History: Ilford Methodist Church
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1937
29 November 1937
SEVENTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Ilford Methodist Church
ONE of the happiest gatherings of the year was the historic celebration of the seventieth anniversary of Ilford Methodist Church on Saturday and Sunday, 20th and 21st November, 1937. A reunion banquet attracted a large gathering, about 75 sitting down to the sumptuous spread prepared by the friends of the church. Rev. H. Hunter (Rylstone) presided and welcomed Rev. E. Mowbray Boyer, chairman of Bathurst district, and Mrs. Boyer, also all visitors and friends. Rev. Boyer responded and addressed the gathering.
A beautiful two-decker cake, donated by Mrs. Vin. Harris and made by Mrs. P. Taylor, adorned the table with bowls of roses. The candles were lit by Miss Leader, sen. (of Katoomba and late of Mudgee) and were blown out by Mr. Herb. Harris (Dundas), the eldest son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Harris, of Mt. Vincent, one of the founders of the church in 1867, others being the late Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Harris, and Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Leader. This family was represented by Mr. and Mrs. Alf. Leader, sen., and Misses Eva and Alice Leader (Katoomba), daughters of Mr. Robt. Leader, sen. The secretary of the church is Mr. Vincent Harris, son of Mr. Geo. Harris.
In the evening Rev. Hunter entertained the gathering with a very interesting series of lantern pictures of Westminster Abbey (Eng.), one of the oldest churches. Musical Items were rendered by Messrs. Munro and M. Newton, and Mesdames Boyer and Newton (orchestra); vocal duet, "Play to me Gipsy," Misses S. Fletcher and D. Newton; violin solo, Mrs. Boyer; recitation, Miss Betty Munro; song, "The chapel in the moonlight," Miss D. Newton. Rev. Boyer again addressed the gathering, and a pleasant evening was brought to a close with the National Anthem.
SUNDAY. The special service at the church on Sunday afternoon was conducted by Rev. Boyer, who paid a tribute to the past and present workers and gave a most interesting address.
The floral decorations of watsonias, marguerites and roses from the old home of the Harris family, added to the beauty of the church, which has been recently renovated by voluntary help.
Three special anthems were well rendered by the Kandos choir, and a quartette was submitted by Messrs. Hunter, Cox, Robson and Munro - "The little brown church in the valley is the sweetest spot I know." Mrs. Atkins Kandos) presided at the organ.
The church was well filled with old friends and representatives of the founders.
The brothers of Mr. Herb. Harris, William (Baulkham Hills) and Samuel (Orange) and families regretted being unable to attend the celebrations. They were residents of Ilford for many years.
A poem composed by Mrs. Conway, a member of the church, when it was opened is of interest. It Is as follows:-
Opening of the Ilford Methodist Chapel, Nov. 4, 1867.
By Mrs. H. Conway, Ilford).
Within the shadow of the hills A little temple stands, And in its structure can we trace The work of loving hands.
The little feathered songsters, too, Their tuneful tribute pay: And everything looks bright and fair
Upon this festive day.
A large and goodly company
Are gathered from around;
They softly on the threshold tread,
For it is hallowed ground.
And from within its sacred walls,
Sweet songs of praise arise; And fervent, earnest prayer ascends
Like incense to the skies. Within this little temple. Lord,
O may thy presence rest; Then shall the precious fords of life Be eminently blessed.
Thy faithful band of followers here, Guard with peculiar care;
May many souls be born for Christ In this sweet house of prayer.
As thou shalt gather each one home, With true parental love,
O may they quit this earth below To join Thy church above1
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1938
26 January 1938
ILFORD
Visiting in the Rylstone Circuit on New Year's Day, it was a matter of course to journey to Ilford, where for the last forty years the Ilford Methodist Church has held its annual celebration on that day. And a hearty one it is, enlivened with sports of various kinds, including races and gifts of toys and sweets for the children. The ladies see to it that the tables are well-laden with good things, and the soft drinks and ice cream stall is well patronised. The day closes with a concert, and on this occasion the first part of the programme consisted of a lantern entertainment by the minister, in which we wandered from hall to hall in the British Houses of Parliament and from castle to castle in Yorkshire. As recently as last November Ilford Church celebrated its seventieth anniversary, when the chairman of the district, Rev. E. Mowbray Boyer, was present. The celebrations on the Saturday took the form of a banquet and concert in the Ilford Public Hall, while at the anniversary service on Sunday afternoon the church was filled to over-flowing with friends from far and near, Rev. E. M. Boyer being the preacher. The beautiful floral decorations were the work of Mrs. Vin Harris and of Miss Leader, of Katoomba. Many are the ministers who have served the little church over this period of 70 years, 1867-1937, most of whom have responded to the heavenly roll-call, the present minister being the Rev. Henry Hunter, L.Th. It is a beautiful little stone church, with a slender bell turret, standing sturdily among some fine shade trees. Minister and laymen have worked heartily for some weeks repainting its woodwork and revarnishing its pews, while new blue and gold draperies add a pleasing touch.
