“MOTHER CHURCH”

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 July 1941, Page 3

“MOTHER CHURCH”

AUCKL’D CENTENNIAL SERVICE

AUCKLAND, July 27. The celebration of the centenary of Qt Pmil’<s Church, the mothei church” of Auckland, and the oldest metropolitan church in New Zealand, was honoured to-day by of the Governor-General, Sir Cyni Newall and the Primate, Archbishop West-Watson,. both of whom had come specially from the south to partieiuste The Governor-General in the afternoon unveiled a bronze tablet which had been placed on the monument to the first vicar of St. Pauls, the Rev. J. F. Churton, in Emily Place, the site of the original church, to commemorate the laying of its foundation stone by the first Governor of New Zealand, Captain William Hobson, on July 28, 1841. The Archbishop was the preacher at both morning and evening services in the present St. Paul’s. , — ~. The afternoon ceremony was military as well as ecclesiastical, since the old St. Paul’s was for nearly 30 years the church of the Imperial troops in the garrison in Auckland. As a counterpart of the guard of honour from the 80th Regiment, which headed the Governor’s procession from Government House to the church site a ceptury ago, parties from the three fighting services marched to Emily Place from the present (jhurch, in front of the bishops, clergy, and choir. Canon Watson thanked his Excellency for making the journey from Wellington. He expressed regret that the illness of her little son had prevented Lady Newall from being present.—P.A.