ONEHUNGA HISTORY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 941, 7 April 1930, Page 14

ONEHUNGA HISTORY

CHURCH CELEBRATES 70TH ANNIVERSARY AN INTERESTING REVIEW Although Presbyterion Church services were held at Onehuriga as far back as 1853, the present church was not established until 1860. The 70th anniversary was celebrated yesterday. The first minister was the Rev. George Brown, M.A., who, now in his 100th year, still lives in Oneliunga, within hearing of the church bell sent to him as a personal gift from friends in Scotland 67 years ago. The land on which the church is built was a soldier pensioner’s allotment on which stood a typical pensioner’s cottage, wherein services were conducted for. -two years. The cottage is still in use as an infants’ Sunday school, and although upward of 80 years old, its kauri timbers are still sound.

The Rev. Dr. Bruce, the pioneer Presbyterian minister of Auckland, bought and presented the land to the Onehunga Presbyterians in 1854, with *he condition that it should never be mortgaged or anything done by which it would be lost to the Presbyterian Church. These conditions have been rigidly observed, so that the church today is one of the few in the Dominion that are free of debt. The main Sunday school building which was erected in 1862 did duty as it church until 1890, when the present church was built. The Rev. George Brown held his charge for 21 years, when failing health forced his retirement. He was succeeded by the Rev. James Bruce, 1881-1886. Their successors were ihe Rev. T. Adams. 1888-1891; Rev. R. Ferguson, 1592-1896; Rev. R. Wylie, 1897-1902; Rev. A. C. Wedderspoon, 1902-1905; and the present minsiter, the Rev. D. D. Scott, who has occupied the pulpit for the past 25 years. The services yesterday were conducted by the Rev. W. McDonald, of Kpsom. in the morning, and the Rev. I). D. Scott in the evening. The choir sang special anthems at both services, and solos were sung by Mrs. John Craig, F.T.C.L., and Miss P. Schnackenberg. Miss E. was -the organist.