Petrie church stands test of time

This no-fuss church is believed to be the oldest in the district, and it remains a community hub. We delve into its history, which goes back 135 years.

North Pine Presbyterian Church at Old Petrie Town was built in 1884. Picture: Dominika Lis

CHRISTMAS services, weddings, christenings – North Pine Presbyterian Church has hosted them all in its 135-year history.

The church was built by pioneering local builder and landholder James Foreman for the sum of 142 pounds on land donated by Captain William Townsend at 57 Old Dayboro Rd, Petrie, in 1884.

It was opened on June 8 by the Reverend Alexander Macintosh at a ceremony chaired by Tom Petrie, who was elected chairman of the church committee at the event.

Before then, the Presbyterian congregation was ministered from Bald Hills, and services were held in homesteads and the old slab school building at Sweeney Reserve.

The North Pine Presbyterian Church was built in 1884 and is now at Old Petrie Town.

The historic building was moved to North Pine Country Park, now known as Old Petrie Town, in 1985. It is believed to be the oldest church in the district and is protected by the Queensland Heritage Register.

Old Petrie Town’s Nicholas Dodd says it would have been fairly typical for a country chapel in those days and would have been a community hub as well as a place of worship.

Interestingly, the church is now positioned beside James Foreman’s cottage at Old Petrie Town and My Spirit House, which he also built. The land on which Old Petrie Town sits was settled by James Foreman.

Nicholas says doors from Tom Petrie’s home were added in about 1911, around the same time the North Pine township was renamed Petrie. The ceiling was added during World War II.

North Pine Presbyterian Church at Old Petrie Town was built in 1884. Picture: Dominika Lis

“It reflects the early pioneering times – that’s what they would have had for births, deaths and marriages. There’s no waste, there’s no pretentiousness about it. It’s been built really well, so it’s stood the test of time,” Nicholas says. While he’s not certain what timber was used, he says hoop pine was the building material of choice during the period in which it was built.

Nicholas says he’d love to re-establish the bell as a part of a restoration of the chapel in the years to come.

While the church may sit among other historic buildings in a different location, it is still being put to good use, hosting Lutheran community services every Sunday and weddings.