Historic Proserpine Uniting Church building to be demolished due to safety concerns

Here’s what’s planned for the historic church after it was deemed ‘structurally compromised’ beyond repair.

Proserpine historian Ailsa Reinke is the granddaughter of cane farmer John Compton, who donated land on the corner of Herbert and Main Street to the church in the 1890s. Sarah Compton Lane, behind the church, is named after Ailsa’s grandmother, John’s wife. Picture: Kirra Grimes

Damaged beyond repair from Cyclone Debbie’s wrath, Proserpine’s historic St James Uniting Church will be demolished to make way for a new building.

Whitsunday Regional Council voted on Wednesday in favour of removing the 86-year-old building from the Local Heritage Register, at the request of its owners Queensland Uniting Church.

Central Queensland Presbytery Minister Scott Ballment said the 2017 cyclone had caused severe damage to the building’s roof and walls, and an engineer’s report had “unfortunately deemed that it will need to be rebuilt”.

Council documents say the building was heritage listed in 2014 in recognition of the “continuous use of the site as a place of worship in the region and demonstrating the progress of Proserpine as a cane growing town”.

The 86-year-old building will be torn down because of irreparable cyclone damage. Picture: Kirra Grimes.

But the site has been fenced off to the public in recent years after structural damage was discovered, with services relocated to the church hall next door.

Councillors expected the announcement of the demolition would generate “controversy” in the community, but agreed the building was in a “dilapidated, dangerous state,” and had to go.

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It is the fourth Whitsunday landmark to be removed from the Local Heritage Register this year, with the council approving requests to deregister the Hook Island Underwater Observatory, the Proserpine War Memorial and Proserpine’s Palace Hotel in March.

Proserpine Historical Museum Society registrar Ailsa Reinke said it would be sad to see the historic buildings go, but the life member hoped an even bigger church would be built to replace the old one.

Reverend Ballment said “a building that suits the needs of the community will be built,” but there was no time frame for demolition and construction in place.

Originally published as Historic Proserpine Uniting Church building to be demolished due to safety concerns