St Oswald's Memorial Church, Broken Head, NSW, Australia
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History
St Oswald’s Memorial Church was built as a memorial to three Broken Head WW1 soldiers. The church sits on land gifted to the community by the family of local soldier Arthur Beaumont Goard who died in WW1. Construction of the church in 1922 was paid for by funds donated by Arthur's parents and money raised by the Broken Head community.
Local families donated the altar, lectern and font. The church was also a memorial to local fallen soldiers Frank Kimpton and Frederick Walter Flick. Throughout history, the local community has donated funds, time and labour for ongoing upkeep of the church.
The church is listed as an official heritage item on the Byron Bay Local Environmental Plan of 2014.
Listing for Sale by Anglican Diocese of Grafton
In November 2021 the church was listed for sale by the Anglican Diocese of Grafton.
Community Campaign to Save St Oswald's
In response, a community campaign was launched to save St Oswald's from sale and return it to community ownership. The community vision is for the church to be held in Trust, in perpetuity, for the benefit of the community. The vision is that the church should remain available for ongoing religious and memorial services, and could be made available as a venue for affordable weddings and other events which contribute to the social fabric of our community.
The campaign was launched by the Save St Oswald’s group, a network of Broken Head and Byron Bay community members, the St Oswald’s church community, St Oswald’s volunteers and donors, RSL members, and descendants of Arthur Beaumont Goard, Frank Kimpton and Frederick Walter Flick. A key member of the Save St Oswald's group was Kathryn Peart. Kathryn is the great grand-daughter of William and Selina Goard, who donated the land and commenced the building fund with a bequest of 50 pounds from their son Arthur, killed in WW1 at Ypres on 4 October 1917.
Unanimous Support for Byron Shire Council motion to Save St Oswald's
At the Byron Shire Council meeting on Thursday 25 November 2021, a motion received unanimous support that Council:
- Acknowledges the heritage significance of the St Oswalds Memorial Church in Broken Head by reference to it's identification in Byron Shire Council's Local Environmental Plan Heritage Schedule.
- Writes to the Anglican Diocese of Grafton to inform them of the heritage significance and Council’s support for the community efforts to seek protection of this site as a community asset, including the RSL support for it to remain as a memorial to the three Broken Head soldiers who lost their lives in WW1.
- Requests the Anglican Diocese of Grafton to place a restriction on the use of the land, for the purpose of preserving the church building on the site.
- Investigates if there is information held by Council regarding the heritage significance, specifically the heritage inventory that was required for the LEP determination listing and make that available to the descendants and the local community.
References[edit]
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