INFLUENCE OF RELIGION

Taranaki Daily News, 24 February 1932, Page 10

INFLUENCE OF RELIGION

STORY OF THE CHURCHES INSPIRATION AND COMFORT. EXPANSION WITH THE YEARS. The powerful yet unostentatious influence of the Church in the betterment of mankind needs ho mention here; enough M is to say that, in ■ their various churches the pioneers of South Taranaki, and, indeed, of every district in New Zealand, found, the inspiration and comfort that enabled them to carry on through good, times and bad. The story of religious effort in Hawera is a. fascinating one. But it is also a record of high courage, sublime faith and hard work. On the occasion of these jubilee celebrations it is pleasant to glance back through the years and note the beginsings of the different churches and their early struggles; and then to look at the amazing energy and success with which every sect has expanded in the intervening years. Only the histories of the four pioneer churches have been attempted here, and these are necessarily ■brief. i ARRIVAL OF METHODISM. • HAWERA’S- FIRST CHURCH. It was early in the February of 1874 that the Rev. Thomas Reeve, a Gloucestershire man, 29 years of age, left Marton Tor Patea organisation of a Methodist circuit, which was to extent from Waitotara to Normanby and ultimately as far north as Opunake and Ngaere. JFrpin February until AP ri I there is. no record ;bf his jwoyk, ,bpt the fact that, services were held at, Waitotara,’Waverley'and Normandy one Sunday tdwaJds tlie end of April indicates that the organisation-of the Qarlyla circuit was then an accomplished fact. A week later services. were conducted at Manutahi and in the_ blockhouse at Hawera. . had come to. South Taranaki. ' ' .

There were prosept at the first Hawera service about 30.' persons, among whom ..were .both Mr. and Mrs. W. A’Court, the Douglases and thq Bayleys. The, Rev. Thomas. who was with Mri Reeve, haq recalled their kindly welcome by the Constabulary Staff' at old Waihi camp near' Normanby. There was no lack of support of Methodism/ the' settlers' being only too glad to have (established. the ordinances of their religion... Following the first quarterly meeting 'of the new circuit at Carlyle in July, 1874,' and the building of a church there in 1875, the Rev. J. Law succeeded Mr. Reeve, and, early in. 1876, stops were taken with a view to erecting a Methodist church at Hawera. THE FIRST CHURCH. A meeting of tike church building eomsnittee'was held in the Hawera blockhouse on May 27, when, plans were approved and' the matter of procuring a site was left to the chairman, the Rev. J. Law. There were present at this meeting, Messrs. W. and R. Dingle, W. A’Court and S. J. Tocker. The , final cost amounted to £227 and the church, the first in Hawera, was said to be the prettiest between New Plymouth and Wanganui. Opening services were held

on September 6, 1876, the preachers being the Rev.. Martin (Presbyterian) and the Rev. T. Garlick, who had come up | from. Marton for that purpose. In 1878 . the ..Rev. 'P. W. Fairclough was appointed to the circuit and remained until April, 1881. Under this, minister, who was widely read, possessed great originality and had a fine memory, the Methodist cause made considerable headway in the .district. In 1882 two ministers were appointed to the Patea circuit and one, the Rev. T. F. Jones, was stationed at Hawera as second minister. Mr. Jones was thus the first Methodist preacher resident in Hawera.

