| Immediately after World War II Beaumaris, on
the shores of Port Phillip Bay and only 21 km from Melbourne GPO, was mainly
tea tree scrub
with unmade sandy tracks joining a few scattered houses. Then the baby-boomers
arrived, accompanied by their parents, and, as the suburb was opened up,
development of Beaumaris proceeded rapidly. Ecclesiastically, Beaumaris
was in the parish of Cheltenham.
There are various reports of spasmodic church activity in the Beaumaris area from as early as 1918, but a continuous history starts in 1947. In that year a Sunday School began in Talbot House, Cromer Road (home of Mr Martin). One of the original teachers was Mr Robert Butterss, later to become an assistant bishop in Melbourne. In 1951 regular services began in Clive and Linda Gleadell's garage in Rennison Street and the Sunday School transferred there. The growing population during the 1950s meant that the garage was inadequate and larger premises were needed. |
The church owned land in Dalgetty Road between
Bodley Street and Martin Street. This had been bought by the Diocese
of Melbourne in 1914. In the centre of this site a church building,
designed by the noted church architect Louis Williams, was built in 1952.
But this too was soon outgrown and extensions were added in 1957.
Consolidation during this period enabled the formation of the parish of Beaumaris in 1960 and plans were made for the building of a parish church. The firm of Mockridge, Stahle and Mitchell was engaged as architects for the new church of St Michael and All Angels. The completed building was dedicated by Dr Frank Woods, Archbishop of Melbourne, on July 2, 1966. The 25th anniversary of this dedication was celebrated with a dedication festival having the theme: "Look Back with Thanks. Go Forward in Faith". On June 30 former clergy and parishioners returned to "Look Back with Thanks". Bishop Robert Dann was the preacher at the festival eucharist. He had been vicar of |
Cheltenham when services began in the garage and, as Archbishop of Melbourne, consecrated the building on March 19, 1978. A special feature of the service was the procession with banners representing the various organisations and activities of the parish. They helped to give a sense of festivity and celebration to the occasion. Eleven banners in all, most of which had been made for the occasion, demonstrated much skill and artistry among the parishioners. Other features and events of the festival included an historical display, |
sale of souvenir mugs
and glasses youth service, dinner, concert and sundry opportunities for
refreshments and fellowship.
Having looked back with thanks, the parish set itself to "Go Forward in Faith". This was the theme of the festival eucharist in July when the president and preacher was Archbishop Keith Rayner. As this was his first visit to the parish, he was greeted at the door with a liturgical welcome and trumpet fanfare before being led into the church in procession (which included the banners). Writing in a special, commemorative issue of the parish magazine "Good
News" the vicar, the Revd Ray Hartley, commented: "If we needed an excuse
to celebrate the past, it is provided by Professor Harvey Cox, who has
written, 'If we were always busy making history but never celebrated it,
we would be trapped in an unremittling treadmill from which all detachment,
joy and freedom were gone'." Fr Hartley then went on to note that the anniversary
fell at the beginring of the decade of evangelism. "Then the task to which
God calls us as we go forward in faith", he wrote, "is to be evangelists,
to tell the good news of the church, throughout the world, but most especially
we are to do it here in Beaumaris. We will do it, in God's power, by our
commitment, the worship and fellowship of our parish, and the way we live
our lives".
Report from the PARISH
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