John Francis Goldie

John Francis Goldie (1870 – 1955) founded the Methodist Mission in New Georgia Islands, which are part of the Solomon Islands. He was chairman of the Solomon Island District of the Methodist Mission from 1902 until his retirement in 1951.

In 1897, he entered the Methodist ministry in Queensland, where he served as a pastor for five years.

In 1901, the Australian Government enacted the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901, the effect of which included the deportation of Melanesian labourers. In 1902, he travelled to Roviana in New Georgia, Solomon Islands with returning Solomon Islanders, including Sam Angarau.

Goldie was chairman of the Solomon Island District of the Australasian Methodist Missionary Society from 1902. The relationship with the colonial administrators of the British Solomon Island Protectorate were also fraught with difficulty, at this time due to Goldie's effective control over the Western Solomon Islands. The witticism describing Goldie's 50 years in the Protectorate, was that in Western Solomon Islands, there were three Gs. In descending order of importance, the Gs are: Goldie, God and Government.