By NICOLE VALICEK
CELEBRATIONS on the victory by parishioners to save St Stephen’s Church at Williamstown North were short-lived with the group preparing for another battle.
The Uniting Church Synod reversed its decision to sell the church, adjacent hall and two tennis courts at 179 Melbourne Rd two weeks ago.
The decision came following a public meeting held by the Williamstown North parish on 11 November in which a resolution to “wholeheartedly support” Supreme Court action against 20 members of the synod, who were trying to sell the church and adjacent hall.
The church was to be sold to help repay a $56 million debt incurred by last year’s collapse of Acacia College at Mernda North.
The congregation and community fought back and won but are now reading themselves to prevent the sale of the historic manse, located at 177 Melbourne Rd. The manse was not exempt from sale.
St Stephen’s Manse was designed by John M Anderson and constructed in 1890. The Gothic Revival villa was noted in the Hobsons Bay Heritage Study 2006.
Save St Stephen’s convenor and elder Iris Whitehurst said the local congregation faced an uphill battle to stop the sale following a recent conversation with the UCA General Secretary, but would not stop fighting.
“I’m not really confident that the property won’t go for sale, that is still a possibility but we’re still going to try every avenue which were doing to stop the sale,” she said.
The manse has already been listed by agents for sale by auction on Tuesday 10 December at 6pm.
Mrs Whitehurst said local parishioners were disappointed that the Synod did not contact them about the sale in writing, instead they found out about it through the tenant.
She said the manse was redeveloped in 1995 to the Synod specifications for the purpose of housing a minister.
“For 130 years it has been the church house for a minister that’s why the house is there,” she said.
She said there was no minister living there at present but land at the back of the house is used for recreational use and is currently being let, with the income used to maintain the property and hall.
“It subsidises the people and community groups who get the hall for free,” Mrs Whitehurst said.
“It would be hard for us to maintain the hall and the church as well as we are doing now (without the manse).”
A spokesperson from the Uniting Church said the Synod resolved that the St Stephen;s manse remained suitable for divestment but that the church, hall, storage shed and tennis courts were not.
The spokesperson said the divestment property choices have been made and the Synod would not change its position.
