St John's Anglican Church, Rockhampton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's Anglican Church, Rockhampton |
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St John's Anglican Church
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| Location | 278 Ford Street, Berserker, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900–1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | 1912 |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic |
| Official name: St John's Church | |
| Type | state heritage (built, landscape) |
| Designated | 5 August 2003 |
| Reference no. | 602342 |
| Significant period | 1910s (historical) ongoing (social) |
| Significant components | views to, trees/plantings, furniture/fittings, church, memorial – plaque |
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St John's Anglican Church is a special old church located at 278 Ford Street in Berserker, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1912. This church is important because of its history and design, so it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on August 5, 2003.
Contents
History of St John's Church
St John's Mission Church is a small timber building with a Gothic style. It was built in mid-1912 on Ford Street in North Rockhampton. This area was known as "Kanaka Town." It was the second church built on this spot. The first was a small mission room from 1896.
South Sea Islanders in Rockhampton
From the 1860s, people from the South Sea Islands (sometimes called Kanakas) came to Rockhampton. They worked on sugar cane farms and cattle properties. The first group had 189 men from Tanna.
The Church of England started helping the South Sea Islander people in the 1880s. This was when a new church area, North Rockhampton, was formed. The church even helped Islanders buy land by putting it in the church's name.
Building the First Mission Room
In 1891, Edward Costello bought the land where St John's Church now stands. In 1896, the South Sea Islander community built St John's Mission Room on this land. They used their own materials and did the work themselves. It opened on May 5, 1896.
The first baptisms (a Christian ceremony) for nine Islanders happened there in June 1896. The first wedding was in December 1896. The Islanders used this small room for weekday meetings and Sunday School. They went to St Barnabas' Church, about a kilometre away, for main services. The Islander community also helped clear the land for St Barnabas' Church in 1896.
Facing Challenges and Building a New Church
The South Sea Islander community in Rockhampton was very religious. The church supported them when the Australian Government passed the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901. This law would force many South Sea Islanders to return to their home islands. In 1904, the church asked the government to stop this. This was especially important for children born in Australia and those who had lived there for many years.
By 1910, the first mission room was badly damaged by white ants. So, plans were made to build a stronger church. The Anglican Church bought the land for £10 in 1910. The community started raising money. By May 1912, the South Sea Islander community had raised £60 for the new St John's Mission Church. They did this without help from the main church. The total cost was about £80.
The New Church is Built
The foundation stone for the new church was laid by Bishop George Halford on May 25, 1912. About 30 South Sea Islanders were there. They walked around the site, giving offerings as they sang "Onward, Christian Soldiers". The church was finished and fenced by October 1912. The community paid off the remaining £20 debt by March 1913.
Two services were held each week. One was on Sunday afternoons, led by Frank Solomon. He was a lay reader from the Solomon Islands. He often led evening services. Frank Solomon was a key person in the church and died in 1945.
Growth and Changes Over Time
In the 1910s, the South Sea Islander community in North Rockhampton grew. By June 1913, a Sunday School was running at St John's. In 1916, the church building was made bigger with a new sanctuary at the eastern end. Around 1916, a silver wattle tree was planted near the church.
St John's Mission Church has a long connection with the people of Menapi, Papua. They have given gifts to the church many times. One special gift is a clam-shell font on a carved stand.
St John's Church celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 28, 1962. For this, volunteers covered the outside of the church with new material and painted it. Later, two women from Menapi gave two pictures to St John's. Pine trees were likely planted near the front entrance around this time.
Weekly services and Sunday School at St John's were very important to the South Sea Islander community. They continued for many years. Even though the community has spread out, a small group still attends Sunday services. Special events like funerals or christenings still bring many people to the church. St John's Church is a key part of Ford Street and shows the growth of the South Sea Islander community in Rockhampton.
