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Showing posts from March, 2026

No. 1639 - Latrobe - Church of Christ - Meeting House (1887 - 1892)

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Latrobe is a large country town on the east bank of the River Mersey. The settlement was named after Charles LaTrobe, acting Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania in 1846-7. Until the River Mersey silted up Latrobe was an important port town. The first members of the Church of Christ, Richard Fairlam and his wife Eliza, arrived in Tasmania in 1865 and established a fellowship at Northdown, a rural area 12 kilometres North-east of Latrobe. Initially Fairlam’s followers simply called themselves the “Christians”. They were later known as the "Disciples of Christ” and after 1885 became the ‘Church of Christ’. Fairlam moved to Latrobe in 1872 where he established a new fellowship. Although the fellowship at Northdown ended, a new fellowship was established at New Ground and a Christian Meeting House was built there in 1880. [ see No. 1084 ] This predates the Meeting House built at Latrobe in 1887. Latrobe’s Meeting House was situated on Gilbert Street, alongside the Fairlam’s house (close to...

No. 1638 - Port Sorell - Bridge of Hope Anglican Church

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Following the deconsecration and sale of St Peter’s Anglican Church in 2019, the Port Sorell Anglican Community continued to worship as the ‘Bridge of Hope’. The church, which is described as a Christian Evangelical Anglican Church, has centres at Port Sorell, Latrobe and New Ground. At Port Sorell the Bridge of Hope initially worshipped at the Rubicon Grove Community Centre before relocating to the Banksia Centre located on Anderson street. The Banksia Centre was previously known as Camp Banksia, a facility run by the State Education Department. In 2014 the facility was transferred to the Latrobe Council and in 2020 it was redeveloped as a modern community centre. The Banksia Centre where the Bridge of Hope gathers for worship. Photo: banksiaportsorell.com/   St Peter's Anglican church at Port Sorell. The church was sold in 2019 and has been converted into a house. Sources and further information: https://www.bridgeofhope.au/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/379361172195603 https:/...

No. 1637 - Latrobe - St Luke's Anglican Church (1868-1909)

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Latrobe is a large regional town on the east bank of the River Mersey. The settlement was named after Charles LaTrobe, acting Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania from 1846 to 1847. Until the River Mersey silted up Latrobe was an important port town. The first Anglican services in the Latrobe district were held at a small settlement near Ballahoo Creek on the western bank of the Mersey River. Subsequently services were held in a store that stood near the local wharf (near Bells Parade). In 1868 an Anglican church was built which was also used as a school for a number of years. The earliest reference to the church is found in a article published in the Launceston Examiner in March 1868. The report records that following Bishop Charles Bromby’s consecration of St George’s church at New Ground: “In the evening [Bromby] preached at Latrobe. A collection was made after the service in aid of the school and church now in the course of erection there…The site was given by Mr. J. Bonney, a resident ...

No. 1636 - New Town - Rosary Gardens - Rosary Chapel (1994-2026)

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Rosary Gardens is a Catholic aged care facility located at St John’s Park at New Town. Before the 1990s St John's Park was a precinct with facilities for aged care as well as housing a range of health and welfare services. The site was originally the location of the King's Orphan Schools and St John's Anglican church. Rosary Gardens was purchased from the State government by Southern Cross Care in 1994. Southern Cross Care was established in October 1972 by the Knights of the Southern Cross, a Catholic community of laymen with a mission to provide dignified and respect-based care for the elderly. Southern Cross Care Head Office is also located at the New Town site. A chapel was established at Rosary Gardens in the mid 1990s and has been regularly used as a place of worship for 30 years. A feature of the chapel is a contemporary Art Deco and De Stijl-inspired rear triptych window designed by glass artist Ellen Houston Harris. It was commissioned in 1997 by Lan & Skinner ...

No. 1635 - Glenorchy - Dominic College - Mary Help of Christians Chapel (2006)

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Dominic College in Glenorchy was established in 1973 as Tasmania’s first co-educational Catholic college. It was formed by amalgamating St John's Primary; Savio Primary; Holy Name School and Savio College. The College is rooted in the Salesian and Dominican traditions of the founding schools. It is located on a 28-hectare site that previously housed the Catholic orphanage ‘Boys’ Town’. The College’s chapel, an award wining contemporary building, was constructed in 2006 and was designed by Elvio Brianese. The chapel is positioned to blend into the natural environment and as such features a dramatic glass wall that uses Mount Wellington as an "altar backdrop”. It is the fourth chapel established on the College site. The first chapel (1945–1946) was housed within “Grantleigh”, a large house and estate once owned by Alfred Sawyer, an orchardist and local politician. The property was acquired when Boys’ Town was established in May 1945. With the conclusion of the Second World War ...