Increased attendances indicated, that the existing church was becoming too small and, in July, 1882, a meeting was held in Mr. 'M. D. King’s residence to consider the erection of a larger one. The Bevs. J. A. Luxiford (Patea) and T. F. Jones were present, others being Messrs. King, C. Godher, C. Hockings, G. §yme, Thomas Nicholas, J. A. and W. A’Court. Eventually it was decided that another church should be erected on the site of the old one, and on May 24, 1883 the foundation stone of the new building was laid. The cost of this church was £520 'and it was opened in September, the preachers being the ministers of the Patea circuit, > the Bev. J. J. Mather, who had succeeded Mr. Jones at Hawera, and the Bev. J. A. Luxford. SPREAD OF METHODISM. Opunake was at this time included in the north of the circuit, but the small staff of preachers did not permit that portion to receive the attention required, and it was decided that a man should be appointed to reside there. This was difficult and Mr. Mather took charge from Hawera, the latter pulpit being supplied by local preachers. From 1884 to 1888 there was no resident minister at Hawera. In the meantime a ehurch had been erected at Manaia. Eltham was added to the preaching places in the circuit, and, in 1887, Hawera was constituted a separate circuit, the Manawapou River being the southern boundary. The Bevis. R. S. Bunn, 0. E. Barley, W. J. Watkin, J. G Chapman and T. N. Griffin succeeded each other in the new circuit, the two latter serving together with Mr. Griffin as first minister. The Patea office-bearers were appointed by the Hawera circuit’s quarterly‘meeting in 1880. Opunake became a separate circuit iu 1890, the second Hawera minister, the Rev. R. J. Murray, having been in charge there from the time of the departure of Mr. Chapman. The Revs. Cannell (1892), C. H. Laws (1895), J. Dukes (1898), C. Porter (1902), Samuel Gibson (1905), F. W. Boys (1908), W. A. Burley (1912), E. 0. Blamires (1913), A. Liversedge (1918), W. J. Oxbrow (1923), followed one another at Hawera, and the present minister, the Rev. E. 6. Emrnitt, took up the appointment in April, 1928. CHANGES WITH YEARS.

Throughout thia period there were many changes in the general conditions of the. district, and these changes naturally affected the church in various ways. The strong bodies of office-bearers and local preachers worked together in absolute harmony, and the strength of the Hawera church increased with the years. The foundation stones of the present church were laid ou November 9, 1905, the south corner stone being laid by Messre. J. Hawken (circuit steward for

many years), E. Dixon and L. S. Barraclough (the then circuit stewards) and the Rev. T. G. Hammond. Masonic honours accompanied the laying of the stone on the northern corner. The church was opened on April 15, 1906. A Sunday school in connection with the Kphurch was opened almost as soon aS" services were commenced in 1874, and classes were held in the blockhouse, Mr. J. Winks taking charge of the school for a few weeks, when Mr. R. Dingle was appointed. Like other church activities, this has grown with the passing of the years and to-day occupies a prominent place in the life of the younger members of the community. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. GROWTH SINGE EARLY DAYS. In the comparatively peaceful period following the Maori troubles of 1868, settlers in Hawera and district belonging to the Presbyterian Church first attempted to establish regular church .work. It was early in 1870 when the Rev. D. Hogg, who had accepted the Wanganui congregation in 1852, opened a preaching station at Hawera. The newly-constructed blockhouse was procured for this purpose, and Mr. Hogg carried on the work with some degree of regularity until relieved by the Rev. N. McCallum, who had accepted a call to Patea, from which place he worked the Hawera district.

A good idea of the difficulties of transport faced by the early ministers is contained in the jubilee souvenir booklet of St. John’s Church, Hawera. “Mr. Hogg’s first means of conveyance,” it records, “was a bullock, his saddle was a sack, and the stirrups were made of plaited flax. He did most of his reading on the. back of this animal. The distances in those days were long and the tracks narrow and dangerous, but the bullock was most faithful and sure- ■ footed, though very slow in his movements.” Mr. McCallum came to Hawera first in 1874 and continued the blockhouse services until April, ;1876. During this period Hawera showed signs of ..becoming a township. The Rev. A. Martin followed Mr. McCallum, but returned to Scotland within a short tipie. ELECTION OF MANAGERS.

The beginning of organised Presbyterianism in Hawera was marked by a meeting held in. the blockhouse on April 12, 1874, when the .first management committee was elected. At this time the Maori War was nominally over, but perils remained in plenty, for the Maoris claimed all the land between Hawera and New Plymouth, and construction work of any description in this area would have infuriated them... The first management committee contained the names of settlers prominently connected with the history of early settlement in the district—Messrs. J. Davidson, W; Douglas, J. Winks, J. Turnbull, H.yAdams, J. Black and W. McFarlane. Messrs. D. McLean, G. Hunter. (Waverley) and G. Syme were later appointed. The meetings were held at the house of Mr. Davidson. Negotiations for land for a church site reveal early difficulties, but late in 1875 Mr. Alexander Winks presented the Church with the acre of land where the present buildings stand. In May of 1876 a tender was accepted for the building of the first church, and in January of the next year the opening services were conducted by the Rev. J. Treadwell, of Wanganui. A little later the Hawera committee was notified

