Our History
A history of the Parish of Grovely
By Pam Cory, Parishioner
Brisbane was first settled in 1825 when the penal colony moved from Redcliffe. Because of this, free settlement was prohibited within 50 miles of the township. This restriction was lifted in 1842 after transportation had ceased. Settlement was then allowed both north and south of the river and west to its junction with the Bremer.
The first auction of Crown lands in the Mitchelton-Grovely area (Parish of Enoggera) did not take place until 1857. The area was described as being:
'Plain lands timbered with gum, mahogany, oak and bloodwood trees and richly grassed, extending from a creek of crystal pure water in the north, to a low mountain range in the south. To the west a steep wooded slope. In a camp on the banks of the creek a tribe of aborigines'.
At this auction, 61 acres were purchased by Ramsden Bourne, 68 acres by William Robinson, 87 acres by Nicholas Mitchell (after whom Mitchelton was named) and 116 acres by Zachariah and Daniel Skyring. The price was one pound per acre.
The second land sale in the district was held on Tuesday 15 May 1860, when land again sold for one pound per acre. Five portions were sold at the second sale and land was described as:
'Gentle undulating country, well suited for agriculture. Gum, ironbark, mahogany, oak, blood wood. All richly grassed'.
At this sale, blocks were bought by Isabella Dawson, Thomas Price, Judge Lutwyche and William Geddes. Daniel Skyring Junior bought 91 acres adjoining the land bought by Zachariah and Daniel at the earlier sale and it was on part of this land that St Matthew's church was later built. This is the area now bordered by Samford Road on the south, Church Road and Cribb Avenue on the west, Kedron Brook on the north and on the east, a line drawn from the western fence of the former Mitchelton Infants School to Kedron Brook.
The Deed of Grant shows that Daniel Skyring Junior purchased Portion 282, consisting of 91 acres in the County of Stanley, Parish of Enoggera on 16 May 1860. There was a quit rent of one peppercorn if demanded. The document is signed by G.F. Bowen, Queensland's first governor. The area was then known as Upper Kedron, being on the upper reaches of Kedron Brook, which had been named by the German missionaries at Nundah.
ln 1864, the Nicholson family arrived in Melbourne aboard the Essex and travelled overland by coach to Brisbane. After staying briefly at Spring Hill, John and his brother William purchased 48 acres 3 roods and 18 perches of Daniel Skyring's Portion 282. The Certificate of Title dated 16 December 1964 shows both John and William Castleman Nicholson as owners of the land. This was the southern part of Portion 282 and was bordered by a government road one chain wide on the south west (Samford Road) and another government road fifty links wide on the west (Church Road). William also purchased land at Enoggera where he built his home calfed Hurdcotte. This later became the Church of England (then Anglican) Boys' Home and is now the site of Hillbrook Anglican School.
John and William were the grandsons of a former rector of Barford St Martin in Wiltshire and John's wife, Mary was a gifted Biblical and Hebrew scholar who spoke both French and German fluently. She was also an accomplished pianist and an expert on church music. It is from Mary's letters to her family in England that we have learnt a lot about the early days in Grovely. At first John and Mary lived in a small bush hut on their land. In 1865, John began to build their first home to replace the hut. John called this home Groveley Lodge. There was a Groveley Lodge in Groveleywood near his family home at Barford St Martin.
The Nicholsons began to hold Sunday School and Sunday services in their home with a visit from the clergyman at Fortitude Valley once a month. In the same year, John and William purchased a further 58 acres 3 roods and 34 perches to the south of their farm. In 1867, John and Mary approached Bishop Tufnell regarding the building of a church at Kedron Brook. John gave a quarter of an acre as the site for the church. Charles Tiffin, the colonial architect, was asked to draw up the plans. John and Mary requested that the plan be similar to the small church in Groveley Wood in Wiltshire.
On 3 September 1867, the foundation stone of the church was laid by Sir George Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland and was reported in the Brisbane Courier on the 24 September.
