![David Bernard, Willow Tree, and Heather Jenkins, Wallabadah, are sad to see the sale of Wallabadah Anglican Church. Picture by Peter Hardin David Bernard, Willow Tree, and Heather Jenkins, Wallabadah, are sad to see the sale of Wallabadah Anglican Church. Picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/217877264/ae89818e-45fe-4618-8a60-bbfbf68a5647.jpg/r0_312_8256_5504_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
For families with close ties, some spanning several generations, the closure of the Anglican Church of Ascension at Wallabadah is a sad loss, but one they had seen coming.
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David Bernard is one such person.
He and wife Ann, his parents and his grandparents were all married in the church.
Mrs Bernard's grandparents were married in the church, while her great grandparents Alexander Ingall and Emma Lobsey were married in 1898, only the third couple to be married in the church after it was rebuilt in stone in 1896.
Mr Bernard's grandmother Vera Gardiner played the organ in the church for more than 50 years.
"Even though we lived in Willow Tree, when I was a child we always went to Wallabadah for church on Christmas morning," he said.
"The service was at 6.30am, so it was a very early start for Christmas Day, but it was always exciting to get to church to see my grandmother, aunts and uncles that morning."
For local and Quirindi Anglican Parish Council meetings' secretary Heather Jenkins, the closure and sale of the Church is "very sad".
"I think the church was a place where people found peace and solitude at times of trouble," she said.
"There is also a lovely plaque in the Sunday School hall that commemorates six soldiers from Wallabadah who lost their lives in World War II - four of the boys died on the one day.
"They all went to school at Wallabadah and their families had strong connections to Wallabadah and the church too."
As a relative newcomer to Wallabadah, Mrs Jenkins has been a congregational member of the church since 1981, but she points out there are a number of local families who have been congregational members for three and four generations.
![David Bernard and Heather Jenkins inside the Wallabadah Anglican Church. Picture by Peter Hardin David Bernard and Heather Jenkins inside the Wallabadah Anglican Church. Picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/217877264/c18fd655-36e3-4cbd-a976-a0c384f20fe2.jpg/r0_0_8042_5361_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The size of our congregation has been dwindling for some time, as our elderly members have moved on or passed away," she said.
"Younger locals have moved away for education and career options, returning for Christmas and Easter services to have a great reunion with their friends."
In the end, Mrs Jenkins said there was only "a handful of us attending services".
"Church members were voting with their feet and heading to St Albans Anglican Church in Quirindi - a move that started during the COVID-19 pandemic."
The situation was also hindered by the cost of upkeep and maintenance on a heritage-listed building and rising Liverpool Shire Council rates.
The hard decision was made to close and sell the building - a fate that has already befallen Quirindi Anglican parish churches at Spring Ridge and Blackville.
The last service - a farewell event attended by about 120 people - was held on October 29.
"Many couples who had been married there came back - there were people representing three and four generations," Mrs Jenkins said.
In the beginning
Wallabadah's Anglican Church of Ascention was originally built as a slab construction in 1865 and rebuilt in stone in 1896, with extensions including the curved section of roof made in 1912.
Located on a large corner block with mature trees, the church was built largely as a community effort with stone quarried from the nearby Flora's Pond quarry and carted to the site on drays by the Bourne, Kelly, Barnett and Pine families.
The bell tower was rebuilt and dedicated in 1995.
The church was listed for sale on October 28, 2023 with Davidson Cameron and Co Quirindi.
A spokesperson for the agency said the church was now under contract, with the sale expected to be finalised later this month.
"The sale created a lot of buyer interest, from local interests as well as many further afield," the spokesperson said.
Mrs Jenkins believes the new owners are planning to live in the church.
Clearing the memories
With the sale close to being resolved, Ms Jenkins said a clearing sale of church contents had been planned for Saturday, July 6, however, this had been cancelled.
"We announced the clearing sale during the St Albans service in Quirindi on Sunday, June 30, and many people were already aware the sale was coming, and members of the congregation have been stepping forward to purchase items that have special meaning for them," she said.
"Anything with a dedication plaque has been gifted back to those families, while items without plaques have been bought.
"These items, like pews and embroidered kneelers hold special memories for them."
Mrs Jenkins said Wallabadah was known as a town without an operating church, as the local Catholic church had been sold "a number of years ago" and turned into an air B'n'B.