Council To Consult On Church

St Faith’s Anglican Church in Mondure has been offered to the South Burnett Regional Council as a gift by the Anglican Church, but Council will consult with the local community before arriving at a decision (Photo: SBRC)

September 6, 2023

A proposal for the South Burnett Regional Council to take over ownership of St Faith’s Anglican Church in Mondure will lay on the table until the local community’s views are known.

At Wednesday’s Liveability Standing Committee meeting, Councillors were told the Anglican Church had offered to gift the church grounds, its church building and associated cemetery to the SBRC.

St Faith’s parish celebrated its centenary in 2012.

The offer follows several Anglican church sales in Kumbia, Proston and Kilkivan over recent years as the church steadily moves to reduce its rural footprint and consolidate its congregations in larger regional centres.

Officers recommended Council respectfully decline the church’s offer because of the ongoing costs involved in maintaining the property, the church building and the cemetery.

Councillors were initially inclined to agree with this proposal but during discussions decided the best approach would be to assess the views of the local community before coming to a decision.

Cr Scott Henschen reminded the meeting that Benair once had its own Lutheran church and hall.

However, both were sold off and removed – the church in 1997 and the hall in 2018 – and nothing now remains except the Benair cemetery and the block of land it sits on.

Cr Kathy Duff said when the Anglican Church informed the Proston community it intended to close the former Shepherd Memorial Church in 2018, she had approached the bishop to request the church gift the site and its two buildings to the local community so they could use them to create a Visitor Information Centre and Men’s Shed.

However, the church declined to do so and later sold the site to a private buyer who now lives there.

Cr Danita Potter noted that St Faith’s was likely to have special significance for families who had loved ones interred in its cemetery, and asked if subdividing the block to preserve the cemetery might be a solution.

Cr Kathy Duff said she thought it might be a good idea to talk with the Mondure Hall Committee and the local Rural Fire Brigade to assess the community’s views.

Cr Kirstie Schumacher agreed, noting that gifting the site to Council was an easy option for the church but it was important to engage with the local community before any final decision was taken.

Acting Mayor Gavin Jones said he was opposed to adding the church to Council’s property portfolio but he agreed getting the community’s view was important.

CEO Mark Pitt said his previous experience was that it was “all about the real estate” but he believed the best course of action would be to lay the matter on the table until community consultations had taken place.

A motion to do this was carried unanimously.

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