No. 964 - Moonah - Fleet Street Seventh-day Adventist Church
Moonah is a suburb of Greater Hobart and is located approximately 5 kilometres north of the central business district. Moonah was previously known as South Glenorchy before it was developed as a residential area in the late 19th century.
Moonah’s Seventh-day Adventist church was located on Fleet Street, which is now dominated by businesses and warehouses. The church and its school was once an important centre of the Seventh-day Adventist church and formed an important role in the denominations history.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in Tasmania in 1888. The denomination originated in the USA in the 1860s 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 then Hobart and Launceston shortly after the start of the 20th century.
At the turn of the century a concern for Christian education in the Seventh-day Adventist Church community in Hobart saw the establishment of a school in the city. In 1903 the school moved to a permanent site in Warwick Street. In 1933, having outgrown the limited facilities, the school was relocated to Fleet Street, adjacent to the new Moonah Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Construction of the Fleet Street church and school began in early 1933. This coincided with an assembly of an Adventist ‘evangelical camp meeting’ in February held at Taylor’s Estate. At the time this was the largest camp meeting held in Tasmania. The Hobart Mercury reported:
“There are pitched on the ground at Moonah 60 family tents, a large pavilion accommodating 500 persons, a tent for meetings of young people, one for children's meetings, and a book tent, whereliterature is sold. There is every provision for the bodily needs of those attending the conference. Camp meetings such as this are held all over the world and attended by many thousands. The recent meeting in Victoria mustered 2,000, and that in the southern part of New South Wales 3,000 attendants. The meetings are conducted for the general spiritual help of the membership of the church and are also open to the public, particularly in the evening, when subjects of general interest are treated”.
In late March 1933 the Mercury reported on progress made with the church’s construction:
“Nearing completion in Fleet Street Moonah, is a fine set of buildings. It comprises the Moonah Seventh-day Adventist Church building, a fine social hall for the use of its members, a storeroom, where the property of the conference may be stored, and a schoolroom, where school subjects will be taught to the intermediate certificate standard. The buildings, which were dedicated to the glory of God by Pastor Turner, the president of tho Australasian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and expected to be ready for occupation on April 3. Both inside and out the buildings exemplify beauty and effective simplicity. The schoolroom, which contains all modern improvements, is capable of accommodating 40 pupils in dual desks. A notable and praiseworthy fact about these buildings is that they have been built by voluntary-labour by Mr. Eaton and his helpers”.
The church was formally dedicated on Saturday 6 May 1933. In the same year the Collinsvale Seventh Day Adventist church was extended using the plans of the Moonah church.
The Fleet Street school was enlarged over the years but by the 1970s it had become obvious that the site was no longer suitable. A new site at West Moonah was purchased where a school was constructed in 1982. In September 1994 the school changed its name from Hobart Seventh-day Adventist Primary and High School to Hilliard Christian School.
While their is no longer a church at Moonah, the Seventh-day Adventist Church Conference Office is located on the Main Road close to the site of the original church. A Seventh-day Adventist Church at neighbouring Glenorchy which was built in 1964 which serves the the Moonah area.
Sources:
Moonah’s Seventh-day Adventist church was located on Fleet Street, which is now dominated by businesses and warehouses. The church and its school was once an important centre of the Seventh-day Adventist church and formed an important role in the denominations history.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in Tasmania in 1888. The denomination originated in the USA in the 1860s 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 then Hobart and Launceston shortly after the start of the 20th century.
At the turn of the century a concern for Christian education in the Seventh-day Adventist Church community in Hobart saw the establishment of a school in the city. In 1903 the school moved to a permanent site in Warwick Street. In 1933, having outgrown the limited facilities, the school was relocated to Fleet Street, adjacent to the new Moonah Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Construction of the Fleet Street church and school began in early 1933. This coincided with an assembly of an Adventist ‘evangelical camp meeting’ in February held at Taylor’s Estate. At the time this was the largest camp meeting held in Tasmania. The Hobart Mercury reported:
“There are pitched on the ground at Moonah 60 family tents, a large pavilion accommodating 500 persons, a tent for meetings of young people, one for children's meetings, and a book tent, whereliterature is sold. There is every provision for the bodily needs of those attending the conference. Camp meetings such as this are held all over the world and attended by many thousands. The recent meeting in Victoria mustered 2,000, and that in the southern part of New South Wales 3,000 attendants. The meetings are conducted for the general spiritual help of the membership of the church and are also open to the public, particularly in the evening, when subjects of general interest are treated”.
In late March 1933 the Mercury reported on progress made with the church’s construction:
“Nearing completion in Fleet Street Moonah, is a fine set of buildings. It comprises the Moonah Seventh-day Adventist Church building, a fine social hall for the use of its members, a storeroom, where the property of the conference may be stored, and a schoolroom, where school subjects will be taught to the intermediate certificate standard. The buildings, which were dedicated to the glory of God by Pastor Turner, the president of tho Australasian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and expected to be ready for occupation on April 3. Both inside and out the buildings exemplify beauty and effective simplicity. The schoolroom, which contains all modern improvements, is capable of accommodating 40 pupils in dual desks. A notable and praiseworthy fact about these buildings is that they have been built by voluntary-labour by Mr. Eaton and his helpers”.
The church was formally dedicated on Saturday 6 May 1933. In the same year the Collinsvale Seventh Day Adventist church was extended using the plans of the Moonah church.
The Fleet Street school was enlarged over the years but by the 1970s it had become obvious that the site was no longer suitable. A new site at West Moonah was purchased where a school was constructed in 1982. In September 1994 the school changed its name from Hobart Seventh-day Adventist Primary and High School to Hilliard Christian School.
While their is no longer a church at Moonah, the Seventh-day Adventist Church Conference Office is located on the Main Road close to the site of the original church. A Seventh-day Adventist Church at neighbouring Glenorchy which was built in 1964 which serves the the Moonah area.
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| The Moonah church in 1933 - The Mercury |
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| The Fleet street church and school (1933) - The Australasian Record |
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| The 1933 Camp Meeting at Taylor's Estate - The Mercury |
Sources:
Mercury, Tuesday 14 February 1933, page 8
Mercury, Wednesday 15 February 1933, page 9
Mercury, Tuesday 21 February 1933, page 8
Mercury, Friday 24 March 1933, page 11
Mercury, Tuesday 9 May 1933, page 2
Australasian Record, Monday June 19, 1933, Volume 37 No.25, page 6
Another comment, a correcrtion, the church in Glenorchy was built in 1964, not 1974.
ReplyDeleteThank you for picking this error up Jill. It has been corrected.
ReplyDelete