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Showing posts from May, 2021

No. 945 - Claremont - St Bernard's Catholic Church "Economy with Dignity"

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Claremont is a suburb of the City of Glenorchy within the Greater Hobart region. It is named after Claremont House built in the 1830s by Henry Bilton. Claremont was once the site of an army training camp established during the Great War. At this time the area had only a few scattered houses and a railway station in a largely rural setting. From the 1950s public housing was built at Claremont which resulted in significant population growth. Before a church was built at Claremont, Catholics went to Mass at Cadbury’s Hall and later in the local Memorial Hall. The rapid growth of the suburb after World War Two saw an influx of migrants which included a significant number of Polish and Croatian Catholics. St Bernard’s was officially opened and blessed by Archbishop Guilford Young on Sunday, 20 April 1958. Addressing the assembled parishioners, Archbishop Young remarked that the church represented “a fascinating combination of steel, timber and glass, which combined economy with dignity”. T

No. 944 - Hobart - St Virgil's Chapel - (1823 - c.1835 ) "Church on the Hill"

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Hobart’s first Catholic church, St Virgil’s, was situated near St Patrick’s Street, in the vicinity of St Virgil’s Junior School campus. Known as St Virgil’s Chapel, this rudimentary place of worship dates back to 1823. The chapel was built soon the arrival of Father Philip Conolly in April 1821, who was the first permanent Catholic priest appointed to Van Diemen’s Land. Shortly after Conolly’s arrival, the first official Mass held in Hobart took place in a store on Argyle Street which belonged to prominent Catholic businessman, Edward Curr. In June 1822 Curr became treasurer of a fund to build a church and a dwelling for Father Conolly. The property known as Killard (Gaelic for ‘church on the hill) stood on 14 acres of land, above Harrington Street, allotted by Governor Sorell for use by Catholics. The date of the chapel’s completion and opening is not recorded although it was certainly in operation by mid 1823 as by this time there are references to it in advertisements in the Hoba

No. 943 - Marrawah - St Oswald's Anglican Church (1931-2015) "Sacrifice, Service and Worship"

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Marrawah is a small West Coast town located approximated 50 kilometres south west of Smithton. Marrawah is Tasmania's westernmost settlement and the furthest town from Hobart. It was once a rich timber district with a railway line which fed the sawmills at Smithton. Marrawah is an aboriginal word for "gum tree". Anglican services at Marrawah seem to have first been held in November 1898, only a decade after the district was opened for selection: “The Rev. Keith Forbes, of Melbourne, at present acting as the locum tenens of the Anglican incumbent, recently visited Marrawah, the most remote agricultural settlement in this large district. The weather proved most enjoyable, and the rough country between Montagu and Marrawah was traversed without meeting any serious impediment to progress. The visitor was gladly received and hospitably entertained at Marrawah, and found in the little settlement so recently reclaimed from the forest such evidences of energy and endurance as, co

No. 942 - Hobart North - Hope Christian Centre

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The Hope Christian Centre is located in the former Sunbeam warehouse on Tasma Street, North Hobart. The fellowship moved from the Murray Street Gospel Chapel in December 2003, after 18 months of repurposing the building. The Hope Christian Centre falls under the umbrella of the Association of Christian Community Churches in Victoria and Tasmania. The association describes itself as “a movement of like-minded local churches, predominantly of a Christian Brethren heritage, that have united under a common vision and mission, set of beliefs and core values”. The Christian Brethren, also known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Great Britain in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the movement had spread to Australia, with the first revival meetings held in Tasmania from 1869. As a result, fellowships were formed in Hobart, Launceston, the Huon Valley, Smithton, Sheffield, Wynyard, Burnie and Scottsdale by the end of the 1870s. The Brethren placed an emphasis on weekly communion, the bap

No. 941 - Boat Harbour Church - 'The Rosevale Chapel'

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Boat Harbour is a rural settlement situated on the Bass Highway, approximately 15 kilometres west of Wynyard. Boat Harbour gets its name from a nearby sheltered bay once called Jacobs Boat Harbour. Since it was built in 1879, the Boat Harbour Church, which is a Christian Brethren community, has also been known as the Boat Harbour Gospel Hall; Bible Chapel and the Rosedale Chapel. The early years of the church are not well recorded. In 1880, a visitor to the North West coast, mentions the newly opened chapel on a journey from Stanley to Wynyard: “In sight of our military friend's residence, and the first dwelling towards which our footsteps tend, is a substantially-built cottage, with which is incorporated the Boat Harbour post office, kept by the agreeable and attentive postmistress, Mrs. Dean…. As the post-office fades from view, we near the tastefully-finished and recently painted residence of a Mr Blackwell, … Leaving Mr Blackwell's, we heave in sight of Mayne's hotel,

