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St John the Evangelist Anglican Church - Former
St John the Evangelist Anglican Church - Former 24-11-2019 - Greg Davis - See Note
St John the Evangelist Anglican Church - Former - Kempton Hall 03-10-2022 - James Dixon

St John the Evangelist Anglican Church - Former

Fullerton, NSW 2583

Church Information

Church Name: St John the Evangelist Anglican Church - Former
Church Previous Name: -
Denomination: Anglican Church of Australia
Street Address: Fullerton Rd, Fullerton NSW 2583, Australia
Suburb: Fullerton
State: NSW
Postcode: 2583
Foundation Stone Laid: 00-11-1863
Foundation Stone Notes: 

The foundation stone was laid in November 1863. The text on the foundation stone is not known. Information/photographs are invited.

A plaque at the site records: This Cairn marks the site of the first - St John's Bolong (1863~1947) - and commemorates the - 125th anniversary of Bolong Cemetery - 5 May 1996 - Unveiled by the Ven. Ruth Mills - Constructed from the ruins by Michael Partridge.

Date Opened: 00-05-1864
Date Closed: 00-02-1947
Email: admin@churchesaustralia.org

Comments

The former St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Bolong (Fullerton) was part of the former Diocese of Goulburn. The ruins of the old church building can be found about 1.9 kms north of the current St John's Anglican Church - Bolong (see separate entry - 2583). The foundation stone for the church building was laid in November 1863. It was also at this time the first recorded burial - of Mary Ann Marmont - took place at St John's Bolong Cemetery, adjoing the church building. The completed church was blessed and opened in May 1864 by the Right Reverend Mesac Thomas, The Lord Bishop of Goulburn. By the late 1930s, the church was needing major repairs and fundraising began for a new church to accommodate the needs of a growing congregation. World War II slowed the progress of building the new church, but in August 1946, church wardens requested permission from the Diocesan Council to sell 34 acres of their land and apply the proceeds towards the cost of building the new church. The land was sold privately, with the church retaining a few acres at the cemetery and old church site. Building progress on the new church was slow, possibly due to post-war building material shortages and relying on volunteer labour to do the work. In February 1947, a severe storm caused extensive damage to the old church. It is thought that the building was struck by lightning and afterwards it was further damaged by a windstorm, resulting in a large portion of the roof being blown away and the building as a whole was seriously affected. The Bolong church committee hastily arranged to use the nearby Kempton Hall for their Sunday services, and this arrangement remained in place until the new church was dedicated and opened in October 19511. More historical information/photographs of the former church/congregation are invited. Photographs uploaded 14/11/2022. 

Note 1: For more of the church story and additional photographs see: (1) https://www.crookwellgazette.com.au/story/6511121/explore-the-ruins-of-st-johns-bolong/   AND  (2) Explored Visions by GD - facebook page (run by Greg Davis - who was also the author of the article in the Crookwell Gazette) - https://www.facebook.com/exploredvisions/photos/st-johns-bolong-cemetery-where-the-first-recorded-burial-is-from-1863/1004657596538821/

Note: Photograph attribution/source - https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1004642726540308&set=st-johns-bolong-cemetery-where-the-first-recorded-burial-is-from-1863  AND  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1004642579873656&set=st-johns-bolong-cemetery-where-the-first-recorded-burial-is-from-1863

Last Updated: Monday 14th November, 2022
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