No. 454 - The Seventh-Day Adventist Church at Deloraine

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The Seventh-Day Adventist Church was established in Tasmania in 1888. The denomination originated in the USA in the 1860’s and in 1885 a group of Adventists travelled to Australia and began preaching in Melbourne. After a church group was established in Melbourne in 1886 members moved on to Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart. Public tent meetings were held in Sandy Bay in 1888 which led to the establishment of a church at Collinsvale and later at Hobart and Launceston.

While Deloraine’s Seventh Day Adventist Church was established in 1968, the ‘Adventists’ had made a much earlier appearance in the town. On 14 June 1906 the Launceston Examiner reported an Adventist mission had arrived at Deloraine:

“Seventh Day Adventists have been living on Deloraine [sic], and it is intended to hold special services next week. Their leaders, Messrs. Starr and Pallant, will give addresses, and the company number some good singers amongst them.”

A week later the Examiner reported that the Adventists were using the Town Hall for services:
“Special services were conducted in the Town Hall on Sunday evening, under the auspices of the Seventh Day Adventists, and will be continued throughout this week”.
The mission’s services seem to have met with little success as there are no further reports of ‘Adventist’ activity in Deloraine until the 1960’s. The first Sabbath service was held on 6 March 1968 after a church was established under the leadership of Pastor Malcolm Allen and Dr Ray Swannell. The church was built by George and Afton Reid of Launceston and for the building was donated by Mr and Mrs Berry of Deloraine.

Last year the Deloraine church celebrated its 50th anniversary and is now one of 16 Seventh Day Adventists churches active in Tasmania.

Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019

Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019

Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019

Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019

Sources:

Examiner, Thursday 14 June 1906 p 8
Examiner, Wednesday 20 June 1906 p 6 
Western Tiers, Thursday 22 April 1993, page 14
Western Tiers, Thursday 24 June 1993, page 15


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