A bit of this, a bit of that
Musings on life, technology, history and random stuff, handcrafted using the finest naturally occurring binary digits
In Minmi in 1864, after a period of torrential rain, a fissure opened beside Back Creek. The contents of the creek poured in, and the colliery below flooded. All the miners managed to escape, but the pit was closed for months afterwards.
Forced to look elsewhere for employment, a group of Welsh miners moved from Minmi to work the newly opened colliery in Lambton. The men belonged to the Welsh Congregational Church, under the leadership of Rev Evan Lewis. They soon erected a simple wood slab church on De Vitre St. The uncertainty of mining meant that most buildings in Lambton at that time were of a similar primitive and temporary character.
In 1868 however, the Welsh miners expressed a confidence in Lambton below, to match their assurance in God above. They decided that a new building, worthy of its great purpose, should be built of stone. They were granted permission to use a quarry on Newcastle Rd nearby, and the men bound themselves “one to another” in an oath, that they would erect a new building in Dickson St, by their own hands, free of charge.
At the 50th anniversary celebrations in 1918 it was remembered that “Some of the men quarried the stone, others wheeled it to the site, and many, after their shift ended at the pit for the day, put in several hours in building the edifice. One of the workers was Mr. J. Parry, who, though then a coalminer, had originally been a stonemason.”
Above the front porch, an engraving in Welsh reads “Bethel capel annibynol adeiladwyd, A.D. 1868” which translates to “Bethel Independent Chapel, built A.D. 1868” The building ceased to be used as a place of worship in 1977, when the Congregationalists merged with the Uniting Church.
Next year will be the 150th anniversary of the stone building, which stands today as an enduring legacy of the faith of those Welsh miners, even in troubled times past.
An undated photo by Ralph Snowball of the Welsh Congregational Church in Dickson St, Lambton. Newcastle Region Library, image 001 004276.
The church building at 43A Dickson St in 2017, now used as a hair and beauty studio.
The article above was first published in the December 2017 edition of the Lambton & New Lambton Local.
An important source of information for this article was pages 84-85 of “The Story of Lambton”, published by the Newcastle Family Historical Society. In particular, it has details of the binding oath that the men of the church made regarding the construction of the stone church. A handwritten account by Deacon Richard Thomas details the genesis of the oath, as the men considered the future while maintaining the property of the earlier wooden building.
“One day about seven of us were fencing this ground, it was a warm day and we were taking a spell in the shade of the building. One of the party said ‘to see whether we are in earnest or not let us prove it. I am prepared to give five pounds towards it and one pound each for my three sons.’ At once each of the party promised five pounds. That same day Mr David Williams said he knew of a quarry, not more than a hundred yards away, where there were plenty of stones, if we could get permission to open it. That was in Young Road (now a section of Newcastle Road) between Grainger and Hill Streets on the Waratah Coal Company’s ground. A deputation interviewed the Manager, asking permission to open the quarry. Permission was freely granted, and it was decided to have a stone structure. We decided that in order to save expense we would bind ourselves one to another and that we would quarry the stones and bring them to the place free of charge. We worked hard and remained true to each other, without a hitch. I need not mention that it was a big contract for about seven or eight men.”
When dealing with the history of churches in Lambton, it is important not to confuse churches with similar names. For instance the Welsh Baptist Church was different to the Welsh Congregational Church, even though the the minister of the Welsh Congregationalist Church, the Rev Evan Lewis often also preached at the Welsh Baptist Church. Also the Welsh Congregationalists were different to the English Congregationalists, although they later merged in 1904.
One aspect of the story of the stone Congregational church in Lambton that is slightly frustrating, is pinning down the date of opening. “The Story of Lambton” p. 84 states that “the chapel was completed and opened for worship in June 1868.” However I cannot find any evidence for this date. I have found three newspaper articles in Trove that give a bit of a timeline …
Whereas most churches in that era, on the completion of their building held a formal opening service that was well reported in the newspaper, the Welsh Congregationalists don’t appear to have had a formal opening of their small but impressive stone building.
