Overview of the History of Koonung Heights Church, by Rosalind Kentwell
[This extract is taken from the book “The first 50 years of Koonung Heights Church, 1952 – 2002]
The history of KoonungHeightsChurch is just a fragment of the history of the people of God.
It is a history of faithfulness and commitment, of talents used and developed, of passion for social justice, of loving kindness and compassion and sometimes, since we are human, of faults and the need for forgiveness.
Although it represents only a fragment, yet it also represents continuity, for it was the faithfulness and commitment of Christians in churches now closed that gave KoonungHeights life. Their history is part of this history, the roots from which the present life draws nourishment, roots which reach back past the memories of those alive now, to draw in the faith of our forebears.
It was in July 1950 that a committee of the Canterbury Circuit was formed and held a meeting at Hotham St to consider the establishment of a new church.. A decision to recommend the project was made in December 1950 and the Circuit challenged itself to raise £1000 towards the project.
1951 was spent in preparation and fund raising and, after 18 months of planning, the dedication of the portable building was held on 17th February 1952 at 3.00 pm and a week later the regular life of the church began with a church service and Sunday School.
The first few years saw rapid growth of the new church. After only 3 months, membership had grown to 37 and the enrolment at Sunday School was 61. Rev Bramwell Gee looked after both Benson St and Koonung Heights at this time and rode his bicycle around the district visiting his parishioners, which must have been good exercise, especially as many of the roads around the Koonung Heights area were yet to be surfaced.
July 1953 saw the foundation stone for the first section of the new church laid, and this building was opened later that year.
In May 1954, Rev Lawrence McIntosh was appointed to Benson St and KoonungHeights. This was his first appointment and he was in his mid twenties at the time. The MethodistChurch always relied heavily on its lay preachers, in fact no one could be accepted for Ministry in the MethodistChurch unless they had been first accredited as a local preacher. Although staying only 18 months in the appointment, during this period Lawrence McIntosh supervised the examination of two young men, Eric Haines and Ron Laussen, for accreditation as Methodist Local Preachers. With two services at each church every Sunday, the local preachers were clearly an important resource and one which in many ways provided a degree of stability at a time when Methodist Ministers were moved every few years.
In November 1955, the first Stewardship programme was held. The result of this was pledges from 103 families. Sunday was a very full day, beginning with Sunday School for Junior, Intermediate and Bible Class at 9.30 am, followed by a service at 11.00 am. Between 2.00 and 3.00 pm the Kindergarten and Primary Departments of the Sunday School met and at 7.00 pm a second service of worship was held.
In 1956, Rev Lawrence Mc Intoch left K.H.C. to head the ABC department of ‘Religious Broadcasts.’
In August 1956, the Rev Henry Clark was appointed to Benson St, with responsibility for KoonungHeights also. Rev Clark had been a minister in the Circuit (at Mont Albert) in the 1930s. During this year Watson Hall was built by the men of the church under the supervision of David Watson. Weekend working bees must have been a significant time commitment for families, many of whom were also building homes of their own.
The next minister appointed to Benson St and KoonungHeights was Rev C.A. Smith, who began his time of service in June 1957 and continued until December 1961. During these five years the Sunday School continued to grow, the building programme continued with the addition of the two storey section linking the church hall and Watson Hall, a new organ was purchased, Christian Endeavor began and Fossickers, a monthly discussion group which was to continue for the next 40 years. The first minister actually appointed to KoonungHeights alone, was the Rev Alfred Bligh. He was transferred from work with Surrey Hills and MontAlbertChurches in January 1962 and remained at KoonungHeights for two years. At this time, not quite ten years after the church opened, membership was 180 and the Sunday School roll totaled 465 students.
In 1964, Rev Harry Sunderland was appointed to KoonungHeights. One of his particular gifts was the way he read scripture, very simply, his voice still reflecting the accent of his native Lancashire, in such a way that new meaning could always be found in the words. He and his wife Ethel spent the last three years of their formal ministry at KoonungHeights and retired to live locally.
During that time contacts were developed with the local Presbyterian Church on the corner of Rostrevor Pde and Belmore Rd. Combined worship services were held both in the Methodist and the Presbyterian forms and, in October 1965, the first issue of a joint magazine, Koinonia, was produced, edited by Dorothy Kentwell from the Methodist church and Ian Polmear from the Presbyterian. The first minister’s letter was written by the Rev Alec Dean from the Presbyterian church.
In December 1966, Harry Sunderland retired after 44 years in ministry.
The Rev W.(Bill) Gorfine was inducted as the next minister on January 29th 1967. Bill was married with a young daughter Melissa and, in 1968, their son Grant was born. Negotiations with the Presbyterian Church were continuing through this period and in November 1968, the Presbyterian congregation voted to sell their church in Rostrevor Pde and work jointly to develop the property at Belmore Rd. Bill and his wife Phyllis and their family left Australia for Fiji in December 1968.
