1 CONTENTS Preface The Land Story Reference and Background Material The People Story Sydenham Methodist Church and Its Predecessors Lower High Street Bible Christian Church Beckenham Methodist Church Bibliography

2 PREFACE The Methodist Church of New Zealand has asked each Parish to examine its Land Story. We were to trace the history of the properties we have and the way the land was acquired. The Parish was grateful that Pat Greening was prepared to undertake this task. This work has been done in considerable detail reflecting diligence and sensitivity. We realised this was only Part I of ‘Our Story’ and that we also needed to record something of our past in terms of people and places. In a work of this nature it is always a problem deciding how much to include and how much to leave out. Inevitably some will say, ‘They haven’t mentioned such-and-such or so-and-so.’ For this reason it was decided to use names very sparingly, mentioning only key figures who could scarcely be omitted. Our aim was to tell a story rather than produce an archival document or definitive history which could have become cluttered up with long lists of nams of office-bearers or others who featured to a greater or less degree in the life of the Church. This story is simply intended to record landmarks in the church’s history and to recall something of the corporate life and activities of the various centres of worship available to the early residents of Beckenham - centres which contributed to the amalgam which has finally come together on the land which Pat Greening wrote about. We hope the story will bring a nostalgic smile to the faces of many of our older members. Those of us who have come to the district more recently will perhaps delight in being reminded of identical experiences which we enjoyed in our younger days in churches many miles from Beckenham. For our young people we hope this will give them an understanding of what it was like in those pre-TV days when most of our religious, social, cultural and recreational activity was centred on our local church. As we drew together the strands of our story we obtained information from the works listed in the Bibliography but we have relied mainly on the personal recollections of Isabel Butler (Sydenham), Joan Beaumont (Lower High Street), and Eric Young (Beckenham), and the earlier history which Shirley Purves recorded for our Jubilee in 1978. If we have succeeded in adding some interesting flesh to the bare bones of history, it is largely thanks to their valuable contributions. I am particularly grateful to Fred Brooker who has so ably woven together the strands of the People Story, collated the material and the photographs, and brought the project to a very satisfactory conclusion. My thanks also to Graham McHarg who took over of the binding of the booklet at no cost. Maxwell A. Hornblow November 1993 Minister

3 THE LAND STORY About a thousand years ago the Maori first came to live in New Zealand. They found it a bounteous and hospitable land, and empty of any human settlement.

The Maori very quickly adapted to life in their new surroundings. There was an abundance of food to eat and trees and flax for shelter and clothing.

They were a fearless and warlike race who lived in fortified villages usually on high ground.

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Because of its colder climate, the South Island was less favoured by the Maori, and attracted fewer settlements than in the North Island.

However there were large pas at Kaikoura, Kaiapohia, Koukourarata, (Port Levy), and Taumutu, and small pas in many of the bays round the peninsula.

5 In December 1642, Abel Tasman sighted the New Zealand coast near Hokitika, turned and sailed northwards, searching for a suitable anchorage. His stay in Golden Bay ended abruptly when three of his men were murdered by a canoe of Maori. For several days they encountered bad weather and later were unable to land because of the rocky shores and the sight of more natives.

Less than a month after sighting New Zealand, Abel Tasman sailed away, disappointed by the apparently hostile attitude of the weather and natives.

And no European eye had yet seen the future Province of Canterbury. 6 One hundred and twenty seven years later in 1769, Captain James Cook rediscovered our islands. His orders were to observe the transit of Venus from the Island of Tahiti. He was given further secret orders to sail south from Tahiti and investigate the jagged bit of coastline that Abel Tasman named New Zealand. The ‘Endeavour’ left England on 26th August 1768, Tahiti on 13th July 1769 and New Zealand was sighted on 7th October, nearly three months later. Captain Cook spent nearly six months exploring arid circumnavigating the islands. He named geographical features after his friends and the crew and sometimes after interesting events on the journey.

Cook’s journey along the Canterbury coast was made well to the east and he didn’t see any of the Maori settlements or their inhabitants.

7 Cook also had problems with bad weather, taking a full three weeks to cover the last thirty miles of eastern Northland and double Cape Maria van Dieman. Twice he was able to careen the ship and scrape her sides. On 26th March 1770, the ‘Endeavour’ left Ship’s Cove and sailed away to the nor’west. Twenty three years after Cook’s discovery of New Zealand, the first sealing ship came to our waters. Soon numerous sealers were operating and so great was the slaughter that within thirty years the seal skin trade had collapsed.

Before 1800 it was discovered that thousands of whales lived in the waters around New Zealand. Whaling ships soon abounded in the southern oceans, and the Bay of Islands became their main New Zealand base. The whaling trade petered out when the depleted pods migrated to the Indian Ocean.

8 From the time of Cook it was known that New Zealand had an abundance of timber and flax. In 1794 the first trading ship came to this country specifically for such a cargo. In course of time a lucrative trade developed with Sydney merchants.

It is unfortunate that the visits of the whalers and traders, usually did more harm than good to the Maori. A highly intelligent race, they quickly learned, and suffered by, some of the white man’s ways.

The Rev’d Samuel Marsden was appointed chaplain to the Port Jackson penal colony in 1794. During the following years, he became interested in and befriended the fine looking, tattooed New Zealanders who were often seen in Sydney.

9 He was also much disquieted by the stories of exploitation of Maori sailors by unscrupulous sea captains, and of the unsavoury influence by ships’ crews on the Maori population in general. He finally managed to obtain official permission to visit New Zealand and on Christmas Day 1814 he conducted the first service of Christian worship in this country, at Ohai in the Bay of Islands. With the encouragement of Samuel Marsden, the Rev’d Samuel Leigh came to New Zealand in 1822 and began the first Weslyañ Mission in Northland. Although he spent less than two years in New Zealand, Samuel Leigh laid solid foundations on which the later missionaries built a lively and successful Church.

During the following years, many undesirable white men came to New Zealand, along with the missionaries and honest traders. Escaped convicts from New South Wales and deserters from whaling ships brought nothing but harm to the Maori. In 1833 James Busby was sent from Sydney as British Resident, to maintain law and order amongst the white men and to protect the Maori from unscrupulous adventurers. Without police or militia to enforce his authority, he had an impossible task and the Governor of New South Wales consistently ignored his repeated requests for help.

