FEILDING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 110, 9 April 1932, Page 8

FEILDING

ST. JOHN’S CHURCH JUBILEE.

The jubilee celebrations’ of St. John s Church, Feilding, will be observed m various ways during the coming wees. Rt. Rev. Dr. Sprott, Bishop of Wellington, will participate, while Ven. Archdeacon Johnston will also preach. As a means of marking the 50th anniversary of the church a history of the early days of the parish has been compiled by Mr G. J. Fitzpatrick, and although many of the happenings' o the pioneering days are obscured bj the passage of the intervening years, the review contains much information which, from the point ot view of both parishioners and- the church, makes it extremely interesting and valuable. , , - , Among other things the records obtained by Mr Fitzpatrick show that the precise date of the first Anglican Church service following the establishment of the Manchester Block in 1874 with Feilding as the chief settlement isnot available, church activities in those days apparently not being very carefully recorded. The late Mrs Towler, mother of the first white child born in Feilding, informed the compiler of the history that a clergyman came to the settlement, in the year ot settlement, or 1875. Services were held in the Manchester Street School building in 1876, and shortly afterwards use was made of the immigration barracks at the Corner of Kimbolton Road and Beattie Street. Authentic history would appear to commence in 1876 when Rev. Henry Bevis, vicar of Palmerston North, held services in Feilding. The organist was Mrs Mary E. Mountfort, wife of Mr C. W Mountfort and mother of Mr C. A. Mountfort, at present residing in East Street. In the same year Rev. Mr Bevis held r marriage service in the school, the bride being a sister of Mr C. A Mountfort, and this was probably the first church wedding in the settlement, Mrs C W Mountfort started a Sunday school in the same year. In the following year the services were conducted by Mr A. F. Halcombe as IttV reader. No records are available in the parish as to the baptisms prior to 1877.. Bishop Hadfield visited the settlement in 1877, and on April 17 baptised the following: Mervin Sliere, James Henry Weatherly, Kate Weatherly, Joseph James Green, William Forsyte Wilson Towner, Robert Arthur Pearson, Robert Alexander Green, Grace Elizabeth Bishop, Charlotte Marsh, Thomas Henry Humphries, Fanny Louisa Lash, George Henry Hoble, Alice Lopisa Hurdle, Albert Leopold Wills, Charles Douglas, Llewellyn Maysmor, Sarah Worsfold, Fanny Worsfold, George Ward, David Williams Newell, Albert Wickham, Albert Dudley Young and Rose Beatrice Young. Bishop Hadfield visited the parish again in ’7B and ’-79, when further baptisms were performed. In 1877 a meeting was held to transact business connected with the parish, Mr A. F. Halcombe presiding. At this meeting the following vestrymen were appointed : Messrs Menzies (for Awahuri), Lash and Sherwill (for Halcome), Halcombe, Pearson, W. D. Nicholas, Beattie G. Kirton, Worsfold and Young. Mr Nicholas was appointed churchwarden. In the following year. Mr H. L. Sherwill was elected churchwarden, following a ballot in which Mr Nicholas was defeated by one vote. Towards the end of the year steps were taken to proceed with the erection of a parsonage, and in the following year the vestry carried a motion resolving on the erection of a church at a cost of £6OO. THE FIRST VICAR. The first vicar of the parish was Rev. Joshua Jones, who was appointed in 1879. It was in that year that the Emigrants’ and Colonists’ Aid Corporation offered the site for the church where the present building stnnds. The offer was accepted, and plans submitted by Mr F. de J. Clere for the new building were accepted, and it was resolvd that tho church should be described as that of St. John the Evanfelist. Steps were taken to raise funds or the building of the church, and the tender of Mr W. D. Nicholas for £564 was accepted. St. John’s Church was consecrated on February 15, 1882, by Bishop Hadfield, the foundation stone having been laid on November 30, 1881. A Sunday school building was erected in 1885 on a site alongside the church. In that year at the annual meeting of parishioners the following officers were elected: Clergyman’s warden, Mr H. L. Sherwill; parishioners’ warden, Mr Charles Bray; vestry, Messrs S. Goodbehere, Saxon, Rutherford, Young, G. Kirton, W. G. Haybittle and Waiter Bailey; auditor, Mr E. Goodbehere. Bishop Hadfield held confirmation servicos in the new parochial district in 1879, when the following were confirmed: Thomas Woolley Burgess. John William Holder, Williams Thomas Pearson, Henry Dession Lash, Robert Dudley Worsfold, John Henry Worsfold, Henry Road Worsfold, George Worsfold, William Bray, William Steordy Porthouse, Thomas George Nicholas, Ann Knyvett, Emily Horneman, Mary Margaret Halcome, Annie Margaret Halcombe, Emily Roe, Annie Jane Roe, Eliza Margaret Beattie, Frances Kate Beattie, Elizabeth Sarah Fowles, Ellen Harriet Stevens, Mary Ada Davey, Rachel Robinson, Eliza Bosher, Jemima Arnott, Mary Bowler, Eliza Bowler, Alice Weatherly, Emily Weatherly. To Mr Halcome more than to any other person the parishioners are indebted for the establishment of St. John’s parish and church. It was he as agent for the Emigrants’ and Colonists’ Aid Corporation, who set apart as a site for the parsonage in Church Street. When the township was surveyed one acre was allotted to the Church of England in Manchester Street, the present site of the municipal baths. The belief that the town would tend to spread in the direction of Makino decided Mr Halcombe to set aside the present Camden Street site. Mrs Halcombe assisted her husband in his church work and she was very closely associated with all church activities in the settlement. Mr A. R. Theodore Haultain, who was clerk of the Court in Feilding, did a great deal towards helping to raise funds for the church, and presented the font, which is still in use, in 1884. Mr H. L. Sherwill was for 25 years closely associated with the practical and spiritual Work of the church. He was one of the early lay readers and with scarcely a break took the services every Sunday for 22 years. Parishioners of the early days will recall Mr Alfred Dawson, who threw a tremendous amount of energy into church affairs. When on holiday in Canterbury in 1883 he lost his life, and a brass tablet to his memory was erected in the church. Rev. , Arthur Hermon was appointed priest in charge of the district following the resignation of Rev. J. Jones in 1886. In 1886 pew rents were fixed at 5s fier sitting per annum, and there folowed strenuous efforts to liquidate the debt on the church, Rev. Mr Hermon being conspicuous in this connection. In Mr Hermon resigned and Rev Mr Innes Jones was appointed, first officiating in August, 1893. The marriage register of the parochial district commenced on December 8, 1880, the marriage on that date being Alfred Richard Stace to Emily Eliza Roberts, which was followed 21 days later by the marriage of William David Morris Danks to Annie Harriet McKeJlar Jinyvett. Rev. J., P. Davys was-ap-

