Related: Iconic gold-era church ‘desecrated’
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Weeks ago it raised the prospect of hefty fines and even prison sentences – but now Heritage Victoria says it has settled a dispute with the Uniting Church over the removal of wooden pews from a gold rush-era church in Golden Square.
Executive director Tim Smith told the Bendigo Advertiser that after extensive liaison with Uniting Church members, Heritage Victoria had decided to accept the return of 10 pews as a representative sample of the building’s original seating.
“Heritage Victoria now considers the matter closed,” he said.
For those who had campaigned for a full restoration of the more than 70 pews it was a bitter blow – with one describing the outcome as a “sacrilege”.
Former Mernda Uniting Church council chairman Bob Parry slammed the decision as “absolutely disgusting” and in breach of the Heritage Act.
“No way is this cased closed,” he said.
“You can’t just take something out of a heritage building without properly applying for it, advertising it and giving the public a chance to to oppose it – but they just went on in there and did it.”
But Uniting Church minister for the Bendigo South Cluster, Reverend Ian Stewart, said the time had come to move on.
The reverend said he hoped the Uniting Church could now proceed with the sale of the Golden Square property.
“It would free up funds for future mission work … the funding that the church raises is spent on welfare and on people,” he said.
No further action to be taken
Heritage Victoria says it is not planning on taking action against the Uniting Church or private individuals who bought pews which were removed without authorisation from a heritage-registered church in Golden Square.
In September, the organisation described this act as “illegal” and reminded parties involved of the penalties they faced under the Heritage Act – penalties which carry a maximum of five years in jail for an individual and $720,000 for a body corporate.
But executive director Tim Smith said last week that Heritage Victoria now considered the “case closed” after the local branch of the Uniting Church agreed to return 10 of the more than 70 original pews.
“Heritage Victoria does not plan to take any action against other purchasers of the pews, who are free to deal with the pews in their possession as they see fit,” he said.
The Golden Square Uniting Church – built in 1870 – was to be auctioned on September 12, but the sale was postponed. It was a second reprieve in two years the Uniting Church revoked its decision in late 2013 to put the disbanded church under the hammer after a grass roots campaign to preserve the building.
Mr Smith said the Uniting Church would now be able to proceed with the sale of the building and “enable a sustainable use” of the property.
“[This will] ensure its future now that it is no longer required as a church,” he said.
“Although there is a desire by many that the place remain as a church, an application to remove the majority of the pews, in all probability, would have been granted.”
But former Mernda Uniting Church council chairman Bob Parry said he would have objected if an application to remove the pews had been lodged.
“No way it would have gone ahead, residents would have been outraged if they knew what was happening,” he said.
“Heritage Victoria have a job to do. They’ve got an act of parliament which gives them the power to insist on those pews coming back – they don’t have to negotiate.”
Bendigo South Cluster Reverend Ian Stewart said the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, the local church and Heritage Victoria had resolved the matter.
“Heritage Victoria are the custodians of heritage and, if they are happy with the status quo, than so are we,” he said.
“They set the rules.”