Protesters picket an Anglican Church deconsecration in Dunalley

Staunch protesters have gatecrashed a church deconsecration — held during Holy Week — in southern Tasmania to demonstrate against the sale of a locally important building.

STAUNCH protesters have gatecrashed a church deconsecration service in Dunalley in an attempt to stop the sale of the local building.

About a dozen angry community members wielding placards reading “shame”, “hypocrisy”, “hands off our church” and “built by us, not yours to sell” descended on St Martin’s this morning.

Police were also called to attend the peaceful protest.

The Arthur Highway church has been slated for sale by the Anglican Diocese as part of their commitment to help fund a redress scheme for victims of childhood abuse.

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Protesters are annoyed the Diocese hasn’t communicated with the community on how much they needed to pay to save the church, but appeared to be proceeding with the sale process by deconsecrating the building.

Protesters at St Martin’s Church in Dunalley (L-R) Andrew Dunbabin, Lyn Steele and George Whitehouse, protesting that the Anglican Church has deconsecrated the church with little warning. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Lyn Steele said locals had already raised $20,000 to try to keep the building in the community’s hands.

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“We’ve done all the submissions, we’ve done everything they’ve asked and the last meeting was in January and they haven’t come back to us to let us know how much they want for it,” she said.

“This church has been here for 97 years, and a lot of people that are standing here now, it was their ancestors who donated the land, built it and maintained it.”

Ms Steele said it could be the first protest ever seen in Dunalley.

“I think they were actually horrified that we were here. They definitely weren’t expecting us,” she said.

Protesters at St Martin’s Church in Dunalley, protesting that the Anglican Church has deconsecrated the church with little warning. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Anglican Bishop of Tasmania Richard Condie speaks to media. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

“It was good to see we outnumbered them. We just wanted our presence felt.”

She said the building also doubled as a war memorial, which was where her heart lay because her husband was a Vietnam veteran.

Anglican parish of Sorell, Richmond and Tasman rector Joel Kettleton, who issued the church’s last rites, said the protesters were respectful.

He said he welcomed them and invited them to participate in the service. The offer was declined.

Mr Kettleton said he had to refer them to the Diocese for anything to do with the sale of the church.

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Protester Andrew Dunbabin said the Anglican Church had neglected the building for the past 20 to 30 years, with damage to the floor the main reason why the building hadn’t been used for about four years.

He said the church was the one public building to survive the 2013 bushfire and locals would like it to become a historical centre or art gallery.

Mr Dunbabin said the community was happy to pay 25 per cent of the value, the amount that the Diocese would put towards redress from the sale.

By deconsecrating a church the building is no longer subject to the Bishop of Tasmania’s canonical jurisdiction and it and all remaining objects are transferred for secular use.

St James’ Church at Colebrook was also deconsecrated today and St Mary’s Church at Kempton on April 14.

Seven Anglican properties have already sold, three are under contract, one remains on the open market, four are coming to market soon and 59 will be sold over the next two to three years.

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