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Thomas Hassall, although benevolent, was an authoritarian employer who did not like his
employees to be independent and did not encourage a close relationship with them.160 John
Armstrong taught in the school and helped Thomas Hassall with the Sunday School for which he
was at first given an extra £2/10/0 on top of his salary from Diocesan Funds until 1843. He alos
acted as shire clerk and registered all marriages, baptisms and funeral and collected the appropriate
fees for each ceremony. As well as his teaching duties and his expected attendance at church,
Armstrong had to keep an eye on the stones used in the building of St. Paul's and collect pew rents
from parishioners.

The attendance at the school fluctuated around 40 pupils and Armstrong's wife took the
infants classes and come of the girl's classes. In 1844 Armstrong received altogther for the quarter
£21/1/0 but complained that Thomas Hassall often delayed in settling amounts due to him. To
enable his wife to take classes he employed first her sister and then another young woman to mind
the growing number of their own children. A period of restlessness in 1843 encouraged Armstrong
to think of other employment and he sounded out the possibilty of taking on the Stewardship of the
Female Orphan School and asked Thomas Hassall to make enquiries on his behalf - there was no
vacancy as it turned out, but this restlessness could not have improved his relationship with his
employer.

Both Hassall and Armstrong were conscientious people very committed to their work, but
there were many differences between them which caused a deterioration in their relationship:
''I can't please him: all the dilligence we have ever used, or can ever use, is filling oir
situation with whatever benefit to others of credit to ourselves, is of no avail ... My course
has been uniform since I came - as has the increase of his dislike to me''.

Hassall was threatened by Armstrong's popularity and became convinced he was a
troublemaker who made decisions for himself. Often relationships were so bad that very strong
language was used by each of them and they argued over rents, promises, salary, school fees and
education - so difficult did the situation come that others suggested that Armstrong apologise which
he refused to do.161 In July 1844 they had a dispute over entries in the Marriage Register and after
listening to Hassall's strong language blaming him for carelessness and negligence, Armstrong
resigned the clerkship. Further diffculties arouse when Armstrong was unable to attend school while
he recovered from injuries after falling from his horse. He attempted to supplement his income by
burying goods at a local auction sale with the intention of selling them again - Hassall accused him
of dereliction of duty and of going into shopkeeping against his wishes.

In the same year in October a meeting was held in the Heber Chapel to consider a Petition
introduced by Thomas Hassall against moves in Parliament by Dr Lang to place schools under the
superintendence of the government and not under the clergy. John Armstrong was charged with
gathering the signatures for the petition but did not sign himself. In February 1844 Armstrong
wrote to the Australian in support of the establishment of Government schools which would be free
from religious influence and so would be able to cater for all the children in the colony. This view

160 Armstrong, Geoff and Isabel, John Armstrong Colonial Schoolmaster, Sydney and Cobbity, From
Original Diaries - 1839 to 1857, 1997, p.33.
161 Ibid., pp.76-7.

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