Snapshot of the past

A photograph of the original Drouin Presbyterian Church opened in 1880.

At the time of this photograph, the original church building had became a hall for the church community.

The new church building, which opened in 1959, can be seen to the left rear of the hall.

From as early as 1876, the Presbyterian worshippers met at the “Lardner Track School” before a proposal for a building in Drouin was put forward. In 1879, members met to discuss a site in Drouin. In the interim, they met in the Anglican Church in Drouin.

A church building “erected by voluntary subscriptions” was opened on December 12, 1880. The forest and scrub on the one-acre block was so dense that the building could not be seen from Church St on the south side.

According to “The Gippsland Independent” dated December 16, 1880, “the building is neatly designed and works well executed, the whole having a very substantial appearance”.

The first elder - elected in 1893 - was William

Young who was the shire secretary of the Shire of Buln Buln. He served as elder for 39 years along with other well-known early Drouin residents.

This weatherboard building served as the congregation’s worship centre for 79 years and for a further 24 years as the hall. It was demolished in June 1983 and the material sold for $1800.

In 1958, 160 children attended the Sunday School with 17 teachers. Numbers were so large that one class used the nearby croquet clubrooms to relieve the problem of space. The new church building opened in 1959. The story of Scots Presbyterian Church as told by Robyn Crocker can be found at storiesofdrouin.com.au

Photograph and information courtesy of Stories of Drouin, a cooperative oral history project between The Committee for Drouin, Drouin History Group and 3BBR FM to preserve local stories.