Ilford was known as Cain's Swamp when its first pioneer Methodist families settled there, those of Mr. Reuben Leader, of Essex, and Mr. Thomas Harris, of Wiltshire. To quote from memoirs before me, these godly pioneers missed the regular Sabbath services, the nearest chapel being at Rylstone (then Dabee), some eighteen miles distant, portion of the Mudgee Circuit. The Mudgee Wesleyan minister came to Cain's Swamp once a quarter, and conducted service at Mr. Leader's home at 'The Retreat.' Mr. and Mrs. William Harris were the first to suggest the erection of a chapel at Cain's Swamp (now called Ilford after the birthplace of the Leader family in Essex). Mr. W. Harris gave the land, and to his wife and her sister, Mrs. Geo. Harris, fell the task of organising ways and means. Determined to build the best, very soon a substantial stone church was seen rising above the timber fronting the main Rylstone road, fully furnished in cedar, and free of debt, a monument to the zeal and love of these grand pioneers. Mr. Geo. Harris was the contractor, and Mr. Rowe, of Sydney, was architect. The whole of the interior fittings are of cedar, some of which were hewn at the Nulla Mountain over seventy years ago. The foundation stone was laid in 1866 by the late Mr. Wm. Blackman, of Mudgee, during the ministry of the Rev. J. E. Turner, a myall mallet being presented to Mr. Blackman on the occasion. November 4th, 1867, was the day of the opening, when the Rev. F. T. Brentnall preached the first sermon in the new church, which represented another milestone in the march of civilisation in this part of the infant Colony. During the next thirty-five years Mr. W. T. Galagher, of Airly, near Capertee, filled the pulpit more times than any other preacher. On the occasion of the Jubilee, 1917, the Rev. B. J. Meek delivered the addresses, and a banquet was given in the church grounds. A most interesting part of the jubilee services was the unveiling of a marble honour roll in recognition of the services rendered their King and Country by some seventeen descendants of the Leader and Harris families. The Rev. G. W. Furner preached on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary, when an honour roll was unveiled in honour of the founders of the fine little church. At the recent anniversary in November last the foundation members were represented by their descendants, Mr. and Mrs. Vin Harris and family, also Miss Jean and Messrs. Fenton and Keith Harris, and Mr. and Mrs. Alf. Leader, senior (Ilford), and the Misses Eva and Alice Leader (Katoomba). To-day Ilford is a beautiful little place with many goodly farms. Since the railway to Mudgee it has lost the distintion it held in the old coaching days, and its two or three public houses and little lock-up are now deserted, but the church still stands as stoutly as ever. May the tale it has to unfold when it reaches its centenary be of ever-increasing success in the service of its Lord and Master. - Edith Wiles2
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2010
23 December 2010
Generous gift returns church to community
Ilford’s Uniting Church will once again be available to the community for special ceremonies, thanks to the generosity of neighbours Denis Allard and Sheila Carroll.
The couple bought the building at auction on December 11 and immediately announced that it would continue to be used as a church.
The announcement prompted other Ilford residents to buy items such as the pews and donate them back to the church building.
The large crowd on hand for the auction broke into applause at the result.
“There was a huge turnout for the auction,” Mr Allard said.
“There was no parking from the highway down to the hall. I’d say that there were about 500 people there,” he said.
“When it was knocked down to us, Sheila’s son Matthew announced it would still be available to the community as a church.”
“That was enthusiastically welcomed by the local community.
“The church donated the baptismal font and the bell once they found out it would still be operating as a church.
“We would like to thank the generous locals who donated the pews for the church and all the well wishers who lent their support.”
Denis Allard and Sheila Carroll live next door to the church and Mr Allard said this was a big factor in their decision to buy the property.
“The reason was that it’s built on the same land as our house. It’s essentially in our front yard,” he said.
“We became accustomed to it being next door and we’ve been here for 40 years.
“The thing we love about Ilford is the lack of progress. It’s a good thing. There are three churches here that are all on land that would have otherwise been developed.”
The church was built in 1867 from bricks quarried from the hills east of Ilford and using cedar from Nullo Mountain.
The architect was Thomas Rowe, whose other works include the Great Synagogue in Elizabeth Street, Sydney, Sydney Hospital in Macquarie Street, Sydney and the Presbyterian Church, in Bathurst.
It was a Methodist Church until the amalgamation that formed the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977.
Mid-Western Regional Councillor and Ilford resident Esme Martens said the Ilford residents showed great determination to preserve a part of the village’s history.
“It was really wonderful and it shows that the spirit of Ilford is still alive. When push comes to shove we can group together and do things like this,” she said.
“It was a wonderful outcome and I thank everyone who played a part in achieving this.”
“I was worried that we could lose all three local churches and that would have been a shame because they’re all part of our history and date back a long time.”
Uniting Church Resource minister Graeme Gardiner said it was a great outcome for the Ilford community and for the new owners.
“We’re certainly delighted that it was bought and will be maintained and put back into use again,” he said.
“It was hoped for. We knew the desire of the Carrolls and we can’t play favourites with who gets what property but we’re glad they got it.
“What happens now is in the hands of the owners. The church is more than happy to help them with ceremonies when requested.”
Mr Allard and his family are still putting together their plans for the church, but he said it will be community focused.
“Future plans might include expanding the church yard into the paddock behind that we own, open it up to the sculpture of the land,” he said.
“Its use might spread out into celebrations of life, death and art.”
“It will still be available to the community to use, regardless of race or religion3 .”