10 Meanwhile, other countries were looking enviously at New Zealand. In 1837, Charles de Thierry landed at Hokianga with the intention of making himself sovereign chief of New Zealand. Busby’s report on the situation finally roused Britain to set about making New Zealand a Crown Colony. At the end of January 1840 Lieut-Governor William Hobson arrived at the Bay of Islands. He had been sent by the British Government as consul, with power to negotiate with the native chiefs for a cession of sovereignty over part or all of their territory. During the following week, Busby helped Hobson prepare the treaty. On 5 February a large crowd of Maori and Pakeha assembled to hear and discuss the contents of the treaty. The next day the first of the Maori chiefs signed the “Magna Carta of New Zealand” and Britain officially took responsibility for the new colony. The Treaty of Waitangi has been called the Magna Carta of the Maori people. In New Zealand strong tribes had conquered weaker ones; throughout the world strong nati.ons often won and held new lands by conquest; yet here was Britain promising a small, brave, but mostly unarmed people that they could remain in peaceful possession of their lands.

11 In 1837, the New Zealand Company was incorporated in London for the purpose of the orderly settlement of the country with approved immigrants from a cross—section of English society During the next ten years, the Company transported many ship— loads of settlers to the planned settlements of Wellington (1840), New Plymouth (1841) and Nelson (1842) Because Otago and Canterbury were both church— sponsored ventures, the Company could claim only indirect involvement in these two schemes. In 1841, the Port Cooper Plain was recommended as the site for the City of Nelson, but Governor Hobson vetoed this idea and insisted that Nelson be built at Blind Bay. The plain was again investigated in 1847 for the Presbyterian Church Settlement but was rejected in favour of Dunedin because of the lack of wood on the plain and the shallow western end of the harbour. When the Church of England began planning its new settlement, the Ruamahunga Plain in the Wairarapa was chosen as the first location. However, Captain Joseph Thomas pointed out that on the Port Cooper Plains there were: no natives to disturb their occupation; a splendid deep-water port; an immense tract of well grassed and watered level country; good quality soil, free from inundation and ready for the plough; an insufficiency of timber but no struggle to conquer the dense forest; and a letter from the Deans brothers of Riccarton on the suitability of the district for settlement, strengthened his arguments. Captain Thomas’s views prevailed and the Port Cooper site was chosen. Planning in England and New Zealand began immediately. The first essential was to extinguish the Maori title to the land.

12 To this end, Henry Tacy Kemp, assistant Protector of Aborigines, was sent to negotiate the purchase of the Port Cooper Plains, and on 12 June 1848 the ‘Kemp Deed’ was signed by 40 leading Maori of NgaiTahu. However, Kemp’s negotiations were incomplete; in particular, no extent of position of native reserves were defined nor were Maori from all settlements represented among the signatories. The seeds of trouble were sown which took 100 years to eradicate. To remedy Kemp’s omissions, Walter Mantell was sent in August, with Alfred Wills as surveyor, to define the reserves on the ‘plains. This involved much tactful negotiation, but eventually the reserves were agreed on and surveyed. Then he turned his attention to the problem of the extent of the French purchase on Bank’s Peninsula. It was not until August 1849 that the protracted negotiations over the French company’s land were settled and the port’s site at Lyttelton was assured. About this time, Captain Thomas returned to Canterbury to take charge of preparations for the new settlement with an: advance credit of £20;000, By May of the next year, the trigonometrical survey of 700,000 acres and topographical survey of 300,000 acres was completed; a portion of the road to Sumner was formed and a store built there; and in Lyttelton, a jetty, emigration barracks, boathouse, boatshed, agent’s house and Association’s offices had been built. In order to achieve this state of readiness, Thomas had had to hire carpenters from Tasmania and Maori labourers from the North Island. In England, matters were not going well. When tenders for the land were opened in July, only 8650 acres of the 1,000,000 available had been applied for. It was only the personal guarantee of Lord Lyttelton and others that enabled the Association to persevere with their preparations. Applications for another 4500 acres were received by the end of August so on the 7th of September 1850 ‘Randolph’, ‘Charlotte Jane’ and ‘Cressy’ sailed from Gravesend and ‘Sir George Seymour’ the following day. Before the First Four Ships had cleared the English coast it was discovered that there were Wesleyans aboard. Although all emigrants for the Canterbury Settlement had to present a certificate from the local parish, some of the clerics were so anxious to be rid of the dissenters that they happily gave certificates to the Wesleyans.

13 The allotment of land to the settlers, took place on Monday and Tuesday, 17th and 18th of February 1851, in the partially completed Land Office. There were 106 land orders dealt with in order of priority as previously determined by ballot. The buyer of each rural section was also entitled to a town section in the same order of priority.

Rural section 49 was bought by brothers Stephen Fisher and James Temple Fisher, who had arrived on the ‘Charlotte Jane’ with James’ wife Harriet. Rural section 21 was bought by John Sackett Hooper, father of Mrs James Temple Fisher. In the early days of Christchurch the area around the present Beckenham Loop was known as Middle Heathcote. James and Stephen settled down to a life of farming on their own and John Hooper’s rural sections. James and Harriet’s one daughter and eight sons (one son died at age 9 months) were all born at Middle Heathcote and at their baptisms, James is described as a farmer. In later life James became involved in local and national politics. Stephen’s farming life was interrupted in 1854 by the outbreak of the Russian War. He was recalled to England to resume his former duties as a paymaster in the Royal Navy. During his absence, James exercised power of attorney on Stephen’s behalf until his return to New Zealand in 1871. John Sackett Hooper, of Canterbury Gate, Sandwich, in the county of Kent, died on 8 Feb 1868. In his will he left his property in New Zealand in trust for his daughter

