Engineer’s report a blessing for church
While no church bells were chiming, they would have been fitting for the occasion.
The future of a quaint, old church nestled on State Highway 1, between Kaiko¯ura and Blenheim, has been proclaimed. And it’s good.
St Oswald’s Memorial Church, in Wharanui, has been sitting unoccupied on the South Island’s east coast since the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in November 2016 forced its doors to close.
Engineers have confirmed the church can be saved.
Leicester Murray, the grandchild of Charles and Jessie Murray, who built St Oswald’s Church in 1927, was over-joyed the church did not have to be pulled down. ‘‘It’s a fantastic, positive feeling,’’ he said.
Murray set up a Givealittle page after the quake to try and raise funds for the damaged church, south of Ward.
While he still had a long way to go to raise the necessary money, he said it was ‘‘heart-warming’’ to get such a positive response nationally and internationally.
Murray anticipated the cost of repairing the church would be well over $100,000. ‘‘It’s a little daunting as to how that repair will be managed and let alone funded.’’
Nelson Diocesan Trust Board trustee David Allpress said while the diocese did not have the resources to help fund the repair work, they were pleased to hear the church could be saved.
‘‘Our diocese is greatly encouraged that St Oswald’s might be repaired. It is a beautiful church, so admired by many, particularly those who journey down the east coast,’’ he said.
Allpress said the diocese was ‘‘indebted’’ to the Murray family for their work in keeping the church on its feet.
Murray said the church would retain its heritage style despite eventual repair work.
He said people came to the church for the ‘‘experience’’ and he did not want that to end.
‘‘When you read those visitor books and what it means to the passing public ... and all those things of why people stop and go in there ... I feel that’s quite a strong justification for repairing it because it means so much more to the people than simply services on Sunday morning.’’
He wasn’t sure when the church would be repaired as money wasn’t on their side but said he was ‘‘looking forward’’ to the day people could return to the church and enjoy its ‘‘tranquility’’.
‘‘It would be fantastic to have the key back in the door as it was pre-earthquake.’’ To donate towards the church’s repairs, visit Givealittle. Charles and Jessie Murray built the church, in memory of their son, and later gifted it to the diocese.