October 3, 2013
by Leo Geraghty
Murgon Moments
An era will come to an end at Kilkivan in November with the de-consecration of St Matthew’s Anglican Church after 125 years serving the local community.
The service will be led by the Right Reverend Rob Nolan from 3:00pm on Tuesday, November 26, and will be followed by afternoon tea.
In the years after the Gold Rush of 1868, Anglican services in the Kilkivan area had been possible only when a member of the clergy travelled through from some other area, such as Gayndah or Maryborough.
When the township of Kilkivan moved from “West Coast Creek” to the more permanent site of “Rise and Shine” there was a growing desire among the Church of England worshippers for their own church and services.
St Matthew’s Anglican church in Kilkivan was built in 1888.
But there were ups and downs through the years … in 1897, the Church Chronicle noted that the Kilkivan church, which “had been neglected for some time”, had been reopened and services would in future be held on alternate Sundays.
Mrs Jones of Kilkivan Station organised “a very successful bazaar, the proceeds of which will be devoted to the erection of a fence around the church property, a shed for horses and buggies and some other much-needed improvement”.
In 1908, St Matthew’s was dismantled and shifted from the old Kilkivan town site near the cemetery on Rossmore Road to its present site in Bligh Street.
The church was shifted board by board, window by window, along with all the interior fittings.
Curates who served at the church used to travel by horse. About 1913, things “improved” … they were given a pushbike to negotiate the road from Nanango.
In 1919 a motorcycle was purchased for £27/10/- and a sulky and harness for £18.
The age of the motor car came to St Matthews with a “Tin Lizzie” (Model T Ford) purchased for £215 for Rev R.W. Shand.
Great difficulties were experienced by these gentlemen in travelling the roads between Murgon and Kilkivan. Mr Eglington had a Baby Austin and was often late.
On one occasion the service register shows that he spent two hours bogged in Wide Bay Creek before being snigged out by horses.
Electricity was connected about 1954, the church had major extensions in 1960 and the interior was painted by church volunteers.
Over the past 125 years, the church has had many rectors, church wardens, lay people, the ladies guild and numerous volunteers and parishioners.
There have been fetes, dances, flower shows, cookery demonstrations, fancy dress balls and street stalls by the hundreds.
Many of the facilities over the years – the reredos (screen), eagle lectern, altar, chalice and paten, sanctuary chair, sanctuary windows, altar cross, stained glass windows, servers’ kneelers, pulpit, organ, lights and large Bible – were gifted to the church by many families in memory of their loved ones.
- Information taken from “One Hundred Years of Worship – St Matthew’s Church, Kilkivan 1888-1988” compiled by Betty Roach and Shirley McGill
 |
southburnett.com.au welcomes reports from community groups about their activities. We invite any interested group to submit their reports to us by emailing them to news@southburnett.com.au
Reports should be written in Microsoft Word and any photographs submitted should be high-resolution and in .JPG format. Please also include a contact phone number in case we need to clarify anything with you. We reserve the right to edit reports. |