14 Harriet and her husband, eventually descending to their children in absolute equal shares. Both rural sections at different times were mortgaged, sometimes for quite large amounts, and by the end of the century they were ripe for subdivision, Stephen and Frances Fisher had both died, and John and Harriet were in their seventies. (I can trace only three of John’s seven sons as being interested in farming.) Also pressure for more residential land grew as the city expanded. The first subdivision of RS49 was approved in 1898 and of RS21 in 1906. Preparations for the break-up of the land had obviously begun some years before. In 1907 a deed was signed between Walter Septimus Fisher of Christchurch and Percy Fisher of Oxford trustees of the property subject to the will of John Sackett Hooper, vendors of the first part; Ronald Ogilvy Duncan accountant and William John Moreton Hopkins estate agent, vendors of the second part; and the Fisherton Land Company Limited, vendors of the third part; in regard to a sale agreement of the previous year. The same day Ronald Ogilvy Duncan accountant, John Mullin accountant, William Henry Bowen builder, John Moreton Hopkins estate agent, Percy Herman auctioneer and the Fisherton land Company negotiated a mortgage with John Owen Sanderson gentleman formerly of Christchurch but now on a visit to England and Anna Georgina Sanderson spinster. In 1907 the suburbs of Beckenham and Fisherton were incorporated into the City of Christchurch. DP2315 part of RS21 shows the area surveyed into four long blocks running east-west, by George Slater for the Fisherton Land Company Limited and was approved by the Chief Surveyor on the 12th December 1906. The blocks were further subdivided into 67(1) 68(2) 68(3) and 33(4) neat rectangular sections.

15 Section 34 of C Block 2 was purchased in 1927 from Frederick Reuben Withell for £200 and in March 1929 a Sunday School hall was opened. There was now a visible Methodist presence in the Beckenham district. Section 68 of Block 2 was built on early in its life and after five changes of ownership, it was bought by the I3eckenham Methodist Church Trustees in 1955. They rented out the house until 1966 when it; was removed so that construction of the new church could begin. 1977 saw further expansion with the buying of Section 33 of Block 2 for use as a carpark, but; the shops being retained for letting. In 1978 the trustees acquired the rear of Section 31 to use as a courtyard for the extensions which joined the church and Sunday School hall.

BECKENHAM METHODIST CHURCH Postal address 83 Malcolm Avenue Beckenham Christchurch 8002 Legal description Section 34 Block 2 DP 2315 CT 275/157 Section 68 Block 2 DP 2315 CT 248/76 Section 33 Block 2 DP 2315 CT 256/130 pt Section 31 Block 2 DP 2315 CT 298/116 In 1981 the above CTs were cancelled and reissued as 22F/1420. 16 REFERENCE AND BACKGROUND MATERIAL

17 Press 16 Sep 1896 FISHER — On 15 September at Beckenham after a long and, painful illness at the age of 59, Frances Ann, wife of Stephen Fisher, a retired Paymaster-in-Chief RN Canterbury Times 24 Sep 1896 Obituary Mrs Stephen Fisher Another well known old Canterbury resident, Mrs Stephen Fisher, has passed away. The deceased lady’s general kindliness of character will cause her loss to be felt by many. For some years Mrs Fisher owned and personally superintended what was perhaps the largest dairy business in Canterbury belonging to one individual. In the conduct of this business, Mrs Fisher proved herself to possess no small ability. Regret for her death will not be confined to her own family and relations. Press 1 Jul 1897 FISHER— On 30 June at his residence ‘Beckenham’ Colombo road South, Stephen Fisher, retired Paymaster-in-Chief R.N. in his 80th year. Press Fri 2 Jul 1897 Obituary Mr Stephen Fisher The now small contingent of Canterbury Pilgrims has still further diminished by the decease of Mr Stephen Fisher. Mr Fisher came to New Zealand in HMS Childers and afterwards on his reaching home, came out in the Charlotte Jane in 1850. In 1854 he was recalled to England and served during the Russian War. In 1871 he came back to New Zealand and took up a sheep station. He afterwards sold the station and retired, living on his original purchase in Colombo street South until his death. Cyclopedia of New Zealand – Canterbury p97 JOHN TEMPLE FISHER who represented Heathcote in the House of Representatives from 1876 to 1881 is a colonist of old standing, having arrived in Lyttelton in 1850 by one of the first four ships. Mr Fisher was born in Kent, England in 1828 and after receiving his education in a private school in that country he entered the Royal Navy which he left three years later to come to New Zealand. Shortly after reaching Christchurch he took up a considerable area of fertile land in the district now known as Heathcote and commenced farming which he followed with success, and still (1902) retains part of his original estate, during his long career in this colony. Mr Fisher has taken a great interest in public affairs and besides having been a representative in parliament for some years, he was a member of the Canterbury Provincial Council and of several local bodies. He was Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs in Sir George Grey’s ministry from October 1877 to October 1879

18 Press 5 Jan 1905 FISHER — On January 1905 at his late residence Colombo street south, James Temple Fisher age 76. Press 7 Jan 1905 Obituary Mr J T Fisher One of the earliest settlers in this city, Mr James Temple Fisher, died at his residence, Heathcote, on Tuesday, at the age of seventy-six. Mr Fisher came to Lyttelton in one of the first four ships, the Charlotte Jane in 1850, and shortly after his arrival took up a considerable area of fertile land at Heathcote, which he farmed. A native of Sandwich, Kent, he was educated at a private school, and entered the Royal Navy, in which he served three years prior to leaving for New Zealand. Mr Fisher was a member of the Canterbury provincial Council, for many years a member of the Heathcote Road Board, and from 1876 to 1881 he represented the electorate of Heathcote in the House of Representatives. During the Grey Administration Mr Fisher was Postmaster General from October 1877 to October 1879. Fourteen months ago Mr Fisher suffered a stroke of paralysis following on an attack of diabetes. He leaves a family of seven sons and one daughter who are all married. One of his sons, Mr W S Fisher, is second clerk at the Christchurch Magistrates Court. Press 1 Mar 1910 FISHER — On February 28 at Fisherton Colombo road South, Harriet, relict of the late James Temple Fisher, in her 80th year. Suddenly. Press 1 Mar 1910 Obituary — The death of the widow of the late Hon J F T Fisher, who held at one time the post of Postmaster General is announced. Press 19 May 1942 FISHER — On May 18 at Christchurch, George, dearly loved husband of Alice Emma Fisher, ‘Airly’, 42 Aikman’s road Merivale, in his 82nd year. Press 19 May 1942 Obituary Mr George Fisher The death occurred yesterday morning of Mr George Fisher, well known throughout Canterbury for his contact with the farming community as grain buyer for Matson and Company. He was 82 years of age. Mr Fisher was the fourth son of the late Hon J T Fisher of Fisherton, Beckenham. He was born in Christchurch and was with the firm of Matson and Company for the greater part of his business career, until 1908 when he started on his own account as an agent in Christchurch. He was well known as a tennis player and gained distinction by continuing to play until he was 76 years of age. He was associated with the St Albans Club, Mr Fisher is survived by his wife, formerly Miss Alice Matson, a daughter of the late Mr J T Matson, two sons Mr J P M Fisher of Christchurch and Mr G T Fisher of Greenpark and one daughter Mrs J R Stackwood of Tai Tapu.

