Author(s): Robert McLaren

Local Interest

The Reverend David Kay and his wife, Caroline Hoste were the original odd couple. The Rev. Kay was the son of a shoemaker in rural Scotland, whilst Miss Hoste was the daughter of a famous Royal Navy captain, Sir William Hoste. The couple lived in Genoa, Italy through the 1850s and witnessed the struggle to unify this country. In 1863, the Kay's arrived in Victoria, and the Rev. Kay was appointed to the Wickliffe Charge in western Victoria. At Wickliffe, the Kay's were leaders in their community for ten years. After the death of Caroline Kay in 1872, the Rev. Kay moved to Melbourne and then to Milton, on the South Island of New Zealand where two of his siblings had emigrated to. Through these years, the Rev. Kay travelled to Europe, Asia and North America.