Anglican diocese moves to sell Saint John's church, Towrang

Resident of 40 years, Kerrie Jones described the conditional sale as a "done deal," given that a real estate agent had already visited the property last week.

READ MORE: Towrang community rallies as St John's Anglican church moves steadily towards sale

Saint John's Church in the small village northeast of Goulburn is close to her heart. The resident of more than 40 years said her son, daughter and three of her four grandchildren were christened in the little church.

"We've lost our shop, school, post office and railway station and we feel that everything is being taken away," she said.

Mrs Jones told The Post the community had researched and identified 17 known burials in the church grounds, spanning 1906 to 1934. Only one, Martin Nelson, has a gravestone at the rear of the property.

Her daughter, Melissa Bensley, collected a 264-signature petition opposing the sale.

The North Goulburn Parish floated the church sell-off about 18 months ago. The Anglican Church Property Trust subsequently approved it, subject to community consultation. Following a well attended and at times heated Towrang community meeting in June, the Diocesan Council approved the sale process in August.

Diocesan archdeacon of chaplaincy and mission, Tom Henderson-Brooks, said the church was rationalising its assets and seeking to sell several rural churches that "were not being utilised or were not fit for modern ministry." Bungonia's Anglican church will also be sold.

ALSO READ: Thousands flock to streets to watch huge charity convoy

Archdeacon Henderson-Brooks said the nature of ministry and communities had changed significantly over the years.

"In Towrang, all of the community looks to Goulburn for its services whether it be education, shops, employment or even a cup of coffee," he said.

At the same time, the North Goulburn parish was experiencing "significant growth." Saint Nicholas Church was "bursting at the seams" and struggling to accommodate an increasing number of parishioners. Archdeacon Henderson-Brooks said much of this growth was in the Marys Mount area.

The diocese wants to use any sale proceeds from Saint John's to buy a second residence for another minister. A newsletter to parishioners almost two weeks ago stated that pews from Saint Nicholas Church would be sold and replaced with 280 "comfy chairs" and parts of the church rearranged to create more seating.

"The cost of the chairs will be circa $30,000," the newsletter stated.

"This is approximately the same amount that is wasted (in insurance costs) every year by holding on to Towrang and Bungonia and (about) twice the amount of renting an alternate venue per annum, if such an option was viable."

Saint John's, believed to have been built in 1929, hosted monthly services with dwindling congregations monthly up until the former Saint Nicholas Church minister left in 2019.

About 12 people attended a meeting at Towrang on Friday where The Venerable Henderson-Brooks and diocesan asset manager, Mark Trainor, informed the community of the sale decision.

ALSO READ: The neighbours who gave up on the government and funded a solar farm themselves

The Diocesan Council approved the sale subject to seven conditions. Any sale contract will detail the now closed cemetery's presence, acknowledge the presence of possible interment rites and unidentified graves, require a buyer to preserve the all headstones, plaques and memorials and not disturb them. Further, public access to the cemetery must be maintained.

"It is about ensuring everything possible is done to keep this site historically significant," Archdeacon Henderson-Brooks said.

Mr Trainor said the Diocese suspected that 20 people were buried on the property, but only three were confirmed. The diocese has discounted using ground penetrating radar to identify the burials' location due to the estimated $30,000 cost.

The property is listed on the State heritage inventory and Goulburn Mulwaree's LEP. Mr Trainor said the former recognised its religious links to the community rather than the building.

The land is zoned 'community,' meaning any buyer wishing to develop it into housing or other uses must seek a rezoning and take heritage and other considerations into account.

"There is here is no guarantee it will sell," Archdeacon Henderson-Brooks said.

"The sale clause expires on August 12, 2024 so there is one and a half years to complete it. If it doesn't sell, it will come back to the Diocesan Council."

The sale will be public. The diocese will seek a valuation which will be reported back to the community. Archdeacon Henderson-Brooks said the community would have the option to buy it but ultimately it was a diocese decision.

Similarly, the church could be open to suggestions of a community use if it didn't sell. Several at the meeting flagged the idea of a trust ownership. They also asked whether features such as the baptismal font and pews could be returned to the village. Archdeacon Henderson-Brooks said representations could be made to the parish over both aspects.

Jacki Waugh suggested subdividing the land to preserve the cemetery but Mr Trainor said the difficulty was not knowing where people were buried.

ALSO READ: Kevin Kara scores Distinguished Service Award on prestigious night

The church representatives came under fire from several people who said a real estate agent had visited the property that week, ahead of the community being informed. But Mr Trainor said expressions of interest were yet to be called from agents and no contract had been signed.

In response to a question, Archdeacon Henderson-Brooks said he didn't know how much the sale would fetch but told the meeting another church group had expressed interest.

He said the structure would remain for community use up until any sale.

"I absolutely understand the level of feeling," Archdeacon Henderson-Brooks said.

"Apart from the RFS, this is the last community facility in Towrang. The catholic church is gone, there's no longer a school it's sad."

Mrs Jones said a church had been on the site in one form or another since 1904.

"The community feels disappointed," she said.

"...It is a done deal but whether the conditions deter people from buying it is another thing. There's a lot to get around.

"We're happy with the conditions but we're (fighting for it) for our forebears who didn't want these things taken from them."

Do you have something to say about this issue? Send a letter to the editor. Click here for the Goulburn Post

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: