Eastern Bush District - Presbyterian Church History, Foundation Stone Laying:
... on eHive
Sepia photo of foundation stone laying & letter of names of those present:
The story of the Presbyterian Church at Eastern Bush from the start to finish... The foundation stone was laid 10 June 1914 and the church had its sad demise not even 100 years late, when it fell down in April 2003. There was no church in Eastern Bush until 1914, a range of photos of it are in this archive online – from its construction until it’s demise. If you are interested in this, please look for the other entries.
I have recently been given the names of those involved in the Foundation Stone laying photo shown above. In a letter written to "Lincoln & Ann (Moffat) signed, "God Bless from Daphne & Don", it states the following: "A copy of the stone laying at Eastern Bush. I think this was from Aunty Ina (Pearce) as it's her handwriting. The names I found on the back of the photo are from left to right:
1. WJ Darley
2. Donald McLaren
3. Rev Lopdell
4. JG Craig
5. Rev A MacDonald
6. -
7. J McCall
8. D Young
9. Malcolm Mouat
10. Thomson, MP for Wallace
11. A Snowball
I have also included a copy of this letter in this entry for anyone to see who is interested. And please, keep the information coming, so it can be added for everyone else to enjoy, both now and in the future.
Prior to the opening, according to the history of the Otago Presbyterian Church, the minister in charge of the Ōtautau Parish had to minister to congregants across the district nearly all the way to Blackmount! The Rev A McDonald or ‘Sandy’ as he was most affectionately known, had oversight of all the following districts: Clifden, Eastern Bush, Bellmount, Nightcaps and Wairio. As FWG Miller points out in his history, 'West to the Fiords', the area covered “all the country north-west of Ōtautau.”
The Reverend would arrive at Bellmont by horse on a Saturday, having had communion with adherents on the way, then on Sundays, a service was held in the Wairaki Woolshed men’s quarters at 11am, at Eastern Bush at Scobie’s Woolshed at 3pm, and then he would return the 40 odd miles back to Ōtautau to hold his last service there at 7pm. This route was done every month, with other trips to other districts taken on the alternative weekends.
As Miller also notes, the early settlers held Rev. McDonald in high regard, as he had taken such care to minister to them, labouring hard and long in difficult conditions. It is likely these hardships led to his later ill health and demise. The Presbyterian Church history also notes the sacrifices and commitment made by him.
NOTE:
Both the Mouat and Moffat families have a long-standing history at Eastern Bush. Their contributions to the photographs and history of the Eastern Bush Church, which was a Presbyterian entity, is noted. It was the original Mouat, Malcolm Snr., whose wife Anna Bella (née Scobie), who gifted the 1 acre of land that the church originally sat on, to the Otago Presbytery for this cause. And it was the Moffat family, I believe mostly Lincoln (the last of his name on the land there), who has been largely responsible for collating, researching and passing on the building's history.
Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of the Eastern Bush Church during the years, please do share in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page.
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Central & Western Archive/GLAM
