Church of Christ the King, Tennant Creek facts for kids
The Church of Christ the King is a special church in Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia. It has a unique story! This church was actually moved from an old mining town called Pine Creek. Because parts of the church were spread out between the two towns during the move, people once called it the "longest church in Australia."
Contents
History of the Church
During the 1930s, Tennant Creek was a busy place because of a gold mining boom. Many people moved there. In 1934, permission was given to build a Catholic Mission Station in the area. This was to help the growing number of people living in Tennant Creek.
Moving the Church Building
The church building itself was first built in 1904 in Pine Creek. Pine Creek is about 760 kilometers north of Tennant Creek. By the mid-1930s, the church in Pine Creek was getting old and needed repairs.
In 1935, a priest named Father W.J. Dew was asked to visit Tennant Creek. He needed to see what the local Catholic community, which had about 300 people, needed. Father Dew later wrote about how he decided to move the church:
I was appointed to Tennant Creek in 1935. I went to Darwin in 1936 and discussed the whole situation with Monsignor Gsell. He suggested me taking the P.C. (Pine Creek) church to T.C. (Tennant Creek). So there and then I arranged for Brother Andrew Smith M.S.C. (skipper of our Mission Boat serving Bathurst Island and Port Keats) to come with me to Pine Creek for a fortnight and managed in that time to dismantle the Church that was there.
Father Dew worked hard to raise money for this big project. He traveled to Adelaide to ask for donations.
The church was taken apart piece by piece. Then, it was moved by train to Birdum. From there, trucks carried the rest of the church parts. The trucks got stuck in floods near Daly Waters. Some parts of the church were left by the side of the road. Because the church was spread out along the route for a while, it became known as the "longest church in Australia."
While the church was being rebuilt, people held church services in the homes of local Catholics. Moving the church was very expensive. It cost "many hundreds of pounds" by the time it opened on November 21, 1937. Bishop Raible officially opened the church. When it was rebuilt, the church had a different layout than its original design. Later, an office and verandahs were added to provide a place for the priest to live.
The Church During Wartime
During World War II, the Church of Christ the King became an important social spot. Many soldiers traveled on the north-south road through Tennant Creek. The church offered them a place to gather. Father Dew stayed in Tennant Creek throughout the war. He even served as a Chaplain for a military hospital in 1944.
Before Tennant Creek became an official town in 1954, people needed a special "miner's right" to own land. This was tricky for the church, but it managed to get a miner's right in June 1941.
After August 1948, a building called a Sidney Williams hut was put up next to the church. It was used as a hall. In 1953, during Father Dallas Cox's time, a wind-powered generator was used to light up the cross on the church at night.
Recent History and Special Visitors
Father Taylor was the longest-serving priest at the church. He was there from 1957 to 1970. The church also helped people who had to leave Darwin after Cyclone Tracy, a huge storm, hit in 1974. In 1978, the Sidney Williams hut next to the church was used by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, a charity group. They moved to a new building in 1979.
In 1980, the church was listed on the Register of the National Estate. This meant it was recognized as an important historical place.
The church became even more famous in 1985. This was when Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, now known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, visited Australia. She attended a special evening church service at the Church of Christ the King on Saturday, February 16. A small shrine to Saint Teresa remains in the church today.
In August 2007, both the church and the Sidney Williams hut next to it were listed on the Northern Territory Heritage Register. This means they are protected because of their historical importance. Father John Kennedy is the current priest at the church.