One thought I had in trying to pin down an opening date, was to look in Trove for reports of anniversary services in subsequent years. There were many such reports, but it turns out that the Welsh Congregationalists managed to hold anniversary services variously in the months of June, July, August, September, October, and November. To make matters even more confusing, an eighth anniversary was celebrated in 1877 implying an opening year of 1869, but a 76th anniversary was celebrated in 1944 implying an opening year of 1868.
The best sense I can make of all this is that the church construction took place mostly in 1868 (hence the stone inscription on the front of the church), but that it only began to be used in 1869, and that there was no formal or official opening ceremony.
The stone for the church in Dickson St was obtained from a nearby quarry on Young St, now Newcastle Rd. We know that the power station for the electric light scheme instituted in 1890 was built in a disused quarry. There is no definite proof, but it seems highly likely that this was the quarry used for the church. A 1904 panorama of the Lambton taken from the top of Noble St shows the both the quarry and the church in close proximity.
A portion of a 1904 photograph that shows both the Bethel Chapel in Dickson St, and the quarry on Newcastle Rd where the stone was probably quarried from.
The grave site in Sandgate Cemetery of Rev Evan Lewis, who started, and then led the Welsh Congregational Church in Lambton for 38 years, until his death in 1902.
| Article Date Event Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| 8 Jun 1864 3 Jun 1864 | Inundation of the workings of the Melbourne and Newcastle Minmi Colliery Company, after a period of torrential rain.
"No cloud is, however, without a silver lining, and in this case there is a pleasing relief to the dark side of the picture, in the employment afforded by the other coal associations to the men left without work by the Minmi inundation." … "We may say that, beyond a change of residence, but little inconvenience will result to the men so suddenly deprived of their former scene of labour." |
| 11 Jun 1864 | Further details on the flooding of the Minmi colliery: "It appears that it was not the bed of the creek which yielded, but a fissure was created six yards distant from it. This gap is now being filled up, and a breastwork composed of logs and clay has been built up in front, to guard against a similar occurrence." |
| 27 Aug 1864 | “It will be twelve weeks on Friday next since the mine was filled with water by the creek breaking in during a heavy rain storm, and what was previously a flourishing busy community, has, by this long period of inactivity, been brought to a very low state in its prosperity ; for with the exception of a few men who remained to assist in clearing the water out of the pit, the great bulk of the colliers found employment at the neighbouring collieries, and in many instances removed their wives and families.” |
| 24 Jun 1868 | After noting that the Primitive Methodist are enlarging their building, the report notes that "the Congregationalists are about to make a similar movement, as their chapel is found to be not sufficiently commodious for the hearers." |
| 26 Sep 1877 23 Sep 1877 | Eighth anniversary celebrations of the Lambton Welsh Congregational Church. |
| 21 Aug 1944 17 Aug 1944 | The 76th anniversary celebrations of the Lambton Congregationalists, held in their "spacious hall, recently renovated." |
In 1863, with no church buildings to meet in, the celebration of the first Christmas in Lambton was a private affair. The only public festivities were of a strictly commercial nature when 120 employees of the Lambton colliery gathered for a dinner on Boxing Day to inaugurate the opening of the mine.
The Scottish Australian Mining Company however was not unmindful of the spiritual needs of the miners and their families, and in the ensuing years supported the establishment of churches with land grants for the erection of church buildings. By 1870 the Church of England, Presbyterians, Primitive Methodists, Welsh Baptists, English Baptists, and Welsh Independents had buildings in Lambton.
The Roman Catholics however, had to travel in to Newcastle to attend church, where the service was held at 11am to allow time to travel in from the suburbs. In 1871 the Catholics erected a small wooden building in De Vitre St, to be used as a school during the week, and as a church on Sundays. The church was solemnly blessed and opened on 19th November 1871.
Two years later the Catholic parish of Lambton was established, stretching from Mayfield to Teralba, and Father James Ryan, a newly ordained Irish priest appointed to the parish. Father Ryan’s labours were soon rewarded, for by 1876 the wooden church in De Vitre St had to be enlarged. With continued growth and an eye to the future, land was acquired in Dickson St in 1892/1893 for a new building, and in 1921 the current brick church of St John the Evangelist was constructed.