of the possibility of procuring the services of the Rev. James Torry, who had just arrived in the- country from Scotland. In November, 1877, the Presbytery of Wanganui inducted Mr. Torry to the pastoral charge of the Hawera congregation. During the . interval between the arrival of Mri Torry in January and his induction in November the Revs. R. J. Allsworth (Whverley) and J. Ross (Turakina) and Mr. David Strachan (elder of Wanganui) were appointed a provisional session with- Mr. Treadwell as moderator, and in April, 1877, this session visited Hawera and formed the Presbyterian members and adherents into a congregation and conducted the first communion service. In 1879 seven sections of land on the south of the church were purchased from Mr. Winks for a glebe, and -later in the year Mr. Torry conducted the opening services of the Normanby church. ;

SUNDAY SCHOOL STARTED. Owing to the difficulties of travel the provisional session was unable to meet with any degree of regularity, but the communion roll continued to increase. 'The Hawera, session was formed in 'lBB3, Messrs. D. Hutchison, A. Mair and Mclntosh being inducted to the office of eldership. Regular meetings were then held and the communion seasons observed. Soon after this a Sunday school was started under the superintendence of Mr. J. Winks, and this branch of the work has been continued with unbroken interest to the present time. After seven years of unremitting toil in Hawera, Mr. Torry died in July, 1885, and after a short time the Rev. Alex McLean was called to fill the vacancy. Work in the outfields of Manaia, Okaiawa and Normanby continued to prosper. Early in 1890 a woman resident of New Brunswick, Canada, donated the sum of £3OO to the Hawera congrega-

tion for the purpose of building a manse for its minister. This work was put in hand immediately, and the manse was completed before the end of the year. Early in 1891 Mr. McLean resigned, and, before the Bev. R. McGregor was inducted to the. charge, the Manaia people severed their connection with Hawera and have since supported a minister of their own. Bible classes were formed under the leadership of Mr. McGregor, a ifew organ was purchased and a buggy procured for his use. Towards the end of 1895 Mr. McGregor resigned and the Rev. T. McDonald, W&verley, filled the vacancy. NEW CHURCH BUILT. An old. settler and active member of the congregation for over 20 years, Mr. Moore Hunter passed away in 1897, the Church suffering a great loss. Mr. McDonald resigned in 1900 and was succeeded by the Rev. Ivo Bertram. Fresh needs and greater problems now challenged the best instincts and powers of the congregation and office-bearers; the township was developing rapidly and a larger church was required. This became an accomplished fact in March, 1903, the opening services being conducted by the Rev. R. M. Ryburn, Wanganui. The next period from 1901 to 1911 was characterised by much activity on definite and progressive lines. The outfields were thoroughly worked, the youth work developed and building operations

pushed forward. Mr. Bertram was followed by the Rev. A. H. Treadwell in December, 1904,, and upon the death of the latter in 1907 the Rev. J. R. Shore was appointed. A new Sunday school hall and Bible class rooms were erected in 1909. Over the war period many of the congregation suffered loss of members of their families. The outfields of Mokoia and Whakamara camo under the care of Hawera in 1915. The Rev. H. B. Gray followed Mr. Shore in 1917. The present minister of the congregation, the Rev. R. E. Evans, was inducted in July, 1923, and the church has prospered to the present day. Among the older names of the congregation of St. John’s one notices Messrs. R. Tait, R. W. Sargent, C. O. Ekdahl and J. Hicks; men who are still playing an important part in the life of the Hawera community. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. BUILDING OF ST. JOSEPHUS. ' The Catholics in Hawera and the plains were few and far between when the parish was founded in January of 1875,. Father Pertius being the priest in charge. To-day, as one passes down Victoria Street and sees the beautiful church of’ St. Joseph, it seems indeed a far cry to the days of early worship in the first tiny church —a . cottage which was shifted from the Waihi cemetery to form a combined church and. presbytery. The whole building measured only iBft. by IGft., and it was not rainproof. On the occasion of the jubilee of the Hawera parish in 1925, the Rt. Rev. Monsignor P. J. Power, in a brief history of the progress of the Church, recalled the fact that the Archbishop had to be continually shifting the altar stone on the occasion of his first visit ■to escape the drip, drip as he was saying Mass. ' .

