It was 23rd
July 1921 when the foundation stone for the first St John's Church at
Asquith was laid by Mrs. George (Emily) Pile. The completed church was
dedicated by Archbishop Wright in April 1923.
In the early years of the
20th Century, Anglicans living in Asquith, Mount Colah and Mount
Kuring-gai had to make the trip to St Peters in Hornsby (established 1898)
if they wished to worship together in a church building. The alternative
was occasional services, which were held in the homes of local
parishioners in both Asquith and Mount Colah.
Around 1919, as the
population continued to grow, the people of the area decided it was time
they had their own church building, where they could hold services and
start a Sunday School. A group of interested residents met with the Rector
of the Parish of Hornsby (which at that time extended from Waitara to
Brooklyn). Mount Colah was ruled out as a location for a new church, and
so other options were considered.
A new estate at Asquith
was being opened up; and so with 90 pounds raised from various events, and
the help of the Home Mission Society (which lent them the balance needed),
two blocks of land were acquired.
The church building was
constructed entirely by volunteer labour; the funds needed for materials
being raised by parishioners. Seating and an organ were purchased second
hand, and books and a bell were presented to the new church as gifts. The
first Sunday School was held at St John's on the 1st May 1923, with 40 to
50 students attending.
Occasional services
continued to be held at parishioners' homes in Mount Colah and Mount
Kuring-gai, and in 1939 these became regular events (alternate Sundays
each month at 3pm), until St Georges in Mount Colah was opened in 1946 and
Holy Trinity Mount Kuring-gai opened in 1954.
Services were held in
both churches until Holy Trinity was resumed by the Government in 1985 to
make way for the F3 Freeway, and St Georges was closed in 1991 (and
demolished in 2007) because
there was no possibility of further expansion on the difficult site. Some
proceeds from both properties were used to build the new (third
generation) church at Asquith in 2004. The second generation church (now
in use as a Church Hall) was commissioned in 1969 and decommissioned in
2004.
In August 2007, the
property adjacent to St John's (#8 Royston Parade) was purchased from the
Catholic Church. In previous years, the large rambling house at #8 had
been used as a refuge for troubled youth. It will be demolished to make
way for two new dwellings to be used for ministry housing. The old rectory
at #4 Royston Parade was sold in order to fund the new houses at #8.
The story continues.
Watch this space...