Church lost, locals fight for cemetery
THE community of Jericho is resigned to losing its beloved 135-year-old church but will fight tooth and nail to keep its cemetery.
About 50 people packed into Jericho Town Hall last night for the second Save Our Community Soul public meeting to help save the township’s St James’ Church and the cemetery.
The new resistance group — formed to legally challenge the planned sale of church properties to fund redress scheme commitments for victims of sexual abuse — held its first meeting at Ouse on Monday night.
Claremont woman Chris Burke said she had four generations of family buried in the Jericho cemetery and its sale would be upsetting.
“I think the church is being pretty greedy,” she said.
“They have abused children in their care and now they want to abuse the community and want us to pay for it.”
After the meeting, Southern Midlands Mayor Tony Bisdee said the community accepted the church building would have to be sold because it had been deconsecrated.
“What the community wants to do is preserve the cemetery,” Cr Bisdee said.
“There are a lot of local, pioneering families that have graves there.”
He said the community also vowed to retain nearby St John the Evangelist Church at Lower Marshes.
“They wish to retain the church and will approach the Anglican Church with a view to purchasing the building and the cemetery,” Cr Bisdee said.
Tasmanian parishioners eager to avert the Anglican Church’s asset sell-off plan are hoping funds can be found elsewhere within the ministry.
Established in Campbell Town on Thursday, the Save Our Community Soul group will fight the sale of churches and cemeteries as a statewide issue.
The Anglican Church says it is ready to listen to requests that church buildings be spared from the fire sale — and it has pushed back by a month a deadline for responses.
In June, the church’s Tasmanian synod voted to sell 108 of its properties, including 76 churches, to help fund a redress scheme.
Central Highlands Mayor Loueen Triffitt said Monday night’s meeting at Ouse was a positive step in stopping the sale of church properties.
“There’s a feeling of consensus that the money needed for the redress scheme can be raised without selling church properties,’’ she said.
“There are other ways to find that money, including looking at money within the ministry.”
Attorney-General Elise Archer, who addressed community members at the Ouse meeting, said a draft amendment Bill covering issues pertaining to the church property sales would be circulated for public consultation.
“We’re aiming to have that draft Bill done by mid to late September and all submissions will be taken into account,” she said.
Ms Archer said the State Government could not block the sale of any church.
“The Government’s sense of duty is really over the Burial and Cremations Act. It’s to do with the cemetery component of any sale of the church,” she said.
Tasmanian Bishop Richard Condie last week released guidelines allowing for requests that a building not be sold or that a building be transferred to a community group.
A public rally is planned for Campbell Town on August 26.