SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 117, 20 May 1931, Page 10

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS.

MANGERE METHODIST CHURCH. EARLY SETTLERS' LABOURS. ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. Next Sunday' morning and evening special services will be held to celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the building of the first church at Mangere. The church was built by the Methodists, and it stands to-day, at jthe junction of YVestney and Ihumatao Roads. Before the erection of the church, Methodist services were held at the Maori mission station by the Rev. H. H. Lawrv, and were continued until 18G4 or 1865. About 1803 several. European settlers took up land at Mangere, and held services in their homes every Sunday. Three years afterwards it was decided to build a church, and a corner section of two acres was set aside for that purpose, with a burial ground. Few of the roads "were formed in those days, and most of the land was in its native state of heavy fern. Large heavy stones to form the foundation of the church were carted by bullock teams from Ihumatao; the timber and shingles for the roof, all heart of kauri, were sawn and split at Huia, and carried across the Manukau harbour on a scow and landed on a point of land in the Oruarangi creek, rhen transported to the church site by bullock drays. In the original plans sheet lead was specified for the roof, but some Maoris took the roll of lead to make into bullets. Consequently the roof had to be covered with shingles. The roll of lead was afterwards found about three-quarters of a mile away from the church, hidden in the fern.

On the church being completed, a tea meeting was held in the open in honour of the occasion. All the natives of the district were invited, in order to foster a friendly feeling between the two races. The guests manifested their good will towards the pakehas by eating nearly all the food and leaving very little for the others present. The late Mr. William Westney, senior, was the first soeietv steward and class leader.

About 20 years later, several more families settled in the district from Scotland, including the Wallaces and Ilennies. It was found necessary to -enlarge the cbmtth.