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Norman Faulkner

From Sanco News, May 1940, page 5.

Faulkner, Norman Hawken (1892–1965)

By Milton Hook

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Milton Hook, Ed.D. (Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, the United States). Hook retired in 1997 as a minister in the Greater Sydney Conference, Australia. An Australian by birth Hook has served the Church as a teacher at the elementary, academy and college levels, a missionary in Papua New Guinea, and as a local church pastor. In retirement he is a conjoint senior lecturer at Avondale College of Higher Education. He has authored Flames Over Battle Creek, Avondale: Experiment on the Dora, Desmond Ford: Reformist Theologian, Gospel Revivalist, the Seventh-day Adventist Heritage Series, and many magazine articles. He is married to Noeleen and has two sons and three grandchildren.

First Published: December 23, 2021

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Norman Hawken Faulkner was Youth and Education secretary for Australasian Union Conference and the Sanitarium Health Food Company branch manager.

Early Life

Norman Hawken Faulkner was born in Napier, New Zealand, on November 18, 1892.1 His parents were Harry and Isabella (Fos) Faulkner. The complete family eventually consisted of Annie Isabella (b.1885), Edward Ernest (b.1888), Maurice Renata (b.!890), Norman Hawken (b.1892), Prudence Ursula (b.1895) and Patience Morwenna (b.1900).2 As a result of an evangelistic crusade held by Elder Arthur Daniells in Napier Isabella left her Anglican faith and was baptized in 1889 into the Seventh-day Adventist faith.3 Norman was therefore raised in a home of divided beliefs. At the age of thirteen he lost his father. Only ten days prior to his father’s death his older sister, Maurice Renata, had also died on July 2, 1905. Isabella was left with five children aged five to twenty.4

Despite the family’s loss of their breadwinner Norman was enrolled in 1908 with the first students to attend the Pukekura Training School, he being able to work on campus for some of his fees and lodging.5 Norman did well in his studies and progressed to the Australasian Missionary College (AMC) in Cooranbong, Australia. In 1913 he graduated from the Normal (Teaching) Course.6

Career in Teaching and Administration

Norman’s first appointment was to teach in South Australia at the Adelaide elementary church school,7 1914 through 1916.8 He transferred to the elementary school at Wahroonga in Sydney, New South Wales, 19179 through 1921.10 In the southern summer school vacation, on January 11, 1921, Norman married Nancy Ruth Sharp in the Marrickville SDA church, suburban Sydney. Elder William Smith, who had taught Norman in the Napier elementary school and at Pukekura, performed the ceremony.11 The following year, 1922, Norman and Nancy sailed to New Zealand where Norman served as preceptor and taught at academy level in the New Zealand Missionary College (NZMC).12 It was his only year at this level before moving to administration.

At the January 1923 North New Zealand Conference Session Norman was elected to the roles of Educational Secretary and Missionary Volunteer Secretary.13 These responsibilities involved the staffing and regular inspection of NZMC and several elementary church schools in the North Island, assisting with the annual Appeal for Missions conducted from the schools,14 and an extensive church visitation program to promote the activities of the Missionary Volunteer societies.15 He fulfilled these roles admirably. On Sunday, September 26, 1926, at the Fourth Quadrennial Session of the Australasian Union Conference (AUC) he was ordained to the gospel ministry.16 At the same meetings he was appointed to the dual roles of Educational Secretary and Missionary Volunteer Secretary for the AUC. It made him an ex officio member of the AMC Board.17

Norman took up his new portfolios at Wahroonga, New South Wales, in December 1926 to prepare for the 1927 school year.18 His responsibilities were the same as when he held the positions in New Zealand except the range extended throughout the entire AUC field. His modus operandi was not to sit in his headquarters office and write theoretical articles about what should be done. Instead, he travelled extensively to nurture his portfolios at the local church and school level vis-à-vis with local officers and teachers.19 At the Fifth Quadrennial Session of the AUC, September 1930, Norman summarised excellent results in his two reports. With the Educational Department report he outlined rising enrolments in day and boarding schools and the Fireside Correspondence School. Furthermore, two new training schools had been opened in the Pacific Islands, one in the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and another in Samoa.20 In his report of the Missionary Volunteer Department Norman highlighted the fact there were one hundred new societies functioning with a 74 percent increase in membership. Noteworthy was the issue of hundreds of certificates for the memorization of Bible texts. These were called “Doctrinal Texts,” a fresh text memorized each week and a custom unique in the world field at the time. He also reported the formation of Mother’s Societies for the training of their children, a program under the aegis of the General Conference Home Commission.21

Four years of heavy responsibilities at Australasian headquarters caused Norman’s health to suffer and he took twelve month’s sick leave. He then chose to transfer to Brisbane where he travelled the rural towns as salesman for the Sanitarium Health Food Company (SHF) until 1934. He was then chosen to be Wholesale Manager in Queensland and finally, 1940, he advanced to be secretary of the SHF business throughout Queensland and New South Wales.22 His health began to fail again so in 1942 he resigned on advice from his doctor that he should abandon office work and undertake something in the open air.23 During his time with the SHF he served as elder of the Albion church, suburban Brisbane.24

After Denominational Service

The nature of Norman’s work after he left church employment is not known. He and Nancy eventually returned to the same area in Sydney where they had met and married. Norman passed away on October 21, 1965, his funeral service performed by Elder Cyril Palmer who had been a fellow student at Pukekura fifty-seven years earlier.25 Nancy passed away in 1981.26

Sources

“An instructive programme was rendered…” Australasian Record, April 23, 1917.

