No. 1573 - Flinders Island - Emita - St John's Anglican Church (1957-2005)

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Emita is a small settlement on the west coast of Flinders Island and is situated approximately 20 kilometres north of the town of Whitemark. Originally known as Settlement Point, the name was changed to Emita in 1913. A village grew around the administration centre for the aboriginal settlement at Wybalenna. The word 'emita' is aboriginal for "sand".

In the book ‘In Our Heritage of Anglican Churches in Tasmania’, Dorothea Henslowe writes:

“In 1915 there were plans to build a church at Emita, but in 1939 services were still held on the jetty…There were plans again in 1952, but it was October 1956 before the foundation stone was laid and October 1957 before the concrete church was dedicated…”.

The move to build a church in 1952 were in fact expedited by the destruction of the Emita Hall in fire in January of the same year. The hall, which was built in 1931, had been used by Anglicans for many years. The loss of the hall is recounted in the Launceston Examiner:

“A fire razed Emita Hall at the northern end of Flinders Island early yesterday morning. This loss is a severe blow to the social, religious and sporting life of the district's 150 residents. Prayer books and records of the Church of England congregation using the hall as a church were lost in the blaze. An organ and piano were destroyed, as well as forms and other furniture….”.

The new church, which was dedicated to St John, was consecrated by Bishop Robert Davies on 23 October 1977. The church closed in the early 2000s and was sold in 2005.

St John's Anglican church at Emita (2024)


Sources:

Examiner, Wednesday 30 January 1952, page 3
Examiner, Saturday 1 November 1952, page 9

Henslowe, Dorothea I and Hurburgh, Isa. Our heritage of Anglican churches in Tasmania / by Dorothea I. Henslowe ; sketches by Isa Hurburgh s.n S.l. 1978 

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