"The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new Anglican church at Upper Kedron was performed on Monday afternoon by his Excellency the Governor in the presence of a large and influential assemblage. The proposed church is situated on Groveley the splendid estate of Mr Nicholson, who has very generously made a free grant of the land. A loyal address was presented to the Governor. The compony then formed into procession, and, chanting Psalm Vlll slowly proceeded to the site of the church where the special service appointed for the occasion, was read by the Rev, James Matthews, assisted by the Rev. Thomas Jones, the Rev. Joshua Jones and the Rev. H.J. Campbell. Subsequently, the foundation stone was laid by his Excellency, and Mr Nicholson entertained the compony at his house."
Although the laying of this foundation stone was well documented in the newspapers and in Mary Nicholson's letters to her family, there is no foundation stone visible. Was this stone covered when the original of the brick walls of the church were covered in cement? This seems unlikely. A more probable explanation is that the foundation stone of a small country church on the outskirts of Brisbane was exactly that - not a large inscribed block but the first stone (or brick) laid in the foundation of the building.
The first service in the church of Groveley, known as the church at Upper Kedron, took place on 7 February, 1869, when three children, Arthur Reginald Nicholson, Arthur Marshall and Hannah Pickering were baptised. On 18 February the first burial, that of 19 year old John McDowall of Everton, took place in the graveyard. On 13 September, 1869, the first marriage in the church, that of Mary Isabella Robinson and Robert Morgan, was celebrated by the Revd John Sutton and the Revd Thomas Jones, both of St John's, George Street. Early services were conducted by the Revd James Matthews and, in his absence, by Judge Lutwyche and John Nicholson.
In 1882, the Parish of Lutwyche separated from Fortitude Valley and it was decided to have the Groveley church administered from Lutwyche. The Revd John Southey commenced regular monthly services at Groveley. By 1884, William Nicholson had again obtained ownership of the Groveley land and in 1885 set up the Trust which continues to this day. The original trustees were William Nicholson, Henry Wyborn (Harbour Master) and the Revd Herbert Guinness, Rector of Holy Trinity, Fortitude Valley. The first Evensong was held at St Andrew's, Lutwyche, in 1884, the organist being Miss Frances Nicholson, the daughter of John and Mary Nicholson.
By 1901, a Sunday school had been established at Groveley and in 1907, the first service was held in St Mary's hall at Alderley. In 1909, the church at Groveley was called St Matthew's for the first time. In 1917, the hall at Groveley was opened after the service commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Laying of the Foundation Stone.
In 1920, Groveley, consisting of St Matthew's and St Mary's became a Parochial District with the Revd W.P.H. Hubbard as Vicar. A lych gate was built as a War Memorial at St Andrew's and dedicated by Archbishop Sharp on 6th July 1924. It was decided that a tablet be inscribed with the names of those members of the Church of England who were in the Parish as it was constituted during the War. This meant that there were names from St Matthew's and St Mary's on the Memorial. The crowd at the dedication included people from Groveley and Alderley. On 31st August 1924, St Paul's at Samford was dedicated by Bishop Le Fanu, and in 1926, St Matthew's rectory was built.
After World War II, the area quickly changed from a farming area to a residential district. On 26th November 1946, the first service was held in a timber hall purchased from the RSL at Gaythorne and in December 1947, the Parish of Groveley was established with the Revd Englinton as the first Rector. In October 1951, the first service was held in the hall at Wardell Street, Enoggera. Enoggera and Samford have since become parishes in their own right.
Until 1957 when Willmore & Randall purchased the land from Leslie Patrick, the area now known as Arana Hills was part of a farming district. The first subdivision of the land was registered in 1958 and until 1961 the area was subdivided in sections.
At that time it was known as the Camden Park Estate and the earliest streets are named after places in the Camden Park district of New South Wales. Because of the confusion before the introduction of postcodes with mail going to New South Wales and also Camden Park in South Australia, it was decided to change the name of the area. Several names were submitted but Arana Hills was chosen and gazetted by the Place Names Board on 22 December 1961.
On 20th November 1960, the Foundation Stone of All Souls', Gaythorne, was laid by Archbishop Reginald Halse and on 29th March the next year he dedicated the church. Archbishop Felix Arnott consecrated the church on 9th March 1975. The speed with which this church was built owed much to a dedicated band of ladies and their helpers who ran a catering service.
