New Convent School at Spalding
The foundation stone of the new convent school at Spalding was laid on Sunday, October 17, by Father McCarthy SJ.
A large attendance from near and far showed the interest of northern people in Catholic schools, and this interest was further proved by the fact that close on £400 was subscribed during the forenoon. Father McCarthy's address was a fine one, and helped considerably to deepen the conviction of those present as to the vital necessity of Catholic schools for Catholic children.
The trouble taken by the ladies in providing lunch for the large gathering was worthy of all praise.
Rosary and Benediction brought the day's proceedings to a close. Besides a school with accommodation for sixty children there are eight rooms, and the cost of building and furnishing will be about £3,000.
Messrs Lampe Bros, of Spalding, are the contractors. The architects and clerks of works are Messrs Colligan and Son of St Peters. [Ref: Southern Cross (Adelaide), 29-10-1920]
New Church at Spalding - Laying the First Stone
The town of Spalding has been attended for many years from Jamestown, in the diocese of Port Augusta. But Spalding itself lies just a little to the south of the boundary line between the two dioceses, and is located within the archdiocese of Adelaide.
Plans and specifications were prepared and submitted, and tenders called for the work. The tender of Messrs H Smerdon & Co, of Port Pirie, was accepted, at about £600, for a substantial stone church of about 40 x 20 ft, with vestries, porch, and all necessary furniture.
On Sunday last, 6th inst, the town was early aroused by the arrival of visitors from Clare, Gulnare, Jamestown, Booboorowie, and all the neighbouring country. The Spalding Institute, though fairly spacious, and providing good accommodation, was taxed to its fullest capacity. Catholics and non-Catholics were interested.
The Very Rev Father Doyle, the priest in charge of the district, met the Bishop of Port Augusta (the Right Rev Dr Norton) at Jamestown, on Saturday, and drove him to Spalding in the afternoon.
On Sunday the Bishop celebrated the first Mass at 8 o'clock in the Institute Hall, which was tastefully prepared for the occasion by the ladies. At 10.30 Father Doyle said Mass.
A procession was formed, with cross-bearer and acolytes at the head, Children of Mary from Jamestown, the general congregation marching two and two abreast, with several rich banners, the choir, and then the Bishop, assisted by Father Doyle and the altar attendants, bringing up the rear. A Catholic procession has never been witnessed before in that locality.
Arrived at the site of the new church, the solemn rite of blessing the place where the future altar is to be erected, the benediction and laying of the foundation stone and of the trenches were carried out.
The Bishop having finished the ceremony, again addressed those assembled, and called upon them to place their offerings on the stone. He himself set the good example.
The process was repeated by those present, among whom were many non-Catholics, until the stone was covered with gold, notes, cheques, and silver, amounting to £144 odd. This, added to moneys already in hand, brings the total funds available for the building to about £300.
Title of the Church
The new church will be under the patronage of St Augustine, Father and Doctor of the church, whose feast occurs on August 28. [Ref: Southern Cross (Adelaide) 11-12-1908]
*New Church at Spalding
Sunday July 4, will be a red-letter day in the history of Spalding: for on that date the new Catholic church recently erected there, is to be blessed and opened by his Lordship the Bishop of Port Augusta (Right Rev Dr Norton) at 10.30 am.
Already £100 worth of furniture and £50 of lead light windows has been presented to the church, and Messrs Gill Bros, have given a golden chalice. [Ref: Southern Cross (Adelaide) 25-6-1909]
*July 5
The new Catholic Church was opened here on Sunday.
The building is of freestone and rock work, measuring something like 45ft by 25ft, while the walls are 18ft high. The front door is approached by a porch, and the lighting of the building is from nine large windows, gothic tops and cathedral glass. There is also a vestry at the back, and taking everything together the church is in every way up-to-date, and a credit to all those who were instrumental in collecting and subscribing.
It cost about £800 and half the debt was accounted for before the church was opened, and at the services on Sunday the magnificent sum of £198 was collected, leaving only about £220 as a debt.