pointed assistant curate in 1896 and resigned in 1899, when Rev. J. R, Cassell was appointed. In 1900 it was decided to remunerate choir boys at the rate of Id per Sunday service; how long this remained in force is not recorded. Mr John Bloomfield was the first paid organist, and he resigned in 1909, to be followed by Mr A. E. Matheson, who, in turn, was succeeded by the present organist, Mr A. E. Golding. The publication of the Parish News commenced in 1917, and in October, 1920, Ven. Archdeacon Innes Jones announced that he had effected an exchange with Rev. F. H. Petrie, M.A., vicar of Roseneath. The Venerable Archdeacon, who had ministered in the parish for 28 years, was fittingly farewelled, while Rev. Mr Petrie was solemnly instituted into the cure of the parochial district on February 20, 1921. The new vicar organised for the acquisition of a new pipe organ and a bazaar in 1921 realised a profit of £B2B, whereupon an organ costing £ISOO was ordered from Scotland. The new organ was dedicated in 1923. The kindergarten Sunday school property in Manchester Street was acquired in 1922 for £450, the first superintendent being Mrs A. F. Dowrick, who was later succeeded by Miss C. Ellerm. On Miss Ellerm’s departure from Feilding Mrs V. E. Morphy became superintendent, and the school is now in charge of Miss Petrie. Rev. Mr Petrie was appointed Canon in July, 1925.

MAORI MISSION BAZAAR. After several weeks of untiring effort, the Anglican Maori Mission bazaar which was held in the Drill Hall yesterday proved a complete success. A willing band of helpers had laboured hard to ensure the. success of the bazaar and the many well stocked stalls offering for sale works of art and foodstuffs did encouraging business. Particularly interesting was the Maori stall, which contained a variety of Native-made articles from Rotorua, Onepuhi, Kakariki and this district. The Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union helped with a produce stall and this evidence of co-operation in a worthy cause was the subject of appreciative comment by Rev. Canon W. G. Williams, of Wanganui, superintendent of the Wellington Diocesan Maori Mission, who officially opened the bazaar. In the course of his remarks the Canon alluded to the difficult times the mission was facing, but he looked with confidence to a return to better days when he could once more take his place in the field of active work. To assist the mission whose finances had been somewhat strained, he had elected to take a parish pending a strengthening of the finances. He was pleased to report that the debt of over £4OO had been reduced by over £IOO and while he had not the figures for the past financial year he believed that a further reduction had been made. This result was due to the efforts of both Maori and pakeha and in regard to the Feilding district he would say that the mission was most fortunate in having the able assistance of Mr and Mrs Mason Durie. They had done an enormous amount of work with tho help of their friends in assisting the mission finances and the bazaar was a credit to their enthusiasm. Concluding, Canon Williams wished the bazaar every success. Last evening a Maori concert party from Otaki gave an enjoyable entertainment to a large crowd of patrons.