19 Press Tues 19 Jul 1960 FISHER – Alice Emma (of 42 Aikman’s road, Papanui.) On 19 July 1960, loved wife of the late George Fisher and mother of John (of Springston), Noel (Mrs M N Stackwood) and Trácey (of Greenpark) in her 90th year. Messages to 58 Murray Place, Papanui.

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THE PEOPLE STORY

31 SYDENHAM METHODIST CHURCH AND ITS PREDECESSORS The Sydenham Methodist Church was one of the early centres of worship for Wesleyan residents of Beckenham. It was, however, the linear descendant of two even earlier churches - the chapel in Waltham Road and St. James’s Wesleyan Church in what is now Orbell Street. On 7 January 1869 a meeting was called to consider ways and means of erecting a Wesleyan Chapel in Waltham. A committee was appointed and on 1 March it reported that a site of nearly half an acre had been bought for £20. Plans and specifications for a church were prepared and a contract let for its erection at a cost of £135-8-0. The church was opened for worship on 24 May. The congregation soon outgrew the capacity of the chapel to accommodate it and early in 1872 a transept was added at a cost of £270. The building was immediately used during the week as a day school. According to ‘The History of Methodism in New Zealand’, the church ‘was wonderfully successful, and the congregation was remarkable for, its spiritual power and rousing class meetings. It was equally notable for the number of baptisms. Where all the children came from was a standing wonder to the ministers, but month by month they were presented by three, four, or half-a-dozen in a day. There Mrs. Scott, since so widely known throughout the Connexion as an Evangelist, was a class and prayer leader. She had a long roll of members, and in visiting the sick, the needy, and the spiritually distressed, was indefatigable and most useful. The population around was dense, the worship hearty to a degree and preachers eagerly desired appointments there.’ The first marriage to be solemnised was that of Frederick Robert Billens and Emma Daltry, uniting two families whose names were to appear for generations to come in the life of Sydenham Methodism. Mr. Billens became the first Superintendent of the Sunday School when the Sydenham Church was established in Colombo Street. Mr George Daltry, who began his musical leadership in these early days, was to be choirmaster at Sydenham for fifty years. The opening of the new church in Colombo Street drew a large number of worshippers away from the Waltham Road Chapel. In 1887 a special effort was made by Durham Street local preachers to reopen it as a mission, but this failed. In 1896 the property was sold, the proceeds being devoted to the reduction of debt on the Sydenham property. At about the same time as the establishment of the Waltham Road Chapel a church which had been built in Montreal Street was offered for sale. Some Methodist laymen raised money to purchase it and, as St. James’s Wesleyan Church, it was opened for services in connection with the Durham Street Circuit on 17 July 1870. The church soon became full to overflowing, but as the Sydenham Borough was growing rapidly, it soon became evident that the church was located too close to Durham Street. A site

32 was purchased in what was then Harper Street and the church building was shifted there in 1876. The church had an auspicious beginning on its new site. The Sunday School opened with a roll of seventy- five pupils and ten teachers. In the first year the number of pupils was doubled. But the church enjoyed only a brief existence and, although the Sunday School continued until 1879, it was then transferred to the new church in Colombo Street. Shortly after this the property was sold to a Masonic Lodge. The family names of Sheirlaw, Cumberworth and Minifie figure prominently in all the early records.

Sydenham was a rapidly growing suburb and was becoming centralised along Colombo Street. It was decided to build a modern church and Sunday School at the heart of the borough. Accordingly, the present buildings were erected in Colombo Street at a cost of £2650. The foundation stone was laid on 4 July 1877 and the church officially opened on 3 February, 1878. On that day three services were held and at a special floral service in the afternoon two hundred and eleven Sunday School pupils played a major part. Under the leadership of Rev. J. S. Smalley the congregation increased rapidly and within a year a gallery was added. The Sunday School was built in 1886 and the gymnasium (later converted into the parlour) was added in 1889. An item of historic interest was the figure recorded each week for ‘pew rents’. Ordinary collections rarely provided more than half the revenue required and were supplemented by families paying for what was in effect a reserved seat. This custom 33 was abolished early this century. The present envelope system provides a similar ‘guaranteed’ source of income without the rather invidious ‘reserved seat’ provision. For information about the church’s early years we are indebted to the ‘Jubilee Record’ published at the time of the 75th anniversary in 1953. It claims that the church was consistently liberal in outlook and was at the forefront of the social emphasis that was a distinctive feature of Methodism. Some of its leaders were prominent in early anti- liquor crusades launched from Sydenham and under the ministry of Rev. L. M. Isitt, a great orator, the church was crowded on all occasions and felt itself to be ‘the centre of a grand social-righteousness crusade’.

The Pulpit, Sydenham Church A Brotherhood was commenced in 1911 with the objects of ‘helping each other in time of need’, ‘obtaining employment for those who require it’, and the general objective added later of ‘assisting one another’. One hundred men met every fortnight for mutual help, fellowship and instruction. Leading politicians and civic leaders were asked to speak on subjects which were usually well to the Left and usually reported in the Press. The Brotherhood was the spearhead of constructive community action for many years. ‘The economic depression of 1912-13 found Sydenham Methodist Church alive to the needs of the community. The same was true of the more devastating visitation around 1930. In this the Rev. Basil Metson and his wife by their untiring labours and unselfish leadership brought help to countless sufferers and honour to the Church.’ Along with its social emphasis the early history of Sydenham Methodist featured the prominence given to work among the young people. The Sunday School roll grew to 34 nearly three hundred and although attendances were frequently below two hundred, the Sunday School was clearly a vital influence on the lives of a large number of children. The Sunday School Anniversary was the big event of the year and eight weeks were spent in practicing the special hymns for the great occasion. In addition to the 3ibe Casses many varied organisations were formed over the years to rieet the needs of the young people. These included Boys’ az Girls’ Own, Girls Onward, Knights and Ladies, Band of Hope, Christian Endeavour, Girls’ and Boys’ Life Brigades, and the eague of Young Methodists. A large and well equipped gymnasium was available for physical recreation.