Australasian Missionary College Annual Announcement. Cooranbong, New South Wales: Avondale Press, 1946.

Beavis, Lucy M. “A True Friend to Hundreds.” Australasian Record, September 5, 1938.

Blunden, H[arold] M. “North New Zealand Conference and Camp Meeting.” Australasian Record, March 5, 1923.

Bourne, Edith M. “Dedication of New Church at Albion, Brisbane.” Australasian Record, July 10, 1939.

“Distribution of Labour.” Australasian Record, December 13, 1913.

District of Sydney, Death Certificates. New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and marriages, Sydney, New South Wales.

Faulkner, N[orman] H. “Missionary Volunteer Department.” Australasian Record, October 6, 1930.

Faulkner, N[orman] H. “The Educational Department.” Australasian Record, October 6, 1930.

“Harry Faulkner.” Find A Grave Memorial, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188549277/harry-faulkner.

“Maurice Renata Faulkner.” Find A Grave Memorial, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188549278/maurice-renata-faulkner.

“Nominations.” Australasian Record, October 18, 1926.

“On Friday, the 8th instant…” Australasian Record, October 25, 1926.

“Ordination Service.” Australasian Record, October 18, 1926.

Palmer, C[yril] S. “Norman Harcourt (sic) Faulkner.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, December 6, 1965.

“Pastor W.J. Smith furnishes...” Australasian Record, February 7, 1921.

“Personalities: N.H. Faulkner.” Sanco News, May 1940.

Powrie, R[onald] H. “Pastor Faulkner’s Visit.” Australasian Record, June 3, 1929.

Scragg, W[alter M.] R. “Baptismal Services in New Zealand.” Australasian Record, February 8, 1926.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1915-1930.

“The Union Conference has accepted…” Australasian Record, November 9, 1942.

“With Our N.Z. Students on the Appeal Campaign.” Australasian Record, May 3, 1926.

Notes

  1. C[yril] S. Palmer, “Norman Harcourt (sic) Faulkner,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, December 6, 1965, 15.↩

  2. “Harry Faulkner,” Find A Grave Memorial, 2020, accessed October 16, 2020, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188549277/harry-faulkner.↩

  3. Lucy M. Beavis, “A True Friend to Hundreds,” Australasian Record, September 5, 1938, 7.↩

  4. “Maurice Renata Faulkner,” Find A Grave Memorial, 2020, accessed October 16, 2020, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188549278/maurice-renata-faulkner.↩

  5. C[ril] S. Palmer, “Norman Harcourt (sic) Faulkner, Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, December 6, 1965, 15.↩

  6. Australasian Missionary College Annual Announcement (Cooranbong, New South Wales: Avondale Press, 1946), 43.↩

  7. “Distribution of Labour,” Australasian Record, December 13, 1913, 4.↩

  8. “South Australian Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1916), 135-136.↩

  9. “An instructive programme was rendered…” Australasian Record, April 23, 1917, 8.↩

  10. “South New South Wales Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1922), 144-145.↩

  11. “Pastor W.J. Smith furnishes…,” Australasian Record, February 7, 1921, 8.↩

  12. “New Zealand Missionary School,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1923), 197.↩

  13. H[arold] M. Blunden, “North New Zealand Conference and Camp Meeting,” Australasian Record, March 5, 1923, 4-5.↩

  14. “With Our N.Z. Students on the Appeal Campaign,” Australasian Record, May 3, 1926, 4-5.↩

  15. W[alter M.] R. Scragg, “Baptismal Services In North New Zealand, Australasian Record, February 8, 1926, 7.↩

  16. “Ordination Service,” Australasian Record, October 18, 1926, 24.↩

  17. Nominations,” Australasian Record, October 18, 1926, 34.↩

  18. “On Friday, the 8th instant…” Australasian Record, October 25, 1926, 8.↩

  19. E.g., R[onald] H. Powrie, “Pastor Faulkner’s Visit,” Australasian Record, June 3, 1929, 5.↩

  20. N[orman] H. Faulkner, “The Educational Department,” Australasian Record, October 6, 1930, 22-24.↩

  21. N[orman] H. Faulkner, “Missionary Volunteer Department,” Australasian Record, October 6, 1930, 32-33.↩

  22. “Personalities: N.H. Faulkner,” Sanco News, May 1940, 5.↩

  23. “The Union Conference has accepted…” Australasian Record, November 9, 1942, 8.↩

  24. Edith M. Bourne, “Dedication of New Church at Albion, Brisbane,” Australasian Record, July 10, 1939, 2.↩

  25. C[yril] S. Palmer, “Norman Harcourt (sic) Faulkner,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, December 6, 1965, 15.↩

  26. District of Sydney, Death certificate no 21581 (1981), New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Sydney, New South Wales.↩

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Hook, Milton. "Faulkner, Norman Hawken (1892–1965)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. December 23, 2021. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=4IJL.

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Hook, Milton. "Faulkner, Norman Hawken (1892–1965)." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. December 23, 2021. Date of access January 16, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=4IJL.

Copy to clipboard Download Word File

Hook, Milton (2021, December 23). Faulkner, Norman Hawken (1892–1965). Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved January 16, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=4IJL.

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