John Dunmore Lang (1799-1878) arrived in Sydney in 1823. He was the first Presbyterian minister in the colony. Unable to secure government funding, Lang raised money through private subscriptions to build the Scots Church which opened in 1826. Lang was a strong supporter of education and established his own secondary school, the Australian College. On a number of visits to the British Isles he recruited ministers for the church as well as free settlers. Lang served as a member of the New South Wales Parliament for over twenty five years.