The Parish of Alstonville - The Past

The history of the Anglican Church in Alstonville is intrinsically linked to the pioneering days of the district. The first European settlers came to the area in the early 1830’s, and they soon discovered that there was a plentiful harvest to be had in the forests of red cedar, which for centuries prior, had been growing on the fertile volcanic soil of what is now referred to as the Alstonville Plateau.

By the early1870’s the settlement of Duck Creek Mountain had a population of 150, among whom there were a number of Christian men and women whose thoughts turned to the conduct of worship services.  The first gathering of Anglicans came through the efforts of two cedar getters, Pearson Simpson and Francis Morrish, who utilized Morrish’s primitive hut to be the regular meeting place for the congregation of the Church of England at Duck Creek.

Ministers of Religion were rather scarce on the North Coast at that time, and the whole of the Richmond region was under care of two clergy; the Reverend Henry Porter of Casino and the Reverend F. R. Newton of Lismore.  It was Reverend Newton who in 1876, offered to conduct a monthly service at Duck Creek.

Over the next 25 years church buildings began to appear in the communities on the plateau.  The first Anglican church of St Paul’s at Wollongbar was built in 1878.  In 1896 the first St Bartholomew’s Church was built at Ocean View on land donated by Mr John Perry MLA.  Other churches to be built in that same period were St Thomas’s at Dalwood and St John the Evangelist at Rous in 1897 and St Peter’s at Tregeagle in 1899.

In 1905 the decision was taken to relocate the original St Bartholomew’s Church to 1 The Avenue in Alstonville.

The first resident Priest was the Reverend H. H. Mirrington who was appointed in January 1909 and took up residence in the Rectory which had been built at 3 The Avenue - alongside the church.

In that same year (1909) land was purchased across the road from the then St Bartholomew’s church for the purpose of building an enlarged and more permanent church.   Designed by local architect William Jolly the church was to be a distinctive building of Federation Gothic style and sandstone construction.   On the 20th August 1913 Bishop Druitt laid the foundation stone, and it took less than two years to complete using stone brought by bullock dray from a quarry on the property of the Anstey family at Tregeagle.  The original roof was made of slate.

The 7th of March 1915 saw the last service conducted at the original church, and four days later on the 11th March 1915 the dedication of the new stone church took place.   The former church became known as the Church Hall and has continued over the years to be used for God’s work, being a meeting place for the church faithful and community groups, and a venue for celebrations and functions.  In 2001 the building was renamed the Anglicare Centre and became the location for the parish’s charitable and community services.

The quality of the sandstone used for the church was rather inferior being of poor geological structure and varied texture.  Over the first 30 years the stone progressively deteriorated, and coupled with movements in the foundations, major crumbling of the walls and pillars was occurring.  In 1949 a storm caused considerable damage to the church, and by 1952 the slate roof was irreparable.   So significant was the damage to the roof that it became necessary to drill holes in the floor to let leaking rainwater drain away – and these holes are still visible.

Between 1952 and 1960 St Bartholomew’s was thoroughly restored at a cost of £6,499. The church has remained much the same for the past 45 years, with the exception of the installation of several stained glass memorial windows. The church is now classified by the National Trust of Australia as a heritage building.

At different stages of its life the parish has grown and contracted.  In the late 1960’s a regular worship service began at Marom Creek and in 1972 the church of St Thomas’s at Wyrallah was incorporated into the parish.  Against this there has been the closure of the churches at Dalwood, Wollongbar and Rous.    Services at Marom Creek have discontinued and more recently the church at Wyrallah has come under the ministry of the Parish of Lismore.

Throughout its life the parish has been a strong community of faith.

A Sunday School has operated almost uninterrupted since it was founded by Miss Mary Jane Barlow.  A Church of England Men’s Society and a Girl’s Friendly Society (or GFS) both thrived and were the foundation for the growth in faith of many of today’s members of the parish.    Women’s Guilds and Mother’s Union have always been strong groups who have provided fellowship and nurture for their members and have contributed significantly to the promotion of Christian teaching and worship.

In more recent decades the parish has been impacted by the fruits of the Cursillo movement, Marriage Encounter, the Alpha programme, the Network course, Play Place, the Icthus youth ministry, the Pastoral Partners programme and the Healing Ministry.

One development which has had a major impact upon the parish and the community has been the establishing of a Ministry Centre.   In 1987 the decision was taken to purchase the former Presbyterian  Manse which occupied the block of land next to the church – 8 The Avenue.   The house was converted into the Ministry Centre in 1996 with offices from which the parish was administered.  A meeting room was created which provided a venue for study and fellowship groups to meet.