\u201c… proceed 10 miles from York where, at Fleay\u2019s farmhouse were assembled 20 persons, decent, attentive, orderly people for evening service and sermon. They contemplate the erection of a small church among themselves, for which I gave them all encouragement, but could hold out no hope of pecuniary assistance.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A dream became a reality and the building of St Peter’s Anglican Church, Gilgering was completed in 1858 to serve the farming community as a social and religious centre.<\/p>\n
Today, St Peter’s Church and Cemetery with adjoining grounds, is important as a sense of place and belonging for the general community.<\/p>\n Excerpt from The Enquirer, December 23rd, 1858:<\/p>\n \u201cThe Gilgering Church, distant about 10 miles from York, stands on the sloping banks of the Avon River, emblossomed in jam trees. Beautiful as the site is, the convenience of the settlers has not been sacrificed in its choice. The church is a neat brick building on a stone\u00a0foundation, it is weather boarded and shingled, with deeply projecting eaves. The ventilation is extremely good. The hangings and cushions etc were made by Mrs C. Wittenoom.<\/p>\n The cost of the building of the church had been a little over 100 pounds of which 25 pounds was readily granted by the Colonial Treasury. The collection at the first service (9 pounds,7 shillings), liquidated the last portion of the debt on the building and left a balance in aid of the Parsonage, which was soon to be built.<\/p>\n Mr George Fletcher Moore has given the site for the Church and the adjoining land.\u00a0 Twenty acres has been kindly presented by Mr Hamersley, on which the parsonage will be built. The settlers have taken a warm interest in the erection of this church; they have begged little and done much\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Matthew Blagden Hale journeyed from the Swan River Colony to England in 1857, to attend the service for his consecration as the first Bishop of Perth. Whilst there, he met and corresponded with the Reverend Fredrick Lynch, BA, of Trinity College, Dublin. Reverend F. Lynch had been ordained in 1852 and served for five years as a curate in the Parish of Dymock in Gloucestershire, England. Bishop Hale encouraged the Reverend F. Lynch to migrate but advised that the fledgling\u00a0Anglican Church of the Swan River Colony was unable to pay for his journey from England.<\/p>\n In exchange for pastoral and education services for all passengers, the Reverend Frederick Lynch secured free passage on the convict ship Lord Raglan for himself, his wife Margaret and two young sons, Frederick and George, arriving in Gage Roads, Fremantle on the 1st June, 1858. His daughter, Mary Elizabeth Anne (Annie) was born the following day. Reverend F. Lynch kept records during the voyage, naming all the convicts on board with written comments, including whether they could read or write. A copy of these records are available at the J.S. Battye Library of Western Australia.<\/p>\n During his first six months in Western Australia, he was appointed headmaster and assisted Bishop Hale with the establishment of the first boys college in the state; later to be known as Hale School. A copy of a list, written by the Reverend Frederick Lynch, with names of the pupils who attended Bishop Hale’s School on the opening day, 24th<\/sup> June, 1858 is available at the J.S. Battye Library, Perth, Western Australia (found following the records which\u00a0 include the\u00a0 names of\u00a0 convicts who arrived at Fremantle on the Lord Raglan – mentioned in the previous paragraph).<\/p>\n He arrived at Gilgering with his family in early December, to become the inaugural rector of St Peter’s Church, Beverley (named Gilgering when the new St Mary’s Church, Beverley was established in 1892).\u00a0 The first divine service was celebrated in the church on the 19th December 1858.<\/p>\n Reverend F. Lynch was the only rector to reside at St Peter\u2019s rectory, Gilgering.\u00a0 During this time he took a great interest in the education of the children and was chairman and secretary of the District Board until his retirement in 1888.<\/p>\n Reverend Frederick Lynch served the local community for 31 years until his death on 27th March 1889, aged 73.\u00a0 He is buried beside his wife, Margaret, in the Gilgering cemetery.<\/p>\n Bibliography:<\/p>\n In 1861, a brick building was built adjacent to St Peter’s Church, Gilgering; initially used as a hall but later from that first year was utilised as a school room.\u00a0 The Gilgering School was originally called the North Beverley School when Gilgering was located in the Beverley District.<\/p>\n The building consisted of one main room plus a smaller room at the rear, with a front and side verandah. The roofing was of sheoak shingle, similar to the roof of St Peter’s Church. Clay was extracted from a large hole on the Avon River bank whereby bricks were made, initially for the nearby church and then for the school building. The school continued until 1891 when it was closed, as the number of pupils had fallen below ten.<\/p>\n The school re-opened in 1905 and then was known as Gilgering School under the auspices of the York School Board. The school was held in the same building (new iron roof) and leased from the Anglican Church for 10 pound per year.<\/p>\n![\"Black](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stpetersgilgering.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/st-peters-church-sketch-resized-master.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>1858: First Rector \u2013 Reverend Frederick Lynch<\/h2>\n
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Gilgering School<\/h2>\n