canvas roof was built by the miners one hot Sunday in 1853. A Catholic school was started in it, the first of many he established in the district over the next few years.

In 1855 Bishop James Goold on a visit from Melbourne insisted that a church be started. A contract for a stone church was signed within a few months and despite difficulties with foundations and materials it was in use early in 1858, though not completed for another five years. Backhaus, a German missionary to predominantly Irish people, decided to dedicate the church to St Kilian, an early Irish missionary to Germany and one of the patron saints of Paderborn.

He was unremitting in his work as a priest, and in addition was most active in public affairs; his considerable medical knowledge was also in constant demand. When he announced in 1863 that he was resigning and returning to Europe for personal reasons, the leading citizens arranged a banquet to fête this 'scholar and gentleman' who was so universally respected. A valuable set of church plate arrived at St Kilian's in 1865 as a gift from him, and next year he returned to his adopted country and resumed work in Adelaide. He went to Bendigo in May 1867 and, eight years later when it became a diocese of its own, Bishop Martin Crane made him vicar-general.

Feeling the weight of years he retired from parish work in 1881 and after another big public farewell lived in a house he had bought at Brighton near Melbourne. When he became seriously ill in August 1882 he insisted on returning to Bendigo; he died there on 7 September and was buried in the churchyard at St Kilian's with a funeral which seems to have been without parallel in the town's history.

Tall and ascetic looking, he was the complete example of the educated man who chose to share the hardships of the early gold diggers so that he could best minister to their wants. Frugal in his own requirements, he constantly carried out surreptitious acts of charity. He had the rare distinction of being esteemed by the poor as well as the rich, by his own parishioners and by members of other denominations. Forthright and of an independent spirit, he combined a confidence in his own judgment with a ready obedience to ecclesiastical authority. He was a talented musician who maintained a high standard in his own church choir, and who also produced some notable compositions of his own. For his sound business acumen he was sometimes called 'Rev. Corner Allotments' because of the valuable properties he acquired in the early days. In carrying out a promise in 1863 to make St Kilian's his heir, he left real estate, valued for probate at more than £75,000, to accumulate for twenty years and to assist in carrying on the development he had begun. Perhaps his epitaph could best be written in his words at the farewell function in 1881: 'We have succeeded in living such useful lives, that of our existence on Bendigo, imperishable memorials will remain'.

Select Bibliography

G. Mackay, The History of Bendigo (Melb, 1891)
P. F. Moran, History of the Catholic Church in Australasia (Syd, 1895)
A. E. Owens, Henry Backhaus D.D. (Bendigo, 1952)
Bendigo Advertiser, Backhaus memorial supplement, 15 Sept 1882
Argus (Melbourne), 15 Sept 1902
Advocate (Melbourne), 19 Feb 1947
private papers (St Kilian's).

Additional Resources and Scholarship

'The Rev. Dr. Backhaus', Sydney Chronicle, 25 November 1847, p 2
'Farewell Address to Dr. Backhaus', South Australian Advertiser, 1 May 1867, p 3
'Funeral of the Late Dean Backhaus', Kilmore Free Press, 14 September 1882, p 2
'Opening of Bendigo Cathedral', Advertiser (Adelaide), 30 September 1901, p 5
'A Clergyman's Will', West Australian, 15 September 1902, p 5
'A Priest's Estate: Land Tax Assessment', Barrier Miner (Broken Hill), 11 October 1915, p 4
'Judging the Wines', Argus (Melbourne), 12 September 1932, p 6

Citation details
A. E. Owens, 'Backhaus, George Henry (1811–1882)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/backhaus-george-henry-43/text4199, published first in hardcopy 1969, accessed online 18 June 2025.

This article was published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, (Melbourne University Press), 1969.

Reproduced by permission of Australian Dictionary of Biography. Original biography: https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/backhaus-george-henry-43

---

Fr T.J. Linane, From Abel to Zundolovich, Vol. 1, 1979, pp 18-19:

Backhaus, Henry, Very Rev., D.D., Prussian
Pioneer and Financial Hard Head in Bendigo
b. Paderborn, Westphalia 1811; ed. Paderborn, Propaganda Coll., Rome; ord. 1836; came from Bengal Vicariate to Syd. 1846; came to Adelaide in 1847 and assisted Dr. Murphy until 1852; came to Bendigo in gold-rush. Church and community grew strong under his leadership. Zealous priest and financial genius. Estate valued at £75,000 plus. d. 7.9.1882; age 71; buried St. Kilian's church grounds. A large biography would not adequately describe his pioneering achievements.
(See Footprints Vol. 1, No. 2)
Ref: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol.3; Biography by late Rev. A.E. Owens (1952); Details of Last Will, Melb. Advocate, 13.9.1903; Hetherington article in Melb. Age, 8.1.1966. Footprints of Our Catholic Pioneers, by Francis Mackle; Special M.D.H.C File (Fitzroy)

---

Grave of Rev. Dr Henry Backhaus, Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst, https://sandhurst.catholic.org.au/item/2782-grave-of-rev-dr-henry-backhaus, accessed on 3 November 2025:

Rev. Henry Backhaus was the first priest to serve in the Bendigo goldfields and celebrated the first Mass on the banks of the Bendigo Creek on 2 May 1852. A dedicated priest and a practical visionary, Fr Backhaus laid both spiritual and financial foundations that continue to support the Church today.

Born in Paderborn, Germany, in 1811, Fr Backhaus was already ordained as a priest when he answered the call to serve in Australia. He arrived in Victoria 1846 and was soon sent to minister to the gold miners of Bendigo, then a bustling and chaotic frontier of the gold rush.

In his early days on the goldfields, Fr Backhaus met his congregation where they were celebrating Mass on the goldfields, under the open sky or in makeshift settings. His ministry was one of presence, bringing the sacraments and pastoral care to a transient population living in challenging conditions and an unfamiliar environment.

Fr Backhaus is remembered for his pastoral work and practical approach to ensuring the future of the Church in this region. During the gold rush, he had the foresight to purchase land across Bendigo and the surrounding area. Over time, these holdings—known as the “Backhaus Estate”—became a reliable source of income for the Diocese, supporting its parishes, schools, and ministries.

His ability to see beyond immediate needs and plan for the long term has left a legacy that continues to benefit the Catholic community creating a foundation for our local Church to grow and thrive.

Fr Backhaus’ grave is in the grounds of St Kilian’s, Bendigo, the pro-cathedral of the Diocese. When visiting Fr Backhaus’ grave take time to Join Mass at St Kilian’s (the largest timber Church in the southern hemisphere), take note of its bell tower, visit the community garden, or enjoy a coffee in the Church café after Sunday Mass. While you are there, pray for those who have gone before us and give thanks to the faith, resilience, and practical wisdom of our predecessors and ponder ways we can build on this legacy to inspire the future.