The Roll of Honour, Sydenham Church From the year 1920 Isabel Butler was associated with Sydenham Methodist for more than fifty years and for the rest of this section we are indebted to her impressions and recollections of that period. She started in the Primary Department of the Sunday School and looking back with an adult’s perception, she can see how structured the Sunday School was in those days. Before and after the lesson time in their individual classes there were the combined opening and closing sessions which were the same every Sunday. When the offering was taken, the children used to march around dropping their pennies in the collection box which was usually held by the birthday boy or girl. As they marched around, they sang the words which must have been sung in dozens of Sunday Schools throughout the country:

35 Hear the pennies dropping, Listen while they fall, Every one for Jesus, He shall have them all. Dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping, Hear the pennies fall. Every one for Jesus, He shall have them all. After marching back to their own chairs, the children sang: Where do all the pennies go? Do you know? Yes, they go to far-off lands To the countries where there dwell Children black and yellow, Children brown as well. Far away across the sea The pennies go from you and me, To spread the gospel message And Jesus’ love to tell. The dismissal song was: Goodbye, everyone. Now our happy hour is done. Jesus keep us safe we pray Till we meet next Sabbath Day. We must hasten homewards. Isabel remembers little about the lessons except that the ‘expression work’ often involved working with small scissors and pieces of shiny coloured paper which were sticky on one side. Children progressed to the ‘big’ Sunday School at the age of eight. The hall was full each Sunday, with the girls on one side and the boys on the other. Each year they moved back a row and into a higher class until the back seats were reached at Bible Class age. As in the Primary Department the children all met together for the opening and closing which included hymns and responsive readings taken by the Superintendent. One of these whom Isabel remembers very well was Mr H. Chapman, a strict disciplinarian. The Secretary had his own office and there were side rooms off the main hail into which the children moved for their lessons after the combined opening. Each class had its own room for the year and when the bell rang, they all re- assembled for the closing hymn and prayer. Even after all these years the lessons remain in Isabel’s memory, perhaps because the children all had homework to do consisting of answering questions in ‘The Tablet’ 36 and having them marked with the hope of winning a book prize at the end of the year. Isabel must have been a diligent pupil because she still has one of these book prizes which she won in 1926. The children were also given marks for having their own hymn book and Bible but they had to produce them each Sunday.

The Pulpit, Sydenham Church The Sunday School Anniversary still remained the highlight of the year. Practices began six to eight weeks beforehand and Isabel (and presumably the other children) loved them. Of the choir masters the one who most impressed Isabel was the earlier- mentioned Mr George Daltry, who used to whip up enthusiasm by stomping up and down the aisle waving his baton. For the big event the children moved into the church and were allotted their seats in the choir stalls, the senior choir moving into the side galleries along with the violins. On the day of the Anniversary, always a Sunday in October, three services were held, the church being packed out with extra temporary seating in the aisles. The girls

37 always had a new summer frock for the occasion and new ribbons in their hair. (Isabel makes no mention of the boys but no doubt they, too, were specially groomed for the great day!) The Primary Department always sang in the afternoon. They occupied the front seats in the body of the church and when it was their turn to sing, they stood up on their seats and faced the congregation. Two senior scholars were selected to recite the Scripture lessons from memory and Mr Marks gave a book prize to the chosen two. One year Isabel was honoured by being asked to recite the Beatitudes. Shortly after the Anniversary came the concert. Each class in the Sunday School was expected to provide an item and once again practices began weeks before the event. Mrs Stephens was very active in organising small operettas in which she was assisted at the piano by Misses Penny and Straw, who were also the regular pianists for the Sunday School each Sunday. The Sunday School tea and games in Sydenham Park always preceded the concert. The Scripture exams of the Sunday School Union were a prominent feature of the Sunday School year, the aim being to have as many pupils enter as possible with the hope of winning the coveted shield against opposition from all the Sunday Schools in North Canterbury. After coaching from their Sunday School teachers the children sat the exam on a Saturday afternoon in winter, having to write for one to one and a half hours. A short essay-type answer had to be given to each question and a prescribed passage of scripture written out word perfect and precisely punctuated. With only kerosene heaters to heat the huge hall the break for a mug of hot cocoa was very welcome. Not only did it warm the body but it put new life into the little fingers grasping the cup after they had become numbed with the cold and the unaccustomed amount of writing. A child who passed the exam was presented with a framed certificate to which seals were added for the next five years. The top candidate for North Canterbury won a gold medal and over the years Sydenham pupils won their fair share of these. In their teen-age years the children graduated from the Sunday School into the Bible Class where they engaged in discussions and debates on the Christian way of life. Isabel’s leader in the Junior Bible Class was Mrs Stephens, who opened her home for Bible Class teas and for social evenings with the Boys’ Bible Class. Picnics or tramps were usually arranged on holiday weekends and concerts were another popular activity. One of the boys, Ted Sayers, became the first missionary doctor to the Solomon Islands and many other Bible Class members proceeded to play prominent roles in the life of the church and later of our own church in Beckenham. At about the age of sixteen Isabel was already a member of the senior choir and was asked by Mr Fehsenfeld, the choirmaster, to form and conduct a junior choir to sing at the morning services. She still has the polished wooden baton that was presented to her on that occasion. For the next five years this junior choir featured regularly in the morning service and managed to win a choir competition conducted by the Sunday School Union.

38 Music played a major role in the life of the church in Sydenham. A choral service was a feature of the Harvest Festival when the church was decorated with sheaves of wheat and with the produce donated by members of the congregation. The produce was sold on the following Monday evening. Christmas and Easter were other times when the choir made a special contribution to the services. Joan Beaumont’s mother, Mrs Ewart Smith, was sometimes a guest soloist. Like other churches, Sydenham felt the effects of the second World War, a number of the young men serving in the armed forces. Their names were recorded on a tablet on the altar which is now in our own church at Beckenham. Dave Hume, who had been in Isabel’s junior choir, was killed in action overseas. It was during the war years that’ the Young Women’s Circle was formed, mainly for the wives of men who were overseas or on war duties at home. This group continued to meet for many years and it was after one of their meetings on 9 September 1947 that a disastrous fire virtually demolished the Sunday School hall.