What St John's Church Looks Like
St John's Anglican Church is on Ford Street in North Rockhampton, in the area once called "Kanaka Town." It's a small building made of timber. It has a main rectangular part with a pointed roof (called a gable roof). At the eastern end, there's a hipped-roof sanctuary. At the western end, there's a small entry porch with a sloping roof (a skillion roof).
The church looks like a small box with a steep, pointed roof made of corrugated iron. It has pointed arch windows and its original timber walls. These features show its Gothic style.
Most of the outside of the church is covered with a material called fibrous-cement sheeting. This was put over the original timber walls. The church stands on timber stumps, which have been repaired or replaced.
The sanctuary at the eastern end has no windows and is covered with weatherboards. The front porch used to be open, but now its sides are covered with fibrous-cement sheeting. Each side has a small rectangular window. You enter through central timber stairs. There's a small roof (an awning) over the front of the church and porch. The inside wall of the porch is the original outside wall of the church, with double timber doors leading into the main hall.
The main hall has two pointed arch windows on each side. The arched tops are now covered on the outside but can be seen from inside. Below each arch are two windows that open outwards (called hopper windows).
Inside, the walls of the main hall and sanctuary are lined with painted timber boards. The boards in the main hall are wider, showing it's the older part. The ceilings are covered with a newer material, making the two parts look connected. The floors are timber boards, but the sanctuary floor is a bit higher.
In the main hall, there are two rows of timber pews (church benches) with a central aisle. On the walls, you can see plaques and religious pictures. A large timber cross hangs from the ceiling between the main hall and the sanctuary. A framed picture of Jesus and his followers is above a gold curtain. The main altar is in front of the curtain on a raised platform.
Near the sanctuary, there's a timber prayer desk, a timber chair, a small stand, and a special clam-shell font. The font has carvings of religious scenes, including the crucifixion of Jesus. A plaque on the font says it was given by the people of St Bartholomew Menapi-Papua. This font, along with the pictures and prayer desk, is still an important part of the church. The font is used for baptisms and special services.
The church grounds have well-kept lawns, trees, and shrubs. There's a poinciana tree, two pine trees at the entrance, and a large silver wattle tree. These trees help separate the church from the street. The pine trees make the church entrance look balanced.
Why St John's Church is Important
St John's Church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on August 5, 2003, because it meets certain important standards.
Showing History
St John's Anglican Church helps us understand the history of the South Sea Islander community in Central Queensland. It also shows how different cultures came together in Rockhampton. The site has been important to the South Sea Islander community since the first mission room opened in 1896. The current church, built in 1912, shows how the South Sea Islander community worked together to build something important for their spiritual well-being.
Special Features of the Building
St John's Anglican Church shows the main features of a European church building that was used by the South Sea Islander culture. With its pointed roof, crosses, pointed arch windows, porch, and sanctuary, St John's Church is a good example of a simple, Gothic-style timber church. The inside of the church is very important to the South Sea Islander community. Many items, like the clam-shell font, connect them to the people who were part of the church and to their helpers in Menapi, Papua.
Beautiful and Meaningful
St John's Church is a significant part of Ford Street. It is a reminder of North Rockhampton's "Kanaka Town." It represents how the South Sea Islander community grew physically, spiritually, and materially in Rockhampton.
The trees around the church are also special. Two pine trees frame the entrance, and there's a poinciana tree and a large silver wattle tree. The silver wattle might be from the original plantings around 1916.
Important to the Community
St John's Anglican Church and the earlier mission room are very important to the South Sea Islander community for social, cultural, and spiritual reasons. Socially, it has been a place for community gatherings, Christian holidays, prayer, Sunday school, weddings, funerals, and baptisms. It connects people to the early Islanders who built a strong community in the area and shared a spiritual bond with the church.
Connected to Important People and Groups
St John's is connected to the church leaders and groups who supported the South Sea Islander community. They opposed the 1901 laws that tried to force Islanders to leave Australia. The church is also linked to important people like Bishop George Halford, who strongly supported the South Sea Islander community. Another important person was Frank Solomon, a South Sea Islander who dedicated his life to this church.