At that time, the nearest Anglican church was St Matthew's at Grovely and it could be a long hot walk in summer up the hill for those who did not have transport. It must be remembered that, at that time, this was a suburb of young couples with young families and walking was often the only option to get anywhere. The Anglican presence in Arana Hills began on 3 July, 1966 with a Sunday School conducted by Innis and Estelle Abood under their home at 11 Yanderra Avenue. Occasionally a Sunday service would be held in their lounge room.
An energetic ladies' committee was formed by the mothers of the Sunday School children to raise money for the Sunday School and with a view to erecting a building on the land owned by the Church in Glenlee Street. The ladies set to work and monthly stalls were held outside the building which is now the ANZ bank, with cakes and home made children's clothing and toys being the main things sold. Many letters were written to firms for ingredients for the cakes. The Rector forbade gambling in any form including raffles, so there was always a guessing game on the stall - guess the length of a piece of string or the number of jelly beans in a jar etc. One of the ladies made a very large rabbit and a major fundraiser became guessing the name of the rabbit. At 6d a guess, it was not going to make a lot of money but every house in the district was visited with the rabbit and not one person refused to have a guess. Lamington drives were popular and the lamingtons were made under the Aboods' house. It would not be allowed these days, but we managed not to poison anyone! Sales parties, such as Tupperware, Bessemer ware, lace and makeup were also held. There was always something happening.
By June 1968, it was perceived that there was need for a regular service in the Arana Hills area because of the growing population. It was decided to hold services on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. The first service was held on the Glenlee Street land in a tent loaned by Mr Eric Veith at 10.15am on Sunday 30 June 1968 with the Rector, Fr Frank Knight, presiding. There were 21 communicants. The ladies decided to form a Guild and Estelle Abood was elected president at the first meeting. The Rector attended that meeting and gave a long talk on the duties of ladies' guilds. Among the things we learnt were what to starch and what not to starch and how to iron the altar linen. I don't think any one of those who attended that meeting would ever again clean silver with Silvo or any other similar cleaner.
To hold a church service early on a Sunday morning in a tent on an empty block of land took some organising. The men of the congregation erected the tent late on Saturday afternoon. On the Sunday morning, the tent had to be made ready for the service. The chairs had to be set up. The timber altar consisted of a front with two hinged sides and a top which when put on correctly stopped the sides from collapsing. Mrs Hewitt, the organist at All Souls', loaned us a small keyboard called an organa. It may have been small but it was heavy to carry around. It was powered by a lead which came from the home of a parishioner, Mrs Meg Egan, who lived at the back of the property in Yanderra Avenue.
It soon became apparent that one tent was not large enough and two tents were erected together. This was all right until it rained and anyone sitting where the two tents overlapped quickly became very wet. But no one really cared; we had our service and that was what mattered. However, it was decided to hold services in Arana Hills Community Centre at the corner of Bargo and Mitchell Streets and the first service was held there on 1 February 1970.
This was not altogether a happy move. There were no tents to erect and the hall still had to be set up each Sunday, but at least we could use their seats and we were able to leave the altar there, folded up against the wall. The organa still had to be brought each week. One of the biggest problems was that the hall was often let out for parties on Saturday nights and although it was supposed to be cleaned up by the persons who rented it, quite often it was not, so that would be the first job on a Sunday morning. Some mothers complained that their children went to kindergarten in the hall during the week and they couldn't make them say still in church. The Rector asked that parents bring their children in slippers to keep the noise down.
By 1973, the need for a building of our own was becoming paramount. At the Parish Council meeting on 26 September that year, Fr Karol Misso moved that a subcommittee be formed of Arana Hills people to formulate proposals on building a church/hall at Arana Hills, the members to be Messrs Abood, Wiseman, Legge, Moon, and Wilson, and Mesdames Harrison, Cory, Christian, and Timms, with the Rector and Asst curate Ex-Officio. This was carried unanimously.
A well-attended meeting at Arana Hills on 13 October set out the guidelines of the committee. It was arranged for Bishop Wicks to address a meeting at Arana Hills on 25 November and all Anglicans in the area were to receive a personal call from members of the committee. Mr Webb, a structural engineer, was to inspect the site and meet with committee members.
