NEW CHURCH AT COURTENAY

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22197, 14 September 1937, Page 13

NEW CHURCH AT COURTENAY

DEDICATION CEREMONY NEXT SUNDAY INTERESTING EARLY HISTORY The new Anglican Church at Courtenay will be dedicated on Sunday next by Ihe Very Rev. Dean J. A. Julius. The church, which will retain the name of the previous church at Courtenay, St. Matthew's, will be, as its predecessor was, headquarters and parent church of the parochial district of Courtenay, embraces several surrounding distne's. The parish has a history extending over more than 60 years. Before the erection of the first church at Courtenay, on May 11, 1873, services were held in the public schoolroom. The parish, with the Malvern district included, was then one of the largest in the South Island embracing Courtenay. Aylesbury. Hororata, Racecoruse Hill, Waddington,

Kimberley, Kowai Pass, Sheffield, Halkett, Darfleld, West Melton, Springfield and Kirwee districts. Originally it worked from Christchurch, Archdeacon Harper being in charge. * The opening service on May 11, 1873 at 11 a.m., was conducted by the Rev. J. Wilson, and the evening service by the Rev. F. Pember. Mr J. Potts was churchwarden at that time. The present Synod lay representative of the church, Mr W. F. Turner, who resides in Riccarton, was present at these services. In 1874 the church was enlarged. It was a wooden building, Gothic in style, and an outstanding landmark in the district. It stood on a six and a quarter-acre section given by Mr J. Lord, whose residence then adjoined the site. The church was consecrated on May 11, 1875, by Bishop Harper. One of the earliest settlers of the Courtenay district. Mr W.. J. Jenkins, now residing at "Fairview," Waddington, recalls walking five miles to the church over the then tussocky plains, to attend the preparatory classes before his confirmation in 1876. At the jubilee of the church's consecration several of the previous vicars were able to be present, including Archbishop Julius (then the Bishop of Canterbury), the Rev. G. Fynes Clinton, the Rev. H- G. Hawkins, the Rev. F. G Brittan, the Rev. E. Webb, the Rev. P. Revell, the Rev. B. G. Fox (then vicar), and the Rev. F. R. Taylor (then Archdeacon of Akaroa). Previous Vicars The list of previous vicars is as follows:__ The Rev. J. Wilson, 1873; the Rev. H. G. Gould, 1874; the Rev. C. Bispham, 1878: the Rev. H. Collins, 1879 (Mr Collins was the first resident vicar); the Rev. W. Dunkley, 1883; the Rev. W. T. Winter, 1889; the Rev. G. Fynes Clinton. 1890; the Kev. H- Collins. 1892; the Rev. H. G. Hawkins, 1895; the Rev. J. M. Whitehead, 1899; the Rev. G. W. Russell, 1905; the Rev. E. Webb, 1909; the Rev. L. Hard, 1914: the Rev. P. Revell, 1915; the Rev. B. G. Fox, 1919; the Rev. R. C. Kel-

!ham, 1923; the Rev. G. W. Christian, 1928; the Rev. H. N. Roberts, 1932; the Rev. G. W. Dent. 1934; the Rev. W. H. S. Hine, 1936 (present vicar). In 1874 Mr F. G. Stedman, a churchwarden, left a bequest of £SO towards a new church. This sum was banked, and interest, with other amounts added, had reached the sum of £490 hi 1936. When it was decided to build a new chur&h, on October 10, 1936, Bishop West-Watson laid the foundation stone of a new concrete church on the site of the old one. The contract was let to Mr W. P. Glue, and the architect was Mr R. S. D. Harman, of Christchurch. The church has seating accommodation available for 64, with ample room for this number to be doubled. , . • All the furnishings are new, and include numerous gifts. The old beautiful stained glass window has been placed at the west end of the new church. The memorial tablets to Herbert John Mathias, 1885, and J. Potts, have been re-erected. The success of the "work has been largely the result of willing co-opera-tion by the whole Courtenay parochial district comprising Courtenay, West Melton. Kirwee, and Burnham. The office-bearers of the Courtenay district are:—Vicar's warden, Mr B, Hayes; people's warden, Mr . K. =>• Roper; vestry, Messrs G. Davis, C. Page, G. Hayes, M. Davis, C. Turner, G. Seaton, C. Wendelken, L. Davis. Mr H. J. Devonshire is the Jay reader and the organist is Miss L. Watson. The Courtenay parish comprises about 20 families. '