No. 998 - Myalla Gospel Hall

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Myalla is a rural settlement south of Sisters Creek and the Bass Highway. The district was known as Myalla from about 1905 when roads were planned for the area. The railway from Burnie reached Myalla in 1913.

At its peak, Myalla had three churches: an Anglican Mission Hall (1919), a Gospel Hall (1919) and a Baptist church (1923). Of these, only the Gospel Hall has survived closure.

The Myalla Gospel Hall was officially opened on Wednesday 29 January 1919. A report in the Advocate provides a few details about the occasion:

“A large assemblage from all parts of the district, and visitors from Sheffield, Ridgley, Burnie, and Forest, attended the opening services at the new hall which the Brethren have recently erected at Myalla. The hall was crowded at each of the services. Mr. Geo. Atkinson, of Burnie, opened the afternoon service…Mr. Atkinson then led the meeting in prayer, and afterwards spoke at some length on the need for such a building at Myalla, and expressed his pleasure at the erection of the structure…. In the evening, at 7.30, another service was held in the hall. Addresses were delivered by Messrs. J. H. Todd and F. Brewster, evangelists from Melbourne. Mr. H. H. Gates announced that the hall had been opened free of debt…”.

The hall was built by brethren communities from Boat Harbour and Wynyard. The dimensions of the original building were reported to be “20ft x 40ft” which, apart from a small extension at the rear, reveals that the hall has remained virtually unchanged. In 2019 the Gospel Hall’s centenary was celebrated. The church now 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”.

Additional information about this church is welcomed as all articles are continually updated. I can be contacted through this page or my Facebook page "Churches of Tasmania" which is linked here: Churches of Tasmania. 

The Myalla Gospel Hall - Photo credit: Wynyard Historical Society

A view of the Myalla district - Source: Libraries Tasmania 

Advocate, Saturday 25 January 1919



Sources:

Advocate, Saturday 25 January 1919, page 2
Advocate, Saturday 25 January 1919, page 3
Advocate, Thursday 30 January 1919, page 1
Advocate, Friday 31 January 1919, page 4
Daily Telegraph, Monday 3 February 1919, page 2

Wynyard Historical Society.  Wynyard : a pictorial history / a Wynyard Historical Society Publication  Wynyard Historical Society Wynyard, Tas  2004



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