In New Lambton, St Therese’s began with a building in Royal St in 1926, used for both school and church. New Lambton became a separate parish in 1954, but fifty years later merged back with Lambton and Waratah to form Holy Trinity Parish, Blackbutt North, an ongoing community where Christmas is publicly celebrated as much more than just commerce.
The first Lambton Catholic Church in De Vitre St, on the site of St John’s Primary School, 1891. Photo by Ralph Snowball, Newcastle Region Library.
St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Dickson St Lambton, 2016
Foundation Stone of St John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Lambton.
The article above was first published in the December 2016 edition of the Lambton & New Lambton Local.
In the article I say that the building erected in 1871 was to be used as a church and school, however at the opening of the first wooden church in 1871 it was reported
“Mr. T. Croudace, having given the allotment on which the church is built on the express condition of it not being used as a school.”
The building was first used for school purposes in May 1872, when a school with 56 children was commenced.
Some of the material for this article was sourced from “Song of the People, A brief history of the Catholic Parish of St John’s Lambton”, by Darrell Bailey, published in 2003 to mark the 130th anniversary of the parish. The Newcastle Family Historical Society library in the Mechanics’ Institute building has a copy of this publication.
There are a couple of errors on page 7 of this publication that need correction.
| Article Date Event Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| 24 Sep 1868 | "The Rev. Father Walsh, pastor of the Roman Catholic Church, in this city, gave notice on Sunday last to his congregation that the hour of service on Sunday mornings would, in future, be eleven o'clock instead of ten o'clock, as of late." |
| 22 Oct 1870 | A movement is on foot to build a Roman Catholic Church in Lambton. The Lambton colliery company has granted a piece of land for the purpose. |
| 23 Sep 1871 | Seven denominations meeting in Lambton: Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Primitive Methodist, Welsh Baptist, English Baptist, and Welsh Independent, all having churches of their own, and the Wesleyan congregation renting a place to preach in. |
| 2 Dec 1871 19 Nov 1871 | Catholic church building in De Vitre St Lambton solemnly blessed and opened. |
| 18 May 1872 6 May 1872 | Catholic school opened, with 56 children in attendance. |
| 12 Dec 1876 | The Roman Catholic Church is being lengthened and a porch added. |
| 14 Apr 1877 | Valedictory address to Father James Ryan, the first priest in the Catholic parish of Lambton. |
| 9 Aug 1920 | Construction of the new Catholic church in Dickson Street is about to commence. The article confirms that the former building was on De Vitre Street, and used for both school and church purposes. |
| 12 Aug 1920 10 Aug 1920 | Lambton Council approves the plans and specifications for the new Roman Catholic Church in Dickson St. |
| 6 Sep 1920 5 Sep 1920 | "The ceremony of laying and blessing the corner stone and blessing the foundations of the new Roman Catholic Church at Lambton was performed yesterday afternoon by the Right Rev. Dr. Dwyer, Bishop of Maitland, in the presence of a large gathering. " |
| 11 Jul 1921 10 Jul 1921 | "The Roman Catholic Church of Mary Immaculate and St. John the Evangelist, Lambton, was blessed and opened yesterday morning by the Right Rev, Dr. Dwyer, Bishop of Maitland." |
A big thumbs down to Big W who have put out Christmas trees for sale a full 3 months and 2 days before Christmas Day!
I hope all their stores and the offices of their heartless greed-obsessed upper management become infested with rancid maniacal grinches. I really do.
P.S. I quite like Christmas. But I like to celebrate Christmas …. well … at Christmas time.
The dawn of any God given day is a good thing, but especially so when you see the sun rise over a cloud covered ocean. Some of my family woke early this morning to watch the sun rise at Diamond Beach, but only me and my iPhone saw the whole thing.
U.S. Presidential hopeful Donald Trump was not too pleased this week when Pope Francis suggested that Trump’s plan to build a wall to keep immigrant’s out of the country was not Christian. The Pope is quite right though – Galatians 3:14 has something to say about dividing walls and what Christ does with them …
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
But Trump’s response to Pope Francis beggars belief, with him reportedly saying of the Pope:
“For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful.”