Father Pertius soon built a beautiful little Gothic church, which was long an object of admiration. There were, however, many worries over this building. At first only the walls could be put up, the window spaces being covered with scrim, and it was some time without a roof. A Frenchman, Father Pertius was not long grasping the trend of his new language, and it is recorded that he had a good tutor “in Colonel Malone, who was himself a French scholar. The trips throughout the large parish’were arduous in’ the extreme, the transport being only by hors® or foot. In spite of this the good priest carried on his work with conscientious care and thought. ,

J The first name in the baptismal regis- - ter is that of John O’Keefe, born and 5 baptised early in June, 1875, There , were 72 baptised in the next two years, s and many of them are still living, but 1 scattered far and wide throughout the - Dominion. The'first marriage celebrated ’ in the Hawera parish was that of Ed; s ward Collins and Margaret Cunningham, 1 in February, 1877. SCHOOL AND BUILDINGS. It was only a few months before ’ Fatb.cr iPertius had opened the first Catholic school in Hawera, the teacher being Miss Ellen Coakley. She was succeeded by Miss Guerin (later Mrs. Austen Whittaker). After her came Miss Boylan (later • Mrs. Ki<k), and these ladies were responsible for much of the early training of Archbishop OiShca, Father Malone and many other eminent men. After leaving Hawera, Father Pertius spent many years on the West Coast, finally passing away in Wellington in 1906. Father Ryan, from the American mission, was in charge during most of 1878. A little two-storied building was added to what had been the first church, the new one having two small rooms on the ground floor. This building is said to have been the finest of its day in the small settlement. Dean Grogan came at the beginning of 1879 and remained five years. An Irishman of powerful build arid vigorous constitution, he spent most of his time, in the saddle, _ often being at Kai Iwi and Oaonui in the same week. The Dean acquired some of the present Hawera property, enlarged the church and built a fine little church at Patea. The next priest in charge was Father Mulvihill, who remained until May, 1898. He saw the advantage of a Convent school, and within a year brought the Sisters of St. Joseph to Hawera. The new church was built in 1887, and this priest also had churches constructed at Manaia, Opunake and Waverley. The next priest was the man who later became the Rt. Rev. Monsignor P. J. Power, so well and kindly remembered by Hawera people for his long and excellent service in the parish and the improvements and progress effected under his guidance. This priest purchased land, laid the foundation stone of a new school which was opened in Hawera early the following year, and, within less than a year of his arrival three substantial buildings were erected within the parish and practically paid for. Within a year a fine school was provided for the 'Sisters of St. Joseph at Manaia. Branches of the Hibernian Society were established at Hawera and Manaia, and continue to give good service to the Church. Churches were built at Okaiawa in 1904 and at Auroa in 1905. The whole of 1907 was devoted to paying off debts that had accumulated in Hawera. The Hawera church was enlarged in 1910 and additions were made to the Victoria Street school in the following year, while in 1912 the school in Little Regent Street was constructed.

The biggest venture of all was suggested by the late Thomas Lavery in 1910, with the result that collections were continued for many years before sufficient money was found for the building of the present beautiful church which was completed and formally opened on December 9, 1928. A red-letter day in the history of the Church in Hawera was the visit of the Apostolic Delegate on December 6, 1921, and the procession in his honour will be long remembered. In the Hawera portion of bis little sketch on the Church in Taranaki,. Monsignor Power mentions many wellknown names in connection with different functions. In conclusion he mentioned Mr. James .'Bartlett, who, he said, had been a devoted son of the Church. After a residence in Hawera for 30 years. Monsignor Power died on October 24, 1927, after a short illness. His death cast a gloom over the whole community, members of other denominations and many residents paying testimony to his very fine work in the Hawera district. At the time of his illness £12,300 of the £13,000 odd required for the building of St. Joseph’s was in hand, and the cleaning of the section had been started. The foundation stone was laid on March 18, 1928, and the opening services were held on December 9, 1928, Archbishop Redwood taking part. Father P. Cullen, who received the title of Monsignor in January, 1931, succeeded Monsignor Power, being appointed on November 24, 1927.

