No. 1628 - Tunnack - Methodist Church (1903)

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Tunnack is small rural town about 20 kilometres south of Oatlands which was predominantly settled by Irish migrants in the mid-19th century. The district was densely settled under the Waste Lands Act of 1863, which sold cheap land in small lots for clearing and farming. The settlement was officially proclaimed in 1871 and adopted the name ‘tunnack’ which is derived from the local Aboriginal word for cold.

Religious life in the Tunnack district was dominated by Catholic and Presbyterian communities reflecting the significant numbers of Irish and Scottish settlers. Unlike most rural towns, an Anglican church was never established. However, the Methodists were active at Tunnack from the 1870s and a church was eventually built in 1903. Little is known about the small weatherboard church which functioned for only about five or six years.

In August 1902 the Midlands News reported:

“A public meeting was held here [Tunnack] to arrange for the erection of a new Methodist Church. The attendance was fair. Mr. Fletcher presided and before closing a working committee was formed with power to add to their number. We are now waiting for the final arrangements for a piece of land”.

Land was purchased from the Good Templars (IOGT) who had built a hall, or Grand Lodge, at Tunnack in the 1878. Known as the “Golden Rule Lodge” it was located on land adjoining the Tunnack State school-room. The Methodists purchased about an acre of land from the IOGT for the sum of £5. The foundation stone for the church was ceremonially laid on Saturday 29 November 1902. The Midlands News reported:

“The foundation stone for the new Methodist Chapel was laid on Saturday last by Mr. Wm. Burbury, M.H.A., who, in a very neat speech, pronounced the stone to be well and truly laid. There was also a tea meeting and social in the evening in which the Rev. A. McCallum was present… Sufficient funds are now in hand, and a start will be made with the building at once”.

There appears to have been some delay in building the church as tenders for its construction were only advertised in March 1903. In the same month the Midlands News reported that work on the building was about to commence:

“On Sunday, the 15th inst., Mr. Fletcher conducted a Harvest Thanksgiving Service here, the building being tastefully decorated for the occasion, with fruit, grain, flowers, etc. Next year we hope to hold this service in the new church which course of erection within a few weeks time, and which will be a great improvement to the old slab building that has served the purpose for a place of worship for about 35 years…”.

The is no published record of the church’s official opening however the building was in use by the end of the 1903. This is confirmed by the report of the annual Hobart Methodist Synod which states that “a new church” had been erected at Tunnack.

In 1906 the church was used temporarily to house the Tunnack State school following its destruction in a fire. The Mercury reported:

Early this morning [March 10, 1906] Mr Scott’s barn, which was full of grain, and the State school, with its adjacent dwelling were destroyed by fire. Within half an hour they were all in flames. The occupants of the state school dwelling had a narrow escape… The fire is attributed to an incendiary, and it is not the first instance of that person’s malevolent actions, which had already caused some uneasiness”.

The church was rented by the Government and the building was lined and “a small stove, to save the little ones from perishing” was installed.

Services seem to have continued at the church while it was used as a school. It also appears that further improvements were made to the building for in 1908 the annual Methodist Synod noted the “the Tunnack Church had received a loan of £31”. In the previous year, the Hobart Mercury reported that a social had been held in the Good Templars' Hall “for the funds of the local Methodist Church”.

After 1908 there is no further reference to Tunnack’s Methodist church in local newspaper reports. The last reference I have found concerning the Methodist community relates to the appointment of Mr V. Hale as “home missionary” in 1910. I have not located a photograph of the church or established what became of the building. 


Midland News, Saturday 7 March 1903



Sources:

Tribune, Monday 22 July 1878, page 3
The Midland News, Saturday 16 August 1902, page 3
The Midland News, Saturday 6 December 1902, page 2
The Midland News, Saturday 9 May 1903, page 2
The Mercury, Wednesday 2 October 1902, page 2
Midland News, Saturday 7 March 1903, page 2
Midland News, Saturday 28 March 1903, page 3
Tasmanian News, Tuesday 14 April 1903, page 3
Midland News, Saturday 29 August 1903, page 2
The Mercury, Thursday 17 November 1904, page 5
The Mercury, Monday 12 March 1906, page 6
Daily Post, Thursday 19 November 1908, page 7
Mercury, Wednesday 19 January 1910, page 2
Daily Post, Tuesday 19 April 1910, page 3
Daily Telegraph, Thursday 29 December 1910, page 7

Beven, Kathleen; A collection of memories : Tunnack,Tasmania; Friends of Tunnack Heritage Committee, 2012.






























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