The next appointment was the Rev Tasman Boskell. He and his wife Wilva and their three young children took up residence in the manse in January 1969. A quiet, thoughtful man, he worked together with Rev Weston Elvins, the minister from the Presbyterian Church until December 1969 when he decided to leave the ministry and return to teaching.
At this time the idea of building a sanctuary was discussed by both congregations and approved, with building costs estimated at $40,000. Although the churches had formally combined, two services, one formal and one less so, and two sessions of Sunday School, were held each Sunday, with the 9.00 service organised by the former Presbyterian congregation and the 10.45 am service by the former Methodist congregation.
Weston Elvins continued at KoonungHeights for another 12 months until the appointment of the first official joint minister.
Rev Norman Gray was appointed in February 1971 as sole minister to the joint congregation. He came with his wife Beverley and their five children, several of whom were teenagers at the time, and all involved themselves in the life and work of the church. Norm had a countryman’s directness and the kind of wide reaching brotherly love that made him the ideal person to bring real union to the two congregations. One of his first actions was to combine the two morning services.
During his ministry the Sanctuary was built and the pipe organ, purchased several years earlier, 1962 and kept in store, was re-built by a group of men from the congregation. The Presbyterian the church Women’s Fellowship and the Methodist Ladies Guild were combined into a new group, the Women’s Auxiliary of Koonung Heights and Beverley Gray became the first President of this group.
In May 1974 churches around Australia voted to become the UnitingChurch although it would be still some years before this was to come into existence.
David Kunselman was the next appointment to KoonungHeights, inducted in February 1975. He was a young man, with a young family and a young man’s idealism. KoonungHeights was his first congregation. Perhaps the most evangelical of all the ministers appointed to KoonungHeights, David was passionate in his desire to fit Christians to be witnesses. The Bethel Bible Study Program and a monthly healing service were amongst his initiatives.
During David’s ministry the KY (Koonung Youth) Club was formed, led by Alison and Keith Frampton and the Balwyn Heights Parish Players came into being. On June 22nd 1977 the inauguration of the UnitingChurch in Australia was held in Sydney and on June 26th the new Balwyn Heights Parish held an inaugural Parish Service at St Columba’s with David Kunselman preaching.
David and Pat returned to America with their family in December 1978.
In January 1979 Rev Allan Searle moved into the manse with his wife Jan and three of their four children.
Allan was a man with a great sense of fun and a passionate concern to minister to the whole person. The unexpected often happened during his services, for example when he made use of the Core Group of the Parish Players to provide dramatic input. The links between KoonungHeights, St Columbas and Benson St strengthened during Allan’s ministry, with the Parish Players broadening their activities to include all ages, and the first issue of Parish Life being produced.
h Sunday, In June 1983 Allan and Jan left KoonungHeights to go to Tonga to continue to serve God.
Franklin Parrent was the longest serving minister at KoonungHeights, arriving in January 1984 and remaining for ten years. He and his wife Marilyn were dedicated and hard working, with Marilyn taking responsibility for the Sunday School for a time. Frank was a very practical person and enjoyed putting his talents to work for his parishioners. He initiated the Christmas Eve service and used his skills to make candle holders with which to decorate the church. Unfortunately Marilyn was seriously injured in a car accident, which clouded their last year at KoonungHeights.
The Rev Paul Tonson spent 12 months from March 1994 ministering at Koonung. A New Zealander with a passion for music, Paul often used his trained tenor voice to good effect in his services. After his experiences at KoonungHeights, Paul decided to enter the UnitingChurch, having formerly ministered in the Baptist tradition.
The next minister, Rev John Lamont, who came to KoonungHeights in 1995, became mentor and guide to Paul and also to student minister Dennis Hawkey as they both studied to enter the ministry of the UnitingChurch. John was a sensitive pastor and a strong advocate for social justice. During his ministry members from Mont Albert Church voted to join the Koonung congregation at the closing of their church, also the new sanctuary was completed and a plaque acknowledging the aboriginal owners of the land placed in the grounds.
John announced his departure in October 2000 and the call process was about to begin, when he fell ill with a heart condition. This saddened the last months of his ministry and left a gap in the ministry team for the whole Parish.
The pastoral work of St Columba’s minister, the Rev Sharon Hollis and the supply ministry of Rev Evan Lewis were much appreciated during 2001.
At this time too, UnitingChurch regulations changed and some concerns were raised about the viability of continuing the links with St Columba’s.
Harriet Zeigler was appointed chairperson of the Church Council, and in these times of ‘transition and new direction’ has been instrumental in facilitating the way forward with newly forged links and strengthened ties.
In September 2001 the Rev Jim Murray was called to KoonungHeights. Jim brings a range of experiences with people of many different races and walks of life and is well qualified to lead the people of KoonungHeights into the next 50 years of service and celebration.