No. 256 - The former 'Mission Church' at Meander

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Meander is a small town about 20km south of Deloraine. It dates back to the late 19th century when the area was informally known as both East and West Meander. In 1900 a planned township near the present town of Meander was surveyed but this was never developed. The proposed town was to be called Cheshunt Town after the nearby Cheshunt Estate. Meander was planned and laid out a short distance away and gazetted in 1907.

St Saviour's Anglican church which opened in 1898 was preceded by a ‘Mission Church’ which opened in 1890. While a church in its own right, the building was also used as a State school on weekdays. Its congregation grew under the leadership of Reverend Leigh Tarleton, which resulted in the building ‘becoming inadequate’ and it being replaced by a larger church. After St Saviour’s was built the Mission Church was used as a Sunday school.

Reports on the opening of the ‘Mission Church’ are found in the Daily Telegraph and The Tasmanian:

“The Bishop of Tasmania will pay a visit to Deloraine on the 27th… on which occasion he will lay the foundation stone of a small mission church at East Meander. As the road from the township to East Meander is in good repair, the drive will be found a pleasant one, and doubtless many persons will journey out to assist at the ceremony”. [Daily Telegraph January 1890]

“A West Meander correspondent writes: - Monday last will long be remembered as a red letter day in the records of this distant portion of the Deloraine district, as on that day Bishop Montgomery laid the corner stone of a Mission Church, which is to be erected to supply the spiritual needs of the church people in this fast rising district. After the ceremony and a short but thoughtful address by the Bishop, an adjournment was made to a large marque, where a sumptuous tea, provided by the ladies, was done full justice to”. [The Tasmanian February 1990]

The original ‘Mission Church’ still stands alongside St Saviour’s. The history of St Saviour’s will be covered in a separate blog entry in the near future.
Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018

Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018

Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018

Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018

Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018
Sources:

 Daily Telegraph, Saturday 18 January 1890, page 2
Launceston Examiner, Wednesday 29 January 1890, page 2
The Tasmanian, Saturday 1 February 1890, page 23
Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 5 July 1893, page 4
The Mercury, Wednesday 29 September 1897, page 3

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