St Peter's Church House was dedicated by Bishop Ralph Wicks on 11th July 1976, with services then being conducted every Sunday. In 1983, the property in Cobbity Crescent was purchased from the Catholic Church to build a church. It was decided that, as a symbol of solidarity, the congregation from St Peter's would move to All Souls' in the hope that a similar move from there to Arana Hills would be made when the new church was built. The last service at St Peter's was held on 25th January 1987. On 9th October 1990, Bishop George Browning turned the first sod at Cobbity Crescent. On 14th April 1991, the last service was held at All Souls', Gaythorne, and on 21st April 1991, All Saints, at Arana Hills was dedicated by Archbishop Peter Hollingworth. On 7th May 2000, the church was consecrated by Archbishop Hollingworth.
On the 25th November 1973, Bishop Ralph Wicks addressed a meeting of interested Anglicans at the Arana Hills Community Centre with regard to the establishment of a building fund for a worship centre in the area. The following motion was unanimously carried -
‘We, the members of the Anglican Church assembled at the Arana Hills Community Hall on November 25th, 1973, resolve to work for the establishment of a centre for worship and other activities on the block of land at Arana Hills and to this end we request the Parochial Council to take what steps are necessary to open a building fund account.’
An immediate donation of $500 was made by the Arana Hills Ladies’ Guild should such a fund be opened. Fr Misso moved, seconded by Mr C. Timms that an Arana/Ferny Hills Building Fund be opened. Carried. A hastily convened meeting of members of the Ladies’ Guild at the conclusion of the meeting ratified the promise made by the president of $500.
Soon after this meeting I was approached at work by Mrs Jane Patrick, the wife of Leslie Patrick who had previously owned the land which became the Camden Park Estate when developed by Willmore and Randall. Mrs Patrick told me that Coles had an option to buy their top paddock and if the sale went ahead she would give $1000 to our building fund. As you can see today, the sale did go through and we received her donation. This was a great gift from someone who was not one of our parishioners.
During 1974, various fundraising plans were put into effect. These included a Buy a Brick scheme, a pageant of saints, children’s fashion parade, progressive dinners, a fete, a ball games night with all parish centres competing, a pet show and a suggestion for a parish savings bank which did not come to fruition. In addition, there were parish breakfasts and many other smaller events.
The original idea of building a youth centre with an area at one end to be closed off to be used as a sanctuary for use at Sunday services had to be put aside when it became apparent that it was necessary to provide a home for the assistant curate and his family. In July 1975, the Diocesan registrar inspected the land at Arana Hills and said he would be in favour of building a house with an area underneath for services, meetings etc. A brick veneer building would cost $25000.
The Parish Council decided that the house would be 12 squares, costing approximately $26000 with a loan of $20000 repayable over 15 years with the building committee raising at least $1000 per year over the terms of the loan. The contract was let to Hatchman Brothers and building began on the 1st December. The house was to have an office underneath with the rest of the area available for services. Part of this area would be available for use as a garage at other times. The Commonwealth Bank agreed to a loan of $20000 repayable over 15 years at $223 per month.
At the Parish Council meeting on 25th February, the rector, Fr Peter Brewer suggested that the new house be dedicated to St Peter as the first service was held on the ground on 23rd June 1968, the Sunday nearest St Peter’s Day. It was moved by Mr Savage, seconded by Mrs Cory that the new house be known as St Peter’s Church House.
On 11th July 1976, with approximately 150 people in attendance, St Peter’s Church House was dedicated by Bishop Ralph Wicks.
The Graveyard
By Pam Cory, Parishioner
The graveyard at St Matthew's has been in use almost as long as the church. The first service in the church was held on 7th February 1869 and the first burial was on the 18th of the same month. It was that of John Foster McDowall, aged 19 of Everton. He died of a fever. It is unusual that a historical graveyard of this age is still in use. The graveyard is in itself a microcosm of the district .
Many of the pioneers of this area are buried here and their names can be seen in the street names and geographical features in the surrounding suburbs.
The McDowall grave, already mentioned, is a large family grave just inside the gate and many of that family are buried there. The McDowall property, called Everton was situated in South Pine Road just north of the bridge over Kedron Brook. This suburb now bears that name. An adjoining suburb is called McDowall.
