St Thomas' Anglican Church in Port Macquarie was the centre of attention for Heritage Day as people came to find out more about its rich history.
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Heritage Day on Saturday May 11 was a family event with an opportunity to connect with the 195-year history of the church built by convicts. There was great food and live entertainment, tours and stalls, and guided tours of the church, Colonial Chapel and surgeon's cellar.
The earliest European settlers in Port Macquarie had a decision to make: Do you first build a jail or a church when establishing a penal colony?
"Governor Macquarie opted to build a 'church on the hill' in Port Macquarie rather than build a jail because he believed there was more chance of saving souls through a church," said archivist Lorryl Rumble-Fuller.
This year Heritage Month in the Hastings is about connecting people, places and the past, Ms Rumble-Fuller said.
"Along with fellow archivist Carol Chandler, we are talking about the first few ministers between the 1820s and the 1870s. This includes their role in providing spiritual guidance and ministration to this very isolated penal colony.
"The Reverend Thomas Hassall, the first appointee in 1824 followed by the Reverend John Cross (Parson Cross) 1828, provided spiritual guidance to male and female convicts, to the military, to those in the asylum, families of convicts and military staff and eventually free settlers."
Carol Chandler is passionate about the building, which is still used as a church and is the fifth oldest in Australia.
"St Thomas' Church means home and faith to me, and a family atmosphere," she said.
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