No. 707 - Herrick - Presbyterian Church

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Herrick is a small settlement on the Gladstone Road, approximately 40 kilometres west of Scottsdale. The area had previously been known as Davids Creek and Nekah. Herrick was once the railhead for the North-Eastern Line which was completed in 1919. About this time it was renamed after a railway surveyor who explored the area.

Herrick has only had a single church, a Presbyterian church, which had previously served as a church at Springfield near Scottsdale [see No. 706] The building was cut into sections and moved by lorry and was reassembled at Herrick by local parishioners. A report in Launceston’s Examiner described the official opening of the church in December 1952:

“A large crowd attended the opening and dedication of the new Presbyterian Church. The service was conducted by the Rev. E. McLean Shugg, Director of Home Missions, Melbourne. The Rev. A. J. McAdam (St. Stephens, Launceston) Mr. N. Gill (Scottsdale) and Deaconess V. J. Beel assisted. Visitors included Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Carins, Nabowla, who were associated with the church many years ago at Springfield, and Mrs. T. A. Carins, Bridport. Afternoon tea was served by Herrick women. Next day a communion service was held in the church. This was followed by the Sunday School anniversary service and prize-giving. Presentations were made to the two assistant teachers, Misses Beryl Woods and Shirley Haas. The children, who were trained by the superintendents, Mr. and Mrs. T. D. Carins, sang the hymns. Both services were conducted by Mr. McLean Shugg. The church was recently moved from Springfield and re-erected at Herrick”.

With the establishment of the Uniting Church in the 1970’s, the Herrick Presbyterian church closed and fell into a state of disrepair. It was eventually purchased for use as a barn. However, in 1990 the old church and the land on which it stood was donated to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The building was restored for use as a ‘Covent School’ which opened in February 1991. The school was used by the congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church located at nearby Winnaleah. The school closed in recent years and the building was resold in 2017. Its current use is not known.

The original church was incorporated into the Covent School and is here partly obscured by an exension to the building. Source: Photograph courtesy of Aqua Real Estate (2017)

 The church shortly after after it was moved to Herrick from Springfield. Source: Peter Carins: Nekah - A History of Herrick

Sources:

North-Eastern Advertiser, Tuesday 26 August 1947, page 1
Examiner, Saturday 13 December 1952, page 23

https://www.epc.org.au/history/a-history-of-the-evangelical-presbyterian-church-of-australia.html.  [9 April 2020]

Carins, P.  Nekah : a history of Herrick / by Peter Carins  P. Carins Winnaleah, Tas  1999

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