It is erected on a hill on Spalding and Jamestown Road, and it will also serve as a landmark, for it can be seen some distance off. [Ref: Burra Record (SA) 7-71909]
*Towards the end of 1948 Mr Hallett the builder, began work on extensions, to include a new sanctuary and a foundation stone was laid proclaiming 1947 to be the date.
That was soon after the end of World War Two and as a consequence of building materials, along with many other goods and money, being in short supply – if obtainable at all, it was decided all materials for the extension were to be second-hand.
*His Lordship the Bishop of Port Augusta blessed the extensions of St Augustine’s Church, Spalding, on Sunday last, and celebrated the first Holy Mass in the new sanctuary that has been added. [Ref: Southern Cross (Adelaide) 23-7-1948]
*Brilliant Achievement at Spalding
To those who knew the Spalding church, the task of enlarging it to fit the needs of the congregation has always appeared beyond the bounds of possibility. When one adds to this the difficulty of building anything in these times, one can but marvel that any person should attempt even the small task that has just been completed at Spalding, but Mgr Clune was never one to easily accept defeat. Moreover, he had the phenomenal good fortune to find a man of the vision and ability of Mr Hallett, without whom the task could never have been begun, let alone completed. But the task is completed, and it is not this fact alone that compels admiration.
*Second Hand – First Rate
Obviously it was not possible to obtain new material for the work, and so the plan was necessarily to use second-hand material. This plan was followed. A recent paragraph in "The Advertiser" made mention, of the exquisitely beautiful marble altar, and the writer of that paragraph did not exaggerate. Every piece of that marble was gathered, slowly and slab by slab, from Adelaide and even from Melbourne. This achievement is but typical of many that went into building the sanctuary.
A few other examples may serve to emphasise the point. The altar canopy, which is, as far as I know, the only one in a parochial church in this diocese, if not in this State, contains part of the stand of an old windmill and is timbered with wood taken from ancient church seats.
The small rose window in the church facade is fashioned within the rim of a discarded Ford wheel, probably the first time that a Ford has contributed materially to the building of a church. This window, incidentally, speaks of the love and veneration felt by the members of the church choir towards the late Sister Carolus, in whose memory they donated it.
The altar, too, is a memorial to three members of the congregation who gave their lives for the freedom of their land.
To continue the recitation of facts: the choir gallery of the old church was so low that most of the space beneath was useless. Mr Hallett raised the gallery bodily—in one day—and transformed the church marvellously. The Stations of the Cross were remodelled and the crosses were fashioned from a piece of blackwood previously taken from a dismantled fireplace within the convent. New windows were needed for the additions, and these were supplied from windows discarded over 20 years ago, when the old church at Jamestown was demolished. Obviously this list does not contain all the sources of the material—even a disused fowl-house gave up its small quota of timber and iron for the roof.
The Opening - On Sunday, July 18, His Lordship the Bishop of Port Augusta, blessed the new sanctuary and celebrated the first Holy Mass at the new altar.
Owing to the great crowd present, only a minority were able to be within the church for the ceremony. It is estimated that more than 600 people were present, and, after the mass more than 500 partook of the dinner prepared at the Spalding Institute by the ladies of the parish.
During the afternoon, a public meeting was held in the Spalding Institute. It had been arranged that the speeches should be made at the dinner, but the knowledge that a huge number would be attending made an alteration necessary, and to the astonishment of many the institute proved none too big for the attendance.
Mgr Clune opened the proceedings by welcoming His Lordship, the visiting clergy, and people. In a brief resume of the activities that had led up to the day, the speaker paid glowing tribute to the ability of the contractor, Mr Hallett. Not often does one find a building erected in which the man who poured the foundations also puts on the roof and builds the ceiling, besides acting as quarryman, plasterer and designer.
Mr Hallett had succeeded in altering the church, retaining the work of the pioneers, and using second-hand materials.
Even the lovely tabernacle was built by the quarryman who designed and made the altar which it serves and adorns. [Ref: Southern Cross (Adelaide) 30-7-1948]