The graves of the Nicholsons, who owned the land where the church and graveyard are situated are also here. Some years ago, it was moved at a meeting of the parish council that the parish would be responsible for the upkeep of these graves. One grave is that of John and Mary Nicholson of Groveley Lodge and their daughter Olive, and the adjoining one of William Castleman Nicholson, his wife Elizabeth and his step-daughter Kate. William's property was called Hurdcotte and Hillbrook Anglican School is now situated there. Another grave of the family is that of Frances Mary Ridler, daughter of Mary and John, and her husband, Frederick John.
Some of the names of pioneers of the district who are buried here and whose names appear in other areas of the nearby suburbs (mainly streets) are Beckett, Bell (Wardell Street was formerly Bell Street), Collins, Keylar, Lade, Marshall, McGinn, Mott, Pickering and Taylor. Some of these families still worship here.
The grave of Edward Mott deserves particular mention. He worked with the Nicholsons during the building of the church and was buried here in 1900. However in 1939, his remains were moved to Toowong Cemetery to a family grave where his wife, a Catholic who died in 1878, a grandson and a son-in-law were buried. His grave here is still intact - a piece of history.
A large grave near Church Road is that of members of the Hall family. Their property was called Glenalva and was situated near the Enoggera Railway Station where there is now a street called Glenalva Terrace.
Another interesting grave nearby is that of John Massey Vidgen and Emily Vidgen. They were originally buried in the Paddington cemetery before its closure in 1875. The Government was authorised to resume the cemeteries there by 'The Paddington Cemeteries Act of 1911' and relatives of anyone buried therein had 12 months in which to request the removal of any remains and memorials to any cemetery agreed upon. These were the only two to come to St Matthew's.
Two of the more recent burials here were that of Louisa Toogood who founded the Eucumenical Coffee Brigage and Canon Ivor Church, former principal of St Francis' Theological College at Milton.
May they all rest in peace.
The Story of St Matthew's Church for Children
By Pam Cory, Parishioner
One hundred and fifty years ago there were no white people living in the places we now know as Mitchelton, Keperra, Arana Hills, Ferny Hills, Ferny Grove and Upper Kedron. The only people here were the Aboriginal people who lived mostly along the banks of the creek we now call Kedron Brook.
In 1857, the Government sold six large blocks of land in Mitchelton and another four in were sold in 1860. These blocks of land extended from what is now Samford Road to Kedron Brook. The land was used for farming and over the years more land was sold and many farms were begun. One of the large blocks sold in 1860 was at the corner of Samford Road and Church Road at Mitchelton.
In 1864 part of this land was bought be John and Mary Nicholson who built a house which they called Groveley Lodge. They used to hold Sunday School classes in their house but they wanted to build a church because the nearest churches were in Fortitude Valley and George Street in Brisbane Town. They asked the Bishop for permission to a build a church on their land and he agreed to this. They then got an architect called Charles Tiffin to draw up the plans.
All the people in the district were very excited about having a church of their own. There were no other churches around and no schools either so it would be a very important building. They all wanted to help to build the church and so they did. Some of them gave building materials and others did some of the work. The bricks for the outside were made by hand from clay at the bottom of the hill. All the pine timber came from Samford and the red cedar for the seats which are called pews also came from Samford. These pews are still in the church today.
When they were ready to begin building, they had to have a ceremony called laying the foundation stone. Usually an important person is asked to do this and the Nicholson's asked the most important person in Queensland. He was Sir George Bowen who was Queensland's first Governor. He and his family lived at Government House which was at the end of George Street in Brisbane Town. This building is still there and is now part of the Queensland University of Technology near the City Botanic Gardens and you are able to go and see it.
On the 23rd September, 1867, Sir George came with Lady Bowen and their party to lay the foundation stone. It was a long trip and they came on horseback and in carriages. After a speech of welcome from Mr Nicholson, Sir George laid the foundation stone. You may know the names of some of the people who were present as there are streets and a suburb in the district called after them - Nicholson, Pickering, Mott, Lade, Marshall, Taylor, Blaker, Scanlan and McDowall.
This little church is in Church Road and is called St Matthew's after one of Jesus' disciples. It is still used all the time for church services and it is the oldest building in the district. From the 18th to 23rd September we are celebrating the 140th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone. There will be talks and displays, a colouring competition for primary school children and on Sunday the 23rd a big service of thanksgiving for the church and the people who built it.
