Tasmanian communities rally to save their churches

SEVERAL of Tasmania’s most historic churches are for sale and communities are rallying to save

Friends of St John’s Church, at Franklin, are trying to save the church. Pictured are Naomie Clark-Port, Jonathan Clark-Hansen and Carol Cane in front of the church. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

TASMANIA’S historic churches have roots that go much deeper than their sandstone foundations — but some ageing landmarks are on shaky ground.

At least 20 of Tasmania’s old churches are in various stages of either closure, possible closure or future sale.

While heritage experts lament their decline and some communities rally to save their local churches, the increasing cost of maintaining the buildings is becoming too much for dwindling parish numbers to bear.

Many disused churches have already been sold off and converted into private homes and cafes, but some groups fear losing control of their shared space and history.

A group rallying to save St John’s at Franklin, in the Huon Valley, say the building and cemetery are community assets.

Friends of St John’s is fundraising with the hope of buying the vacant church from the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania, which closed the church in 2014.

Jonathan Clark-Hansen, of Franklin, at the headstone of his great, great, great grandfather at St John’s Church, Franklin. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

The church was built in 1864, on land donated by Lady Jane Franklin, and some headstones in the cemetery date back to the mid-1800s.

For Naomie Clark-Port, whose family goes back many generations in Franklin, the attachment to St John’s and its cemetery spans the past and future.

“My great-great grandfather is buried at the cemetery, and I just buried my mother there. I have reserved a plot for myself and my children,” she said.

“We want to keep the church in community hands, for use as a community space.”

The Friends of St John’s started in 2015 and their fundraising sometimes draws complete strangers to the cause.

“People love the heritage and they can see its value,” Mrs Clark-Port said.

National Trust Tasmania manager Matthew Smithies said historic churches were a state asset.

“This is not about religion,” he said. “They are part of our identity and the narrative of a community, it’s important not to lose that.”

St Luke’s Church at Judbury. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

Mr Smithies said Tasmania was fortunate to have the nation’s highest concentration of heritage buildings, but the legacy comes with a price which is difficult to share across a small population.

Mr Smithies is adamant that each historic church needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis, but accepts that sometimes a private buyer might be the best way of saving an abandoned or derelict building from ruin.

Tasmania has the lowest religious affiliation of any state, with the most recent Census data showing 53 per cent of Tasmanians report being affiliated with a religion.

According to data from the Anglican Church, church attendance has declined in the past decade — from 185,672 attendances at church in 2007 to 165,447 attendances in 2016.

Anglican Diocese of Tasmania general manager James Oakley said the decline was not uniformly across the state, with some urban areas experiencing growth while other regional areas were seeing a drop in church numbers.

Mr Oakley said the church needed to consolidate resources where needed most.

He said there were also high costs associated with hanging on to older churches.

“These buildings require a fairly high level of specialised maintenance, such as stone cutters and stone masons,” Mr Oakley said.

Added to that are increasing insurance costs associated with the risk of people entering the disused buildings and the need for volunteers to comply with Workplace Health and Safety legislation.

St John's Church at Franklin. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

In the past three years the Anglican Church has undertaken a building audit around the state, which has resulted in repair work to some buildings and the listing for sale of a few.

The church recently listed for sale St Luke’s church at Judbury, which goes to public auction on May 11.

The historic chapel, more than 100 years old, held its last church service in December.

Without a toilet or kitchen, the church was no longer deemed a viable place for a congregation, which now travel to nearby churches.

The Anglican Diocese also recently sold St John the Baptist at Branxholm and St Peter’s at Blackmans Bay.

Historian Reg Watson said many of the churches he wrote about in his 1975 book, Churches of Van Diemen’s Land, had since closed.

“Some remain derelict, others are now private homes, restaurants and craft shops,” he said. “To a degree, one can say, well at least they are preserved as a building.

“The other concern, however, are the numerous plaques, tablets, glass stained windows and memorials contained in these churches.”

The Uniting Church at Judbury. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

Mr Watson said one of the churches facing uncertainty, St John the Baptist at Buckland, would be a huge loss — especially its magnificent stained glass window.

Buckland farmer Ross Mace, whose ancestors helped build the church, said it was a shame it had closed as he liked to attend a service occasionally.

“They say ‘build it and they will come’, but shut it and they will go,” he said.

The Catholic Church in Tasmania currently has no churches listed for sale, although some have closed in the past decade due to declining use and rising costs.

The most recent sale was the Sacred Heart Church building at Ranelagh, which sold to a private buyer in November last year and the building was relocated. The Huon Valley Parish has retained the land and attends a new church built at the site.

ON THE LIST

CHURCH PROPERTY FOR SALE:

St Luke’s Anglican Church at Judbury

Devonport Uniting Church

All Souls’ Church and Cemetery at Patersonia

Four lots of vacant land owned by the Anglican Church: Gray St, Fingal; Arthur St, Avoca; two blocks at Briggs Rd, Gagebrook.

100 acres of vacant Uniting Church-owned land at Hayes

UNDER CONTRACT or SOLD:

St John the Baptist, Anglican church at Branxholm. Closed in 2016 and just sold on open market.

St Peter’s Church, Blackmans Bay. Closed August 2017 and sold at auction December 2017.

Undisclosed Anglican church – private treaty yet to be finalised

Catholic’s Sacred Heart Church building in Ranelagh, building sold and removed in November

IN THE PROCESS OF CLOSURE (which may result in sales):

*Six churches owned by the Anglican Church are “at various stages of the closure process”, including St John the Baptist at Buckland.

*One more church is considering seeking permission to begin the closure process.

MAY BE SOLD

*A further seven closed Anglican churches are intended for sale, including St John’s at Franklin

*Hagley Uniting Church is also being “considered for sale”.