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Showing posts from November, 2019

No. 603 - Newnham Salvation Army Corps

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Newnham is a northern suburb of the city of Launceston. Newnham was originally part of the municipality of Lilydale before it was proclaimed a town in 1946. There are several active Christian communities in Newnham including the Uniting Church, an Anglican church and a Church of Christ. Newnham’s Catholic church and Salvation Army Corps hall have closed in recent years. The Salvation Army became active in Launceston in 1883 and established a ‘Citadel’ on Elizabeth Street in 1885. Over the course of the 20th century the Salvation Army established places of worship at Invermay (1912), Galvin Street in South Launceston (1942) and at Kay Street in Kings Meadows and Newnham in more recent years. As Launceston’s northern suburbs developed after World War Two, the Salvation Army shifted its base from Invermay to Newnham. The Newnham Corps building a hall at Paringa Avenue in the 1960’s. The corp closed about a decade ago and the building was sold in 2010. It now houses the Tasmanian Dementia

No. 602 - Macquarie Plains - St Augustine's Anglican Church

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Macquarie Plains is a small settlement about 20 kilometres west of New Norfolk on the eastern side of the Derwent River. In 1821 the district was named Sorell Plains by Governor Lachlan Macquarie (NSW) but this was changed later to Macquarie Plains. The Macquarie River valley is a major hop growing area therefore it is not surprising that St Augustine’s Anglican church is almost surrounded by hop fields. The church lies less than 100 metres from the Derwent River which has flooded the building on five occasions. The last major flood which occurred in 1960 was the most severe when the waters of the Derwent River almost reached the guttering. A small plaque above the doorway of the church marks the peak level reached by the 1960 flood. Since Meadowbank Lake was constructed the problem of flooding has diminished. While St Augustine’s has had an eventful natural history, little is known about its ecclesiastical history. Before the church was built services were held in the waiting room o

No. 601 - Evandale - Harland Rise Chapel

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Harland Rise is an old Northern Midland property located between White Hills and Evandale. The estate was acquired by John Ward Gleadow in the early 1830’s. The homestead at Harland Rise dates back to the late 1850’s but the oldest building on the property is a small private Wesleyan chapel. Religious services may have taken place at Harland Rise before a Wesleyan chapel was built at Evandale (then known as Morven) in 1836. John Gleadow (1801-1881) is best known for his contribution to the legal profession but was also a successful businessman and politician. As a leading member of Launceston society Gleadow was active in the church and a committed philanthropist. Gleadow arrived in Hobart in 1825 and in the following year was admitted as barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of Van Diemen's Land. He then moved to Launceston to become the town’s first legal practitioner. For over forty years Gleadow did much to set the traditions and tone of Launceston’s legal profession.

No. 600 - Richmond Congregational Church - 'Animated by that Spirit of Faith'

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Richmond is a heritage town located in the Coal River Valley approximately 25 kilometres east of Hobart. The valley was one of the earliest areas penetrated by the first British settlers outside of Hobart. The settlement began around 1823 when a bridge was constructed across the Coal River, so named because of coal deposits in the area. Richmond’s first Congregational church was established on Torrens Street and opened on 3 December 1845. A second church was built on Bridge Street in 1875 and closed in 2016 after a 141 years of worship. In 1868 Reverend David Tinning (a former Wesleyan minister) was appointed to Richmond bringing about a change in fortune for the small Congregational community. Reverend Tinning’s work in Richmond attracted more worshipers and ushered in a period of stability and growth for the church. The old chapel, derogatorily referred to as “a half barn place” was deemed to be inadequate for a growing congregation. The building of a new church was largely the

No. 599 - Black Hills - St John's Anglican Church (1903-1955)

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Black Hills is a rural district approximately 10 kilometres north of New Norfolk. The area was settled in the 1850’s and its rich soils supported vegetable farming. By the early 20th century timber mills were in operation. In the 1940’s a proposal was made to rename Black Hills “Oberlin” after Reverend John Oberlin-Harris who was the districts first Anglican minister and who initiated the construction of a church in 1900. Anglican services were held at Black Hills at least as early as 1898 as is evident from the following report in the Hobart Mercury: “Everyone will regret to hear Rev. J. Oberlin-Harris met with an accident this morning. He had just started riding for the Black Hills, when some noisy dogs rushed from a yard and startled his horse so that it began to "buck." Mr. Harris was bumped so heavily on the saddle that be was forced for self-protection to throw himself off. He was assisted home by some friends who fortunately came upon the scene”. Little is known ab

No. 598 - Lawitta - The Back River Methodist Chapel

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Back River is an area close to New Norfolk that includes the ‘suburbs’ of Lawitta and parts of Gretna. The Back River rises on the western side of Mount Dromedary and flows into the Derwent River about 2 kilometres west of New Norfolk. The area was settled by small landholders who had been moved from Norfolk Island and were given allotments between New Norfolk and Back River. The Wesleyan-Methodist church at Back River is one of the oldest in Tasmania and its opening in 1837 coincides with the start of Queen Victoria’s reign. The reach of the Methodist Church first extended to the Back River district in 1820 with lay-preacher Samuel Dowsett conducting a service in one of the settler’s homes. In the following year Rev. William Horton, who was resident Methodist minister in Hobart Town, extended his ministry to the Derwent Valley, and he occasionally visited Back River. Reverend Nathaniel Turner, who was on his way to New Zealand in 1822, and was detained In Hobart Town owing to the Ma