THE little churchyard surrounding St. Matthew's Church, at Rokeby, Tasmania, contains the grave of one of the most interesting personages that ever came to the Southern Land. He was the Rev. Robert Knopwood, whose personality is said to have been as interesting as his career as a chaplain of the Church of England, both at the site of what is now Sorrento, Victoria, and also as the first minister who went to Tasmania with Lieut. Governor David Collins in the year 1803.

Rev. Knopwood, in his day, was known to everyone in Tasmania for his convivality, his good heartedness and easy-going ways. The first Tasmanian chaplain was often to be seen riding his white horse into Hobart, and out again to his incumbency residence, with two large stone flagons of rum swinging on either side of the saddle and his coat tails flying behind him. In one "History of Tasmania," the Rev. Knopwood is so depicted in an illustration sometimes that it is said he would change his 'spiritual needs' from rum to whisky when two bottles of the latter would be seen in the pockets of his great coat as he left the capital.

In the early twenties of last century 'Knoppie' fell foul of that snufflebusting martinet, Lachlan Macquarie, who, as then Governor of New South Wales, with suzerainty over Tasmania, tried his hardest to have the rev. gentleman removed from the position of chaplain, so that he (Macquarie) could get some pliant clergyman of his own calibre and will inducted into the headship of the church in the island. It is also a well-known 'fact of history' that Macquarie vainly sought for years to induce the Home Authorities to remove Lieut. Governor Thomas Davey from that position, so that he (Macquarie) could push his confederate friend, Captain Joseph Foverux, into Davey's position. However, Macquarie did not succeed in the case of Davey, but by scurrilous methods he managed to do so with regard to Rev. 'Bobby' Knopwood.

Another interesting grave at St. Matthew's, Rokeby, is that of Sergeant Allomes, the first official to fly the Union Jack at the Derwent settlement (Hobart), and who was also the father of the first white baby girl born in Tasmania.