churcharchitecture

Historic Holy Rosary Church steps into the modern age Megan Dean 7 November 2020 The long and interesting history of Bundaberg’s Catholic community dates back to the early 1870s but that hasn’t stopped the parish from moving into the 21st century. A range of improvements is planned for the Holy Rosary Church including air conditioning, solar, and landscaping. Catholic Parish of Bundaberg Manager Norm Whyte said the upgrades were being made with the church’s proud history in mind. The iconic building holds a commanding presence in the Bundaberg CBD, on the corner of Woongarra and Barolin Streets, but Norm said it hadn’t always been so. “We started with very humble beginnings with just a very small timber building as a church,” Norm said. “That building still stands in our Catholic cemetery. “As far as we know that little chapel was very likely the very first church in Bundaberg. “We think,” Norm clarified. “It’s a bit of a hazy history.” Norm said that small timber church had recently undergone renovations as part of the Catholic Parish’s commitment to preserving its history. Prior to that he said there was already a Catholic presence in the community with the first mass delivered in the Adams hotel, a one-story timber building now better known as the Metropolitan Hotel. The proprietor then was Walter Adams, Bundaberg’s first member to the Queensland Legislative Assembly. “They used to let the priest use a room in the hotel to celebrate mass, that’s how it actually began.” In 1876 the Sisters of Saint Joseph, founded by Saint Mary MacKillop, arrived in Bundaberg ahead of Father Rossolini who moved his residence from Mt Perry to Bundaberg in December of that year. The Sisters of Saint Joseph began St Joseph’s school which remains a part of the community today. Saint Mary MacKillop is known to have visited Bundaberg on two occasions. Father Rossolini was responsible for the building of the Holy Rosary church in Bundaberg. “With his Italian background, he commissioned Fransis Stanley, the architect of colonial Queensland, to design the Holy Rosary Church,” Norm said. “The style of Holy Rosary church is neo classical, inspired by the temples of ancient Rome.… it’s quite unique. “It is locally heritage listed with the Bundaberg Regional Council.” Catholic Parish of Bundaberg parishioner and archivist Cathryn King has carried out extensive work to preserve the region’s Catholic history. Her own personal history in the region, dating back to when her mother’s family arrived in the region in 1872, combined with a graduate diploma in local and applied history make her uniquely qualified for the job. Some of the interesting facts she has uncovered include the fact that Father Rossalini, by request, was buried “10 feet under and 10 feet in”. She said no one alive today was quite certain of the exact location “but they were very careful during the renovations of 1987/88”. While celebrating and preserving this colourful history Norm said plans were underway to modernise the Holy Rosary Church, including installing live streaming cameras to make services more accessible. “I guess you could say we are bringing it into the 21st century,” Norm said. “We’re getting the building air-conditioned, which is a major achievement knowing that we are dealing with such a significant building. “That’s also combined with solar panels. “Anything we’ve done with that building over the years we’ve been very careful to preserve it in any way we can and not detract from its architecture.” Norm was also excited to announce that within the very near future a significant landscaping project would be undertaken within the church grounds. Source: www.bundabergnow.com/2020/11/07/holy-rosary-church-bundab...

I think I was baptised here - well, I don't know how many Methodist churches there were in Brisbane.

The present Albert Street Church building was opened in 1889, but the history of its people goes back to when the first Methodist congregation met in Brisbane in 1847. This church was regarded as the mother of Queensland Methodism and has been the scene of many historic events. Among these were state and national conferences of the Methodist church, and the ordination of its Ministers. The first Methodist church in Brisbane was built by John Petrie, the first Mayor of Brisbane town, and was opened on March 10, 1849, on the corner of Albert Street and Burnett Lane, where the Commonwealth Bank now stands. This was a plain rectangular brick building, quite small, and the congregation soon outgrew it. The second Methodist church was built in 1856 on the same site as the first by a Mr Jeays. Frederick Richard (Dick) Smith in his book, “The Church on the Square: A History of the Albert Street Church”, notes that Mr Jeays was also the builder of Parliament House in George Street. The second church cost £2667 and was 80 feet long, 40 feet wide and could accommodate 500 people seated. It was approximately twice the size of the original. The building style was Gothic Revival with a wooden shingle roof and its stained glass windows were created by a Mr Murray. The original wooden pews from the first church were reused in this building, along with additional pews made specifically for the new building. The opening service was held on 6 December 1856. In 1877, the second church was extensively renovated and additions such as a new schoolroom facing Adelaide Street were built. It was reopened in 1878 with a gallery added to increase the seating capacity and the wooden shingles changed to slate to reduce the fire hazard. Smith notes that a decorative iron railing was used to separate the sanctuary and in front of the new gallery. A pipe organ, made by Mr. James Cole of Manchester, England, was installed and had 17 stops and 622 pipes costing £350. Before long the congregation outgrew the second church building and land was purchased in 1884 on the corner of Albert and Ann Streets from the Masonic Lodge. The second church building and land were sold in 1888 for £25,000 and the organ was relocated to St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Ipswich. A design competition was held for the new church building and was won by the firm of Messrs. Oakden, Addison, and Kemp who had offices in both Melbourne and Brisbane. The chief architect was George Henry Male Addison, a prominent architect of the day. The work on the new church began in 1888 and was completed by late 1889. The church was opened on 8 November 1889 by Lady Norman, the wife of the Governor of Queensland Sir Henry Norman. The dedication sermon was given by Rev JH Fletcher who was the Church’s minister at the time of the second building. While the graceful spire captured the local newspaper reporter’s eye, the size and height of the pulpit were criticized for hiding the choir gallery. The decision to have such a prominent pulpit is thought to reflect the importance given to preaching in the Methodist tradition. Since 1847, the mission to the wider community has always been at the heart of the Albert Street Church and was formalised in 1907 with the creation of the Central Methodist Mission. “The Central Methodist Mission [was] constituted by the Annual Conference of the Methodist Church of Queensland for the purpose of Divine Worship according to the ordinances of the Methodist Church, establishing charitable institutions and engaging in a ministry of social service irrespective of ages, class or creed.” – extract from F.R Smith’s The Church on the Square. Source: www.wmq.org.au/albert-street-uniting-church/our-history

The Church was built as a war memorial and commemorates the men and women of the district who served in World Wars One and Two. The foundation stone for the church was laid in 1947 and the church was officially opened on the 15th November 1953. Front Inscription KINGAROY DISTRICT METHODIST MEMORIAL CHURCH To The Glory Of God And In Honour Of The Men And Women Of This District Who Served In World Wars I & II This Stone Was Laid By The President Of The Queensland Conference Rev. A. A. Mills, M. C. 11th. October 1947. Rev. W. Lawton Minister Source: www.monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/multiple/dis...