St George’s Anglican Church on Church Hill last week (March 4) celebrated the 170th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone by Governor Robe.
The Church has had a chequered history, having been demolished, rebuilt and modified a number of times over the years. To Mark the occasion, Local Member of Parliament Mr Tony Piccolo met with parish priest, Fr Simon Bailey.
To their surprise, neither of them could locate the foundation stone. Mr Piccolo said it would be great to hear from anybody who may know the current location of the foundation stone, or its history, if it no longer exists. “While knowing the history of the foundation stone would be great, we should not forget the important role that the Churches have played in the local community,” Mr Piccolo said.
Fr Bailey said that the six months that he has been the Parish Priest at the Anglican churches of St. George and The Transfiguration seem like a drop in the ocean compared to the 170 years that Anglicans have gathered on Church Hill for regular worship. “Given the geography of the area, a hilly rise above the confluence of two rivers merging in to one and then heading towards the ocean, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Church Hill has been a place of spiritual gathering for many, many more years than the relatively short time that Anglican, Roman Catholic and Lutheran Christians have been here,” Fr Bailey said.
“There is a deep aura and sense of ‘the other’ around this hill-top that makes it a very significant place indeed and it is a privilege to be part of a long history and carrying that history on into the future.” he said.
Mr Piccolo said Nathalie Johnstone, a former Trinity College Gawler student has been undertaking some research, in a volunteer capacity, into the history of significant events in the local community.
Nathalie has prepared a chronology of the history of St George’s and the draft can be found at http://www.tonypiccolo.org/st-georges-church .
“We would love to hear from people who can fill in some of the gaps,” added Mr Piccolo.