THE Casterton Old Scots Uniting Church has seen countless locals enter the world and many of them depart as well.
However, the long-standing historical icon is slowly crumbling and the effort to restore it to its full glory faces a significant uphill climb.
The 114-year-old heritage-listed building is in poor condition inside, with the cement walls crumbling in multiple places.
While the outside does not show the same level of deterioration, there are concerns about some mortar joints in the bricks which have also disintegrated over time.
Chairwoman Dawn Black, who has been with the church for the last thirty years, said the last works of any significance happened around the time she returned to the church but had not been successful.
“I think it wasn’t long before it started breaking down again,” she said.
Out the back of the building, in the vestry, is where some of the worst damage is.
Behind a spare pew, a large space along the wall is one of the worst affected parts, while a brick hidden there remains a mystery – the circumstances of where it came from and how it got there are unknown.
Secretary Jean Dunstan said one place in the wall, by the back door, was in “perfect” condition when she was first with the church 17 years ago.
Now, much of the outer layer has worn away and the bricks are left exposed.
Ms Black said other parts in the church had been in gradual decay for longer.
“Inside the front door … that’s been happening gradually for about the last 20 years,” she said.
“We’re very concerned about it.
“People come and say, ‘What a beautiful building it is’ – well, it’s a beautiful building but it’ll fall down eventually if nothing’s done.”
The difficulty so far has laid in securing someone to look at it and determine what it will take to completely patch up the church.
Ms Dunstan said even a price tag for works had not been confirmed.
“At the moment, it’s just guesswork of 10,000 (dollars) – be lucky if we get it for that,” she said.
“I mean, you could pull a figure out of the air – we don’t really know until we can get a plasterer or a specialist to look at it and give us a quote.”
The main hurdle they have faced is securing contact details, with some names provided but no contact numbers.
“Most of those sort of people have got mobile phone numbers and you can’t get them in the phone book,” Ms Dunstan said.
“I’ve looked through all the phone books, I’ve looked through the internet to try and find these people whose names were given and they’re just not listed.
“So, until I can get somebody with a phone number, I’ve got no idea how I’m going to do it.”
In the meantime, both Ms Dunstan and Ms Black are inviting the community to help out by donating towards the effort to eventually give the church the much-needed renovations.
At this stage, a market day is set to be held on Sunday, 26 November at 11am to raise funds for the church.
People are invited to set up stalls and car boots at $10 per site.
More information can be found by contacting Jean Dunstan.
Alternatively, the office behind the church is available on Tuesdays between 9am and 12pm and Fridays between 1pm and 4pm.
Ms Dunstan and Ms Black hope to hold more fundraisers down the track and any extra helpers are much appreciated.
Preserving history
IT IS little wonder the desire to preserve the church is so strong, considering the significant history it has seen in more than century.
The building was constructed in 1908 and opened in March, 1909 as the second home for the Casterton Presbyterian Church.
The original building, erected around 1865 at 160 Henty Street, was sold when it became too small for the congregation and now holds the Masonic Lodge.
The foundation stone for the second building was laid by Samuel Gillespie, an Irish-born storekeeper and the brother of Presbyterian minister, Reverend William Gillespie.
Samuel Gillespie also donated the land on which it stands.
Articles archived online go into detail on the regular tennis matches between the old Presbyterian church and the Anglican church further along Henty Street.
The old courts behind the church are now little more than concrete squares, not at all usable for tennis.
In 1977, the church was part of an Australia-wide merger of the majority of churches in the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational denominations, making it the Scots Uniting Church it is known as today.
Among its old regular events were a flower show – held every November in the town hall – and a casserole luncheon in the middle of every winter.
The flower show had been a hit with locals in its time but became increasingly difficult for a small group to put together.
Regular attendance numbers took a hit in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, with around 12 regular attendees, but the church still holds events such as funerals which draw larger numbers.
Just last month, 37 people farewelled Reverend Will Pickett, who moved away to be inducted at Bendigo.