The Hall After the Fire Within a week the gallery of the church was converted into a temporary Sunday School and the other youth groups were housed in the various denominational church halls of the district that were willingly placed at their disposal. Many and varied fund- raising schemes helped the trustees, under the guidance of Rev. Andrew Johnston, to replace the old building with an even better one which was built by Brook and Butler, the Butler half of the firm being Isabel’s husband, Len, who was one of the trustees. This new Youth Centre comprised a main hall, lounge, primary department, modern 39 kitchen, meeting and music rooms, craft room and workshop, twelve classrooms and stage. Each classroom was specially equipped to teach a particular subject and special features were the built-in motion picture projector, single- action blackout apparatus, under-stage trolleys, locker room and gymnasium equipment. The total cost, including equipment, was more than £8000 and the building was dedicated at a special opening ceremony on 18 September 1949.

Sydenham Church with the Hall Restored After the Fire. Garden parties were held at the home of Mr J. M. Mitchell in Strickland Street and later at the homes of Mr W. H. Price, Ashgrove Terrace, and Mr Ewart Smith, ‘Merchiston’, St. Martin’s Road. During the 1960s houses surrounding the church began to be replaced by commercial buildings and inevitably the numbers attending church and Sunday School started to dwindle. Eventually he few loyal families remaining were faced with a big decision - whether to continue to struggle along in their present situation or to join up with other churches in the vicinity. With Church Union in mind unproductive approaches were made to St. Saviour’s Anglican and St. David’s Presbyterian. It became impossible for the few remaining families to contemplate maintaining the two large buildings indefinitely. It was therefore decided that, while the church was still in a healthy financial position and able to make a useful contribution to a new partner, the best move would be to combine with their sister church, Beckenham. Funds held by the Sydenham Trust were transferred to Beckenham along with a considerable library of choir music. The final services in the Sydenham Church were held on 27 June 1971, people coming from near and far to attend. They were services of thanksgiving for 93 years of witness and service in Sydenham. Isabel conducted an augmented choir from the three churches in the Circuit and with mixed feelings bade farewell to the building which had been her spiritual home for more than fifty years. The following Sunday special 40 services were held at Beckenham with the theme ‘We join together with Beckenham’. A warm welcome awaited the families at their new church, reinforcing the belief that God resides not in buildings but in the hearts of people. The Sydenham Church is still a place of worship. For a few years it was used by the Seventh Day Adventists and the Salvation Army, both of whom had also had to face up to the need to move out of what had become an industrial area. Finally it was sold to the Samoan Congregational Church who wanted a building of their own. Funds from the sale helped the Beckenham Church to extend its facilities, the Sydenham Lounge serving as a reminder of the early days of the Sydenham-Beckenham Circuit and the successful merger of the congregations in the new Beckenham Church.

41 LOWER HIGH STREET BIBLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

The Bible Christian Church originated in the west of England and for some time was confined to that region. Then a considerable migration of Cornish miners to the northern counties led to the formation of congregations there, while solid progress was also made in London and its suburbs. From the very beginning of colonisation small numbers of Bible Christians were among the immigrants but in most cases they joined with other churches already established. As their numbers increased, the desire grew to establish their own church. In 1877 the British Conference responded to this desire by commissioning Mr Edward Reed, a respected and able lay preacher, to travel to New Zealand to organise a Church. Mr Reed settled in Christchurch where he found a nucleus of earnest and enthusiastic men and women who still retained their devotion to the Bible Christian movement. Mr Reed commenced services in a private house and, as their numbers increased, a small hall was rented where meetings were held for more than twelve months. In response to a request from the congregation Rev. W. H. Keast was sent out as the first minister, unfortunately, although quite a young man, he was not in robust health and died after little more than a year. His successor was Rev. J. Crewes, a learned man and a fluent speaker. During his ministry the site in Lower High Street was purchased and the first Bible Christian Church in the country was erected. Lower High Street is now part of Ferry Road and the church was sited on the corner of Caversham Street and Ferry Road, near the St Asaph Street intersection. Two prominent and enthusiastic 42 members in these early days were the earlier mentioned Mr Edward Reed and Joan Beaumont’s grandfather, Mr. James Smith. In 1886 Rev. J. Orchard was sent from Victoria to be the new minister. He began his ministry with energy and enthusiasm. Aided by a grant of £200 from the English Conference, a new church was erected on the Lower High Street site at a total cost of £1080. The church was said to be ‘well built and attractive, both externally and internally, and accommodates a congregation of 400 persons.’ Shortly afterwards a two-storied parsonage was built beside the church on the Ferry Road frontage at a cost of £500. The earlier church became the Sunday School hall. To one side of the entrance the hail had a room which had probably been the vestry, then a library, then a ticket office, and at one time the Boys’ Brigade Battalion office. At the other end was the stage with a room on each side. The one on the north side had a sink with a wooden bench for suppers while the one to the south (later used to store band equipment) was the changing room. At this stage the church had a vital, crowded membership with a strong choir. One room was used for an extensive library which was run by the Sunday School Superintendent, Mr J. E. R. Smith. This gentleman was a teacher at Waltham School and must have been quite a disciplinarian as boys who misbehaved at Sunday School could count on receiving a touch of the cane at school on Monday morning. Music, youth work, and the Ladies’ Guild (incorporating the WCTU) played a prominent part in the life of the church and in the general caring for members. The Boy Scouts used the hall for a time in 1910 and in the same year a Mission was conducted with Nicholas Turner as Missioner. For recollections of the later years of the Lower High Street church we are indebted to Joan Beaumont. The Sunday service was held at 6.30 p.m., a time suited to the older members who preferred not to be out too late. However, other congregations started at 7 p.m. and visiting preachers, either uninformed or forgetful, often arrived half an hour late. Many young men and women preached their first sermon here and the children’s talks were always appreciated, often by the adults as much as the children. In case the preacher failed to arrive a book of sermons was kept ready under the pulpit - and sometimes Sunday School teachers would come to the rescue and take a repeat lesson. For many years the vacant parsonage was rented to the Hitchings family, a very convenient arrangement as Mr Hitchings was able to assume the duties of organist. At a later stage when only inexperienced organists were available to play the pedal harmonium, preachers were asked to select only Common or Long Metre hymns and the congregation sang the same two tunes until the organist could increase her repertoire.