No. 940 - Hobart North - Friends' Meeting House

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The suburb of Hobart North, as the same suggests, is on the northern fringe of the city centre. It is a mixed residential and commercial area. The Society of Friends Meeting House is located on Boa Vista Road and adjoins the Friends School Argyle Street campus. The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers have had a presence in Tasmania for almost 200 years. The first meeting house was established on Murray Street in 1837. The Quakers second meeting house was built in 1960 following the development of the Argyle Street Campus in 1955. The Meeting House and Friends School are located on the former Boa Vista Estate built in 1828 for Dr James Scott, the colonial surgeon. The Boa Vista mansion was demolished in 1970, leaving the entrance lodge as the only physical remnant of the property's long history. The former entrance lodge to the Boa Vista Mansion, the only physical remnant of the property's long history.  

No. 939 - Glenorchy - St John the Baptist Catholic Church (1859-1963)

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The city of Glenorchy is located approximately 7 kilometres north of Hobart's CBD. Glenorchy means ‘glen of tumbling waters’ and it is believed that Governor Lachlan Macquarie named the area after his wife’s birthplace; Glen Orchy, Argyllshire.The district was originally named 'King Georges Plains and the first centres of settlement were previously known as 'Kensington (Village)' and ‘O'Briens Bridge’. Before the 1840s, the district’s small Catholic community travelled to St Joseph’s church in Hobart to attend Mass. With the arrival of Bishop Willson in 1844, Mass was celebrated at the Glenorchy Probation Station. The early settlement was focused around O’Brien’s Bridge, and it was here, on the corner of Grove Road and Main Road, that the first Catholic church was built. The foundation stone for the church, was ceremonially laid on Tuesday 25 May 1858. The event was recorded in the Hobart Town Daily Mercury: “A most interesting ceremony took place at O'Brien

No. 938 - Ravenswood Kingdom Hall

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Ravenswood is a suburb north of Launceston which was one part of the former St Leonards Municipality. The suburb is named after the farmstead ‘Ravenswood’ which was established in the 1830s. The Ravenswood Kingdom Hall is located on Ravenswood Road and is built in the typical style of most of the Kingdom Halls found in the State. No published information about the hall is available. The Jehovah's Witness diverges from the mainstream doctrines of Christianity in that it is a non-trinitarian tradition. Jehovah's Witnesses believe their denomination is a restoration of first-century Christianity. It is a ‘closed’ church and its practices have led its critics to regard it as a sect. The historical persecution of members of the Jehovah’s Witness in many countries, including Australia, has further contributed to the denomination maintaining a low profile in the media. For this reason the history of the Jehovah Witness in Tasmania presents a challenge to research. The following inform

No. 937 - Longford Hall - Carmelite Monastery and Chapel (1948-1973)

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Longford is an historical country town approximately 25 kilometres south of Launceston. The district around Longford was first known as the Norfolk Plains after the Norfolk Islanders who were resettled here in 1813. The settlement was originally called Latour and in 1833 it was renamed Longford. In 1948 the Catholic Order of Carmelites established a covent at Longford Hall, a property situated approximately 1½ kilometres from the centre of the town. The property was originally established as the Longford Hall Academy in 1827 by William Gore Elliston. In 1837 Elliston sold the property after he purchased the Hobart Town Courier, a lucrative business which also enjoyed government printing contracts. A later owner of the property, Robert Quayle Kermode, demolished the original schoolhouse and built the existing house. Longford Hall was also the residence of several members of the Archer family. In 1934 it was purchased by Austin and Stella Cooper. The house and its accompanying 100 acr

No. 936 - Pawleena - The Church of the Holy Cross (1910 - 2002)

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Pawleena is a small rural community approximately 6 kilometres north of Sorell. The settlement was originally known as ‘Cherry Tree Opening’ and the name Pawleena appears to have been adopted after 1923. Pawleena is an Aboriginal word, used by southern tribes, meaning 'gun' or musket. Aside from a handful of reports in local newspapers, there is little information about the Anglican Church of the Holy Cross. The church was built in 1910 and dedicated by Bishop Mercer on Wednesday 14 September. A correspondent for the Mercury reported: “In perfect weather on Wednesday, the Bishop of Tasmania dedicated the new Church of S. Cross [sic] at Cherry Tree Opening. The church stands about four miles from Sorell on one of the prettiest roads in the district. A large number of people journeyed from Sorell and the district (reaching to Nugent to Dunalley) to take part in the interesting and important ceremony. The building, which was erected by Mr, Arthur Quinn, is of a size to hold a hun