CHURCH ANNIVERSARY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 756, 31 August 1929, Page 9

CHURCH ANNIVERSARY

CELEBRATION AT ST. WIRI OLD PARISH Originally opened on August 31, ISSO, St. David's Anglican Church. I Wlri, will celebrate its 49th anniver- j sary on Sunday afternoon. It was originally intended to hold i l special services on the 50th anniver-1 | sai-y, but on account of the proposed j visit, of Archbishop Averill to Eng-! , land at that time, it has been de- ; eided to hold the special celebrations ■ j this year, when the service will be i i conducted by the Archbishop. | The district was formerly known as i Woodside, but on the installation of j | a railway station and post office, the I name was altered to Wiri. on account ! of an office of the former name being | already in operation in the South i Island. J The parish was originally part of ! the Otahuhu parish. | The original site of the present I J church, more than an acre in extent, j was purchased by public subscription ! by residents of the district, at a cost! of £l2, and half of this area was j dedicated as a cemetery. An addi- j tional half acre was recently pur- j chased for future requirements. The present building includes the j original church, a chaucel was added ' in ISS4, and additions have been made to the church at later dates. The first committee of management was Messrs. Burnside. Kerr. Dawson. I W. McLarnou, Clarke, Brown and ’ Maskery. Canon F. Gould was the first minister iu charge of the parish, and he was followed by the Revs. Bowler. . Hewlett and M. M. Kirkbridc. The latter ministered in the district from ISS9 to 1913, when a memorial tablet was erected in the church on his re- , tirement. A roll of honour erected in the church contains 31 names, nine of whom made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War.