What can I say? The pictures that dominated the media over the week following the storm have said it all for me. We lost the building that was referred to as St. Matthew’s Anglican Church. Those of us who are associated with the Church are still mourning the loss of our pretty little building for which we all worked tirelessly and of which we were all so proud. A Church, however, is more than bricks and mortar and, as such, the Church lives on. Our services are still being held every Sunday morning at 9.30am but, for the time being, they are being held in the Uniting Church building on the corner of Fraser Road and Dunoon Road. This building has been very kindly loaned to us by the Uniting Church in Australia for as long as we require it. The Congregation is the Church of St Matthew’s and, thank God, we are all still alive and kicking and determined to go on.

As much as possible was retrieved from the building before demolition, so we still have most of the pews and other furniture as well as the famous stained glass memorial window (the one everyone so generously helped us restore only two years ago). It fell out of the building whole and, although it is damaged, it can be repaired.

This is not the first time this has happened to St. Matthew’s. The original wooden Church was blown ff its stumps in a cyclone in 1954. Some of the present congregation remember the building then. It is quite amazing for them to have to go through it all again!

Photos & text supplied by ‘Gina Murray, Treasurer Anglican Women’s Guild of St. Matthew’s Dunoon
(Photo No 1 below supplied by Frank Ford)

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