belltowers

The Catholic Church in Innisfail is dedicated to Mary, Mother of Good Counsel (‘Mater Boni Consilii’), a title of Mary, Mother of God, closely associated with the Augustinian Order of priests, who served this parish from the 1880s to 1993. The present church on the corner of Grace and Rankin Streets was the third built in Innisfail. In 1885, the land was purchased in Owen Street for a church that was built in 1891. It stood on the hill facing Owen Street, approximately where the storage shed adjacent to the presbytery carport now stands. Beside it on the Grace Street side of the hill was a separate bell tower. This church was dedicated to the Mother of Good Counsel. It suffered significant wear and tear in a short time, the result of termites, etc, and of severe heat and heavy rain. A cyclone in 1906 caused such further damage that it was decided to build another church. A second church was built, larger and stronger than the first, of silky oak and cedar, on the other side of the bell tower which survived the cyclone intact. On Sunday, March 10, 1918, a cyclone of unimagined ferocity caused enormous damage to the town and district and, although not completely destroying the church, making it irreparable. The church was rebuilt and reinforced several times as cyclones in this area were very destructive. On March 20, 2006, severe cyclone ‘Larry’ caused havoc in and around Mother of Good Counsel Church: windows were shattered, the church structure was weakened and in many places ruined as some of the roofing and the silky oak rafters were torn away. Flying debris from within and without made the church unsafe for the duration of the cyclone and for some time afterward. In 2009, the church was repaired and renewed; there has been a transformation – a death and resurrection. The severe damage provided the opportunity to redesign in particular the altar and sanctuary, to accord with liturgical requirements. This has been done by Architect, Steve Gleeson, who has highlighted theological insights of Vatican II using the best of modern methods and technology while preserving the integrity, simplicity, and harmony of the original design of the church. Bishop James Foley provided much helpful advice in the redesigning. Source: www.gcparish.org.au/Pages/History.html

St Andrew’s Church (Lutwyche Anan) was built in 1926. The New St Andrews Anglican Church was built during 1925-6. The old Church was moved to one side and remained on the grounds. The Governor General of Australia, Lord Stonehaven, and the Bishop of Brisbane attended the dedication of the new brick church with its tower on 8 August 1926. Source: mappingbrisbanehistory.com.au/history-location/st-andrews...

In the year 2016 parishioners of St Andrew’s Anglican Parish of Lutwyche celebrated the culmination of 150 years of faith and witness. Although St Andrew’s Church at Lutwyche in its present form dates from 1926, an Anglican church has stood on the site at 673 Lutwyche Road since 1866. The existence of a church in this place is due to the benevolence of Judge Alfred James Peter Lutwyche who was the first Supreme Court Judge at Moreton Bay from 21 February 1859 and also the zeal of The Reverend James Matthews, Rector of the Parish of Holy Trinity in Fortitude Valley who began the building of much-needed churches in the outlying areas of Brisbane.. On St Andrew’s Day (30 November) 1866 a Gothic-Style wooden church was opened, free of debt, due to public subscription. On 1 December 1866 the Brisbane Courier newspaper described the original St Andrew’s Anglican Church at Lutwyche as being “comfortably accommodating 133 persons with the architect [Richard George Suter 1827-1874) endeavouring to produce, as far as the material at his disposal would permit, a building which should remind those who frequent it of the quiet English village church and at the same time prove the possibility of coming ecclesiastical character with the use of common everyday materials.” The completed exterior includes a Church tower and clock. St Andrew’s Lutwyche is one of the few Churches in Brisbane to house 13 bells and the Church is well known in the local community for its beautiful bell ringing. The peel of bells was dedicated on 20 November 1927 made by the English bell-founders John Taylor and Co. at the famous Loughborough Bell Foundry. The stained glass windows that date from the original church depict the natures of Christ; the Evangelists; the Blessed Virgin Mary; Sts. Andrew, Alban, Augustine, David, George and St. Clare. Memorials such as that for Captain Claude and Mrs Whish, early benefactors, who died when the RMS ‘Quetta’ sank on the Great Barrier Reef in February 1890 are featured within the Church. A banner from the original church in 1866 which was used in street parades is displayed above the original font in the baptistery. As the parish continued to grow, the Church was extended again in the 1960’s when the present sanctuary was added approximately doubling the size of the Church. Incorporated in the front left pillar at this time was some Caerbwdi stone from St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, South Wales, dating from 1180CE. Source: lutwycheanglican.org.au/history/