Contributed by Helen Page
ON Sunday October 30, the Peachester Community Hall and History Committee are hosting a celebration to mark the centenary of the Peachester Community Church.
The church has an interesting history which starts with early Peachester families of the Methodist faith worshipping at the Cahill residence and later in the School of Arts. On August 2, 1922, at a meeting of the Landsborough Methodist Circuit, permission was granted to build a church.
The Hendren family gave a block of land beside the hall, and William Andrew Grigor donated the timber. The original Trustees were John Simpson Jnr, Daniel Kendall Cahill Jnr, William Andrew Grigor, Walter Walker and William Vieritz.
Newspaper reports reveal important dates and achievements. The Brisbane Courier reported on September 8, 1922 that a stump-capping ceremony had taken place, then on December16, 1922 the exciting news that the church had been opened.
“PEACHESTER: Methodist Church. The new Methodist Church was opened on Sunday almost free of debt. The Rev. Mr. Murray, of King’s College, preached the opening sermon, and the Rev. T. Bainbridge preached at night. Miss F. Vieritz presided at the organ.”
And so it continued through the years – church events, dances, concerts, weddings, funerals, picnics and sports.
One of the most outstanding achievements was the popular Sunday School shown in the photo.
During the 1940s and 50s local families of all denominations attended, with classes held in the church and the hall, taught by a team of dedicated parishioners. At one stage 60 children were enrolled.
From 1977 the life of the church continued under a different name when the Methodist Church joined with the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches to form the Uniting Church of Australia.
In 2017 a new chapter in the Church’s history commenced, with management transferred to the Peachester Community Hall Inc. Hall Committee members were pleased to take on the role of caring for the building, to ensure that Peachester maintains a church as part of our community centre.
On Sunday October 30, the church will be open from 3pm for visitors to view a display of historical photographs and memorabilia. From 4pm there will be a service of thanksgiving and afternoon tea in the Hall. An invitation is extended to all who would like to help celebrate the contribution this little church has made to the Peachester district for 100 years.
Peachester Sunday School, 1949. Many familiar faces here!