Really?? What about Jesus, quite a significant religious leader, who wasn’t averse to questioning the faith of people, particularly the faith of the political and establishment leaders of the time. In response to a disingenuous question from the Pharisees Jesus replies in Mark 7:6 …
“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
And in Matthew 23:27-28 Jesus says …
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
For Trump to say that religious leaders shouldn’t question a person’s faith, demonstrates a profound and disturbing ignorance of the very religious leader that Trump hypocritically claims to follow.
On Christmas Day 1864, just one year after Lambton colliery began operation, the first church building in Lambton was opened. This was a small wooden Primitive Methodist chapel in Elder St, built on land generously given by Thomas Croudace, the manager of the colliery. Although belonging to the Church of England, Mr Croudace was very supportive of the establishment of churches from other denominations, and was often asked to speak at the opening celebrations. By 1892 Lambton had a total of 13 churches, coincidentally matching the number of hotels in town.
The first Church of England building wasn’t constructed until 1869. It was built on the current site on Morehead Street, and unsurprisingly Thomas Croudace was instrumental in making this happen, presiding over public meetings assisting in the raising of funds. Although originally plans were made for a stone church, this was too costly, and instead a modest wooden building was constructed for £300 and opened by Bishop William Tyrrell on 17th October 1869.
After 38 years of use the wooden building had fallen into such a state of disrepair that “one could put one’s hand through the wall, and the place rocked in the gale”. It was time for something more durable, and finances allowed for a new brick building to be constructed for £600, which was opened in October 1907. Thomas Croudace, who had been a member of the church since its inception, had passed away the previous year, and his family gifted to the new building the stained glass windows in the east wall as a memorial to him.
Over the years, churches have come and gone in Lambton, and although now numbering fewer than 13, there are still thriving church communities in Lambton today to celebrate the birth of Jesus this 25th December, just as the Primitive Methodists did in their new building in 1864.
The article above was first published in the December 2015 edition of the Lambton Local.
I mentioned in the article that in 1892 there were 13 churches, matching the number of hotels in the town. Interestingly this correlation seems to hold up fairly well through the years.
Churches in Lambton in 2015 are:
Hotels in Lambton in 2015 are:
It seems I’m not the first person to be comparing hotel and church numbers in Lambton. The Rev J. T. Pepper, on the occasion of laying the foundation stone for the new Primitive Methodist church building on 13th October 1868 was recorded as saying …
“The effect of laying the foundation-stones of churches was undoubtedly better than the establishment of public-houses. He believed, if they could change every public-house into a church, they would have a wonderful alteration in the moral status of the people.”
Thomas Croudace was quite active in supporting the establishment of other churches in Lambton. He was asked to lay the foundation stone for the new Primitive Methodist church building on 13th October 1868, and on that occasion said that
“A man in his position was bound to do as much good as he possibly could. He hoped, therefore, he should not be considered out of place by the members of other denominations. There were many different sects, but, in his opinion, they were all endeavouring to attain the same end. He could not see anything wrong in assisting any Christian denomination, especially when by so doing a person had it in his own power to set a good example to a large number of people with whom he was connected.”
Examples of Thomas Croudace’s ecumenical support include …
| Date | Notes |
| 25 Dec 1864 | Primitive Methodist Church building opened in Elder St. |
| 13 Oct 1868 | Laying the foundation stone for the new Primitive Methodist church building. |
| 7 Aug 1869 | Construction of the Church of England building has commenced. |
| 17 Oct 1869 | Opening of the first (wooden) Church of England building. |
| 23 Sep 1871 | List of the 8 churches in Lambton:
|
| 15 June 1906 | Death of Thomas Croudace. |
| 14 Sep 1907 | Laying the foundation stone for the new (brick) Church of England building. |
| 27 Nov 1907 | Consecration of new (brick) Church of England building. |
In church at the moment we are working through John’s gospel, and a couple of times Arthur has shown us on a map Jesus’ movements around Judea and Galilee, and made the observation that the distance between Galilee and Jerusalem, is pretty similar to the distance between Newcastle and Sydney – a journey that we Novocastrians are very familiar with. Just to see this visually, I’ve used Google Maps and a bit of cut-and-paste to put the east coast of NSW next to Israel – and the similarity in distances is indeed strikingly close.
(Click on the map to enlarge.)