43 In those days the door of the church was always open and many times a drunken man stretched out to sleep on a hard pew. Sometimes one might stagger in (after being ejected at 6 o’clock

The Interior of Lower High Street closing from one of the two neighbouring hotels) and maybe join in the singing of an old favourite in strident voice. The Salvation Army Band used to march past but out of deference to the service in progress they always stopped playing as they went past and resumed at the next corner. Members of the Roman Basilica around the corner were regularly supportive of any collections or projects undertaken by the church. As for most churches with their high ceilings, heating was a problem. Kerosene heaters fought a losing battle and became polished on top by many hand-knitted woollen gloves on hands seeking some extra warmth. A cold nose and the smell of kerosene remain in Joan’s memory. Sunday School was at 11 a.m. In the Primary Department the sand table with its iron palms, animals, and Adam’s tiny bricks was a favourite visual aid and the children loved the hymns and choruses. The older pupils were encouraged to sit the Sunday School Union scripture examinations, the shield for North Canterbury being won on several occasions. This was a great achievement as many of the children came from non-academic backgrounds. Thieving was a way of life for some of them and teachers had to keep a watchfu,1 eye as they heard the pennies dropping. Sometimes a child would lovingly offer the teacher her choice of stolen watches or even wear to Sunday School clothing which had been stolen from the teacher’s home. In addition to their weekly Sunday School the children enjoyed picnics, concerts, the Sunday School Anniversary, Harvest Thanksgiving, and Busy Bees - a missionary 44 support group which met weekly in the upstairs balcony. Concerts were lots of fun with everyone taking part. Hopefully unrecognisable as they dressed up in fancy clothes and wigs, the children sang and danced, and acted religious and national plays and nursery rhymes. One favourite item was the Willow Pattern Plate story in which they drank from cups decorated with this well-loved design. The young people shared many activities with youth groups from other churches. Beckenham and others invited them to their dances, concerts, and outings. Joan remembers one of these which ended unhappily when they climbed the Cathedral tower and one of the girls dislocated her knee on the last ladder step at the very top - not the best place to become incapacitated! District Bible Class camps were a yearly highlight and the small group of young people from Lower High Street enjoyed joining up and sharing with other Bible Classes who also had small numbers. Carolling on Christmas Eve was a joyous occasion. After the customer-filled shops were closed, the able travelled and sang and the elderly and house-bound welcomed them. Once again the drunken revellers would join in and follow along the street with their raucous voices proclaiming the good news of Christmas in the words of the much-loved carols. Their visits completed, the carollers would head for someone’s home to relax and be refreshed with an enjoyable supper. Garden parties at ‘Merchiston’, St Martin’s, were an annual event. The local carrier would arrive with his truck piled high with forms from the church. It was a busy time as the stalls were erected and decorated. Guardians collected the entrance fees from everyone as they arrived. Even the minister’s wife was not allowed in without paying when she came in the back entrance! The Christchurch Ladies’ Pipe Band or the Skellerup Pipe Band (who used the hail for practices) provided a splendid spectacle and a stirring sound as they paraded on the lawns. To their accompaniment the people made the rounds of the stalls with their variety of wares, tried their hand at nail- driving or striding he line (to guess its length), dug up the garden in search of hidden treasure, or watched the parade of decorated bicycles. When the membership declined, the church became linked with East Belt Methodist Church, sharing one minister. During this later period the church relied heavily on a faithful band of local preachers, including Messrs Pugh, Vinnicombe, Falkingham, Dingwall, Armon, and Brian Jones, Fred Baird, Trevor Macfarlane, Mrs Kent, Connie Herdman, Rupert Pearce and John Pryor. They were assisted by Bible Class groups, the Smiths, Pryors, Rules, etc., who maintained the services for little more than a dozen or so. Finally Lower High Street joined the Sydenham Circuit and eventually suffered the same fate as Sydenham Methodist. It was a sad day when Joan’s mother, Mrs Ewart Smith, symbolically closed the door for the last time. The church was pulled down and the land sold to a bank. The proceeds were put into the Lower High Street Trust Fund and first loaned to Beckenham to build our church in Malcolm Avenue. The Trust is still available for church building loans or loans for development.

45 BECKENHAM METHODIST CHURCH

The Day of the Opening of the New Church in 1967 A full account of the first fifty years of the life of our church may be read in the booklet produced on the celebration of the Golden Jubilee in 1978. It would be pointless to duplicate this excellent record but this brief history would be incomplete without mentioning some of the milestones along the way during the last sixty five years. As early as 1926 Mr and Mrs G. Wright began Sunday School classes in the Beckenham School and it was not long before Sunday afternoon services for adults were being conducted monthly by Rev. H. J. Odell, the Superintendent Minister of the Sydenham Circuit. In 1928 a board of trustees was appointed and money was raised for the purchase of a section at a cost of £200. Some businessmen in the city contributed £81, a further £75 was advanced by the Methodist Connexional Office, and the remaining £49 was raised locally. With the Sunday School roll now a healthy 150, the trustees immediately proceeded with plans to build a Sunday School to which they decided to add a primary room and a kitchen. The foundation stone was laid on 15 December 1928, and the hall was opened in March 1929, having cost £1010-18-6. Rev. Basil Metson became the first minister of the new church. In those early years Mr and Mrs C. Colechin made a notable contribution to the work among the young people. When Mr Wright and his family returned to Cambridge Terrace Church in 1931, Mr Colechin took over as Superintendent of the Sunday School, a post which he later relinquished so that he and his wife could assume leadership of the Senior and Junior Bible Classes. Eric Young was another early Sunday School Superintendent, serving for a long period in those pre-Jubilee years. In 46 the l930s a boys’ club met on Friday evenings, Wolf Cubs and Boy Scouts began in 1940 but were disbanded in 1947 when there was difficulty in obtaining leaders, and another boys’ club was started in 1961. In 1938 there was an urgent need for more classrooms and the trustees launched a campaign to raise funds for an additional room for the Primary Department and two Bible Class rooms. By 1941 it was possible to proceed with the additions, which were opened on 6 December of that year. During the period of his leadership of the Sunday School, Mr J. Pryor trained the children for the Sunday School Anniversaries which became an annual feature. Three services were held on each of two successive Sundays, special staging being built in the hall, which was filled to capacity to enjoy the children’s singing accompanied by quite a sizeable orchestra. Over the years the Anniversaries changed in character and by the time of the Jubilee they usually consisted of a dramatic presentation centred upon a particular topic. For the children the climax of the Anniversary celebrations came on the following Tuesday when they enjoyed the Anniversary tea and games evening. Sunday School funds were augmented by concerts which were very popular and always played to a full hall. Another annual treat for the children was the annual picnic, usually held in February or March. Among the popular sites were Princess Margaret Hospital, Stephensons’ property in Riccarton Road (now built over), and Pleasant Point Domain. Transport was often by trucks supplied by Mr Nettleton and Mr H. A. Purves. Other outings were often by tram but on one adventurous occasion they went as far as Diamond Harbour, travelling by tram, train and launch. This complicated logistical exercise caused consternation when it was found on arrival back at the railway station that one of the boys was missing. After a frantic search he was found some time later in Sydenham, unconcernedly tucking into a parcel of fish and chips. In the early 1940s Mrs’ Pryor was appointed Cradle Roll Secretary and set about establishing a Cradle Roll Library. Mothers brought their children to the library to enjoy the books available. This continued until the 1960s, by which time school libraries had improved to such an extent that there was no longer a need for this supplementary service. A Cradle Roll Mothers Group met once a month for evening fellowship until all the women’s groups combined and it became the evening group of the Methodist Women’s Fellowship. By the early 1950s the accommodation available was scarcely adequate to cater for the growing needs of the youth work. It was decided to make additions to the hall. This was done largely by voluntary labour and the new rooms were completed in time for the Jubilee celebrations in 1954. Some of our regular activities had their beginnings in those early days. These include the carol singing at Christmas time when an itinerant band of enthusiastic singers tries to bring some of the joy and hope of Christmas to the sick and the elderly. Whereas the singers are now accompanied by a small group 47 of musicians with readily portable instruments, early efforts involved transporting a small organ on the back of a truck. The carollers used to finish up at someone’s home for supper.