CHTTRCH OF ENGLAND. BEAUTIFUL ST. MARY’S. The story of the Hawera Parish and St. Mary’s Anglican Church, which is one of the finest in the Waitotara Archdeaconry, is a most interesting one. The parish was originally part of the Patea parochial district, but it is to celebrate its jubilee as a separate district towards the end of the present year. St. Mary’s is a beautiful brick church and is situated on the corner of Glover Road and Princes Street. The original church was a wooden one, erected about the year 1880 on the site now occupied by St. Mary’s. The parochial district extended from the Manawapou River in the south to beyond Eltham and nearly to Rahotu, including the Kaponga district. The parish now extends from the Manawapou to the Waingongoro and includes Mokoia, Whakamara, Meremere, Ararata, Fraser Road, Normanby aud Tokaora. There are now two other churches in this district, one being St. Paul’s at Normanby and the other St. James’ at Mokoia. The Normanby church was consecrated on September 10, 1899, but existed many years before that date. St. James’ was opened and consecrated on June 25, 1905. THE PRESENT CHURCH. The first vicar of the Hawera parish began his work on November 12, 1682, this being the Rev. W. H. Root. The original church, with seating for 207, was built before the division from the Patea district. It was during the incumbency of the Rev. Harold Anson that the parishioners decided to build a permanent church, and it was begun by the Rev. J. A. Jacob, his successor, and opened for public worship by Bishop Wallis on July 1, 1903. This church is built of brick with a plastered interior, and its good roof is supported by two rows of tall wooden pillars.. Its seating accommodation provides for 375 people, but the records show that more than this number have been crammed into it on many occasions. It was consecrated on April 14, 1916. Inside, the furnishings are good and 'in good taste. There is an apsidal baptistry with a stone font, while the altar and reredos are of, oak f the lectern a fine brass eagle, and the organ an excellent pipe one. A set of small English stain-ed-glass windows forms a delightful feature. These are designed to run right round the building and represent the Saints of the English Church from St. Alban to the late Archbishop Temple. DIFFERENT VICARS. Hawera has also been fortunate in its vicars. They have been the Rev. W. H. Root, 1882-1888, the Rev. Walter [Kay, 1888-1896, the Rev. R. J. Thorpe (afterwards Archdeacon Thorpe), 1'8961897, the Rev. Harold Anson, 1897-1902, the 'Rev. J. A. Jacob (afterwards Archdeacon of Westland), 1002-1907, Archdeacon J. R. Cassell, 1907-1915, the Rev. C. H. Grant-Cowen (now Canon St. Mary’s, Auckland), 101'5-1920, the Rev. R. Franklin, 1920-1923, the Rev. H. W. Monaghan (Archdeacon and Vicar of St. Mary’s, Timaru), 1923-1927. The vicar since 1927, the Rev. J. R. Young, left at the end of January of this year and is now Vicar of Christ Church, Wanga-: nui. His place at Hawera is to be taken by the Rev. H. Whitby-James, who has been Vicar of Tinui and who is expected to arrive this month. Temporary vicars at different times included the Revs. D. O. Hampton, John Blackburn, and W. Ford Hutchinson. It was in 1925, under the Rev. H. W. Monaghan, that the status was raised to. that of a parish.

The earliest record of church officers is that for 1885 which shows: —Curate in charge, the Rev. W. H Root; lay readers, Messrs. H. W. Moore and H. Caplen; church-wardens, Messrs. W. A. Parkinson (people’s), and H. Caplen (minister’s); vestrymen, Messrs. Morecroft, J. Mason, E. Gomer, J. Duffill, W. Caverhill, J. C. Yorke, P-.rsons (Manaia), F. H. Brett and F. J. Gxne (Normanby), and Watkins (Okaiawa); superintendent of the Sunday School, Mr. E. Gomer. Other well-known men who assisted" the church in the early days were Messrs. W. G. White, A. S. Hobbs, J. R. Lysaght, H. G. Pitcher and many other of the pioneer settlers.