The church that’s older than its town

Back in July, the Hurunui District celebrated some of its best community serving members at the annual Community Service Awards.

For the next few weeks, Hurunui District will be highlighting the Award recipients, filling you in more on their background stories, and what makes them tick. Enjoy.....

This year’s recipient of the Heritage Fund was the Catholic Parish of the Good Shepherd Amberley, which received $4995.83 to assist with maintenance work on the spire, and an exterior paint of the spire, roof and church.

Steve Joyce is part of the Parish Council and looks after the church’s maintenance. He expressed a huge thanks for the Fund which helped out considerably with the cost of the work.

“It was a great impetus to get the project started,” he said.

Church funds, many volunteer hours and some donated material, in addition to the Fund, was used to ensure the job was done well.

Being Amberley’s oldest building and a Category A Heritage listing, Steve said it really looks the part and everyone is thrilled.

An afternoon tea was thoroughly enjoyed by Steve, Fr Rex, the Parish Priest, several parishioners and some of Hurunui’s councillors at the church last week, a good chance for councillors to see the great work that’s taken place.

“We wanted to show them where the money was going, it was great to share the history too,” said Steve.

The church was built in 1866 on Brackenfield Estate, and in 1955 the church was jacked up on a trailer and transported by traction engine seven kilometres down the road to its current home on Carters Road, where the town of Amberley was starting to grow. History records stated that the seven kilometre journey went well. The spire was removed prior the move, then put back on, on the other side of the church, after some extension work to the building had been completed.

Steve said there had been great visions of a town being built in the area of Brackenfield Estate, but due to the proximity of the railway line which was coastal, this never eventuated.

“For 90 years the church was in the middle of a paddock, so in the mid nineteen fifties it was moved to where the people were.”

The Hurunui Heritage Award fund is to encourage and assist with voluntary work that protects, enhances, explains, or restores significant heritage values of the district.