Church purchase draws support

-LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

 

Dear Editor,

I am writing in support of the recent purchase by Golden Plains Shire council of the Catholic Church site at Smythesdale.

This seems to have been a decision that has been a controversial one in council, given the reports in the local press.

There is a particularly negative letter on page 11 of the 18 August edition of the Golden Plains Times that I would like to counter.

This corner site in the main street of Smythesdale is strategically important as part of the Smythesdale heritage precinct, which is listed as significant in the Golden Plains Heritage Study, commissioned by council in 2004.

The whole precinct is listed as a significant historical place (Golden Plains Heritage Study, 2009, Stage 2, p 90) and, as a consequence, there is a heritage overlay on this site.

The old church building is individually listed in the Golden Plains Heritage Study as “Priority one: Place within a Precinct”, Data Base 499, in the Heritage Study Report, Vol 1, 2004).

And this decision is in keeping with the Golden Plains Shire’s Heritage Policy, adopted in 2021, which states Council’s Commitment is to:

“Create a sense of place and identity by developing and preserving history and heritage that reflects and contributes to the Shire’s unique built and natural environments” (page 14, Strategic Objectives, Strategy 2; Our Stories)

If the property had been acquired by another purchaser it could have been developed in a way that was completely inappropriate to the historical context surrounding it.

The opportunity now exists for the old Catholic church to be refurbished and “integrated into a community space in some sort of permanent form”, as suggested by Mr Bill MacNeill, secretary/treasurer of the Smythesdale Progress Association.

We commend the council for its long-term vision in this case, for its response to the local community, and its commitment to local history and the preservation of local heritage.

 

Dr Jill Wheeler

President, Linton & District Historical Society

 

 

 

Dear Editor,

I am the President of the Smythesdale Progress Association, a community coordinator and am also representing the Woady Yaloak Historical Society.

We would like to congratulate the Shire on the purchase of the Smythesdale Catholic church.

The process taken by the Shire to buy the church and land was quick and well thought out.

We understand why this process had to be taken without consultation with the community, as this would come under the banner of commercial in confidence within the Shire.

The Smythesdale community has always had the belief that if the property came up for sale it would be pivotal to the historic precinct, which was expanded when the Shire acquired the old Police site, and over recent years community groups have expressed to councillors the desire for acquisition of the church should it become available for sale, so the purchase was done with the blessing of the local residents.

We believe that if this action was not taken by the Shire, the cost to us the ratepayer could have been a lot higher and private ownership of the church site could have undermined the historic and community value of this area.

Thank you to the Golden Plains Shire for thinking of our community. Keep up the great work.

 

Graham Turnbull

Smythesdale