HEFTY fines and prison sentences loom after historic objects were illegally removed from a heritage-registered church ahead of its aborted sale earlier this month. 

The Golden Square Uniting Church – built in 1870 – was to be auctioned on September 12, but the sale was postponed.

Kangaroo Flat resident Graham Reichelt was among those who inspected the building and was shocked to see all the pews had been dismantled from the ground floor and removed from the building.

“It is nothing short of desecration of a place of such historic value,” he said. 

A Heritage Victoria spokesperson said the department was working with the Uniting Church to ensure its congregations and church councils were fully aware of the implications of violating their obligations under the Victorian Heritage Register. 

Under the Heritage Act an individual found to have removed an object from a registered place faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, a $360,000 fine or both. 

A body corporate faces fines of up to $720,000.

“Heritage Victoria is continuing to investigate the illegal removal of the pews and is seeking their return to the church,” the spokesperson said. 

The Uniting Church in Australian Synod of Victoria and Tasmania provided a statement to the Bendigo Advertiser expressing its regret at the removal and sale of church pews. 

“The Synod is working proactively with Heritage Victoria to locate the pews and have them returned to the heritage place,” the statement read. 

“The Synod also plans to educate church councils about the requirements of the Heritage Act.”

IT was one of the first buildings to rise amid the tents and slag heaps of the Bendigo goldfields and at the time of its construction its proud congregation declared it the finest Methodist church in the world. 

But the glory days of the church at Golden Square – which now belongs to the Uniting Church – are long gone. 

On September 12 this year it was slated to go to auction until, for the second time in two years, it was given a reprieve. 

In an 11th hour decision in late 2013, the Uniting Church revoked its decision to put the disbanded church under the hammer after a grass roots campaign to preserve the building. 

Earlier this month the church was to revert to its original plan, but the sale was postponed – this time amid concerns its status as a heritage-registered building had been violated. 

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Kangaroo Flat resident Graham Reichelt inspected the building prior to its aborted auction to discover the pews upon which its parish once worshiped had been removed. Mr Reichelt had raised similar concerns about a former Methodist church in Clune.

“I was amazed... but then it has become a regular event to see decommissioned churches have their pews turn out immediately so that the building can be put to commercial use or made into flats,” he said. 

“The seasoned timber is also unique and would be very sought after.”

But the pews – which covered most of the first floor of the building – were fixed into their positions. This meant they were protected by the buildings heritage status. 

The former Golden Square Uniting Church Council chairman, David Wright, said the Uniting Church cluster was well aware of the buildings heritage value. 

“From my point of view the Uniting Church was told in no uncertain terms of the heritage protection which applied both inside and outside the building,” he said. 

“But they decided to get rid of them anyway and put money into the cluster coffers.”

Mr Wright played the church’s organ for 37 years. He said while he was saddened by the removal of the pews, he hoped some good could come from it. 

“Now, maybe, at long last the Uniting Church may seek expressions of interest from the community as to who can use the building,” he said. 

“It was built be the people of Bendigo and the only decent thing the church could do now is to return it to the people of Bendigo.” 

Anyone with information regarding the current whereabouts of the pews should contact Heritage Victoria on  9938 6894 or the Uniting Church Property section on 9251 5200.