The Beckenham Choir raised funds for gifts to Fairhaven Hospital. Back: Dennis Lane, Ross Weir, Jim Bedford, Doug Soundy, Len Butler, Percy Cox, Eric Young Middle: Shirley Purves, Marie Ingram, Ruby Macfarlane, Joyce Grieve, Eve Whitehead, Ivy Smith, Yvonne Laws, Judy Claughton Front: Muriel Williams, Jean Soundy, Dorothy Barnett, Betty Hardwick, Olwyn Walls, Colleen Barker, Isabel Butler Another feature with a long history is the Annual Spring Fair which has become a main source of supplementary revenue. It has changed somewhat over the years as until 1939 it was actually a Spring Flower Show. It was always well supported, with entrants competing for certificates in various aspects of baking as well as a variety of floral classes. Immediately after the Jubilee positive steps were taken towards the long—term goal of building a new church. In 1955 the residential property at 83 Malcolm Avenue was purchased and for some time the house was rented. An architect’s plan was prepared in 1960 but it was not until 1966 that the house was removed and construction of the church commenced, following a period of intense fund raising. The foundation stone was laid on 17 April by the circuit stewards, Messrs J. Pryor and W. H. Price. Cyril Walters, who shortly afterwards became a member of our own congregation, was the builder and much of the finishing and the laying out of the grounds was done by voluntary labour. The project attracted a large number of helpers, some of whom were brought into closer fellowship with the church. Mention must also be made of the contribution of the incumbent minister, Rev. G. R. Trebilco, who was untiring in his efforts and played a major role in bringing the project to a successful conclusion.

48

The Interior of the New Church It was indeed a milestone when the new church was officially opened by the President of. Conference, Rev. A. K. Petch, who also conducted the Sunday morning service. The doors were ceremonially opened by two of the original trustees, Mr H. A. Purves and Mr W. Kent. Past ministers Revs. A. J. Johnston, C. D. Clark, and G. V. Thomas assisted at services during the day.

Opening Day 49 As mentioned earlier, the closing of the Sydenham church in June 1971 resulted in the merging of the two congregations. The Sydenham trustees finally negotiated the sale of the Sydenham property in November 1976 and to mark the occasion a combined Christmas party was held in their hall. The sale of the Sydenham property enabled the Beckenham Church to press on with plans for much-needed extensions to the hail. Preliminary steps were the purchase of the corner section (in 1977) for use as a car park and another small piece of land (in 1978) to leave room for the extensions.

Revs. Thomas, Johnston, Trebilco and Clark The extensions involved the demolition of the old toilets and the erection of new toilets, the lounge, and the kitchen, making a continuous link between the church and the hall. As a permanent reminder of this contribution from the former Sydenham congregation the lounge was named the Sydenham Lounge and on the wall was hung a photograph of the Sydenham trustees taken when they met for the last time on 3 March 1978. That brings us up to the comparatively recent past and to an appropriate end for this brief record, the events of subsequent years being comparatively fresh in the memory. As it was said at the beginning of our story, it was intended to keep ‘name-dropping’ to a minimum but it would be remiss if we failed to record the service which Shirley Purves gave as organist over a long period of Beckenham’s history - for somewhere in the region of fifty years. To the many others who in various ways and to varying degrees have made their contribution to the life of our church we pay an anonymous but none the less sincere tribute. May their efforts inspire us €o build on the firm foundation which they have laid.

50 BIBLIOGRAPHY The Land Story The Caltex Book of Maori Lore. Henry F. Wigram, The Story of Christchurch. Johannes C. Andersen, Old Christchurch. J. P. Morrison, The Evolution of a City. A. H. Reed, The Story of New Zealand. The Cyclopedia of New Zealand - Part 3, ‘Canterbury’. The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Microfilms of ‘The Press’ - C P L. Parish Register Transcripts - C P L. Connexional Archives. Lands and Deeds Office. Survey Office. ‘Beckenham Methodist Church: Golden Jubilee, 1928-1978’. The People Story Rev. William Morley, The History of Methodism in New Zealand (Wellington, 1900). ‘Sydenham Methodist Church: Souvenir, Golden Jubilee, 1878-1928’. ‘Jubilee Record, 1878-1953: The Sydenham Methodist Story’. ‘Beckenham Methodist Church: Golden Jubilee, 1928-1978’.

The Opening of the Sydenham Lounge

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