By Narelle Coulter
JIM Allan’s first job as a small lad was ringing the Berwick Anglican Church bell.
Every Sunday morning he would rush out of Sunday school at 10.30am and take hold of the rope attached to the bell which was suspended from a big pine tree outside the old church.
Two hundred times, morning and evening, he would tug on the rope, making the bell ring out across the district.
His signal to stop was the vicar’s arm waving from the vestry door.
During the winter months, he would sometimes be invited into the vicarage for cake or lollies by the fire.
“It was the first job I ever got,“ Jim, now 90, mused.
“The bell swung beautifully. You could hear it at Officer. You could hear it all the way to Narre Warren.
“At 11am the vicar would put his arm out the vestry door, and I’d stop. I’d see his white cloak come out.
“At 7.30pm, I’d go up there again and ring it another 200 times.
“I was paid 12 shillings every three months. The money went straight to my mother.“
This month Berwick Anglican Church celebrates its 150th anniversary.
A month of activities have been planned including the parish’s 114th flower show and fair on 22 October, a visit by the area bishop for a Confirmation service on16 October and a special service of thanksgiving attended by the Archbishop of Melbourne on 30 October.
Jim and his wife Joy will join the celebrations as Berwick’s Anglicans mark their church’s long and rich history.
“I’m told I’m Berwick’s oldest Anglican,“ said Jim with just a hint of pride.
Jim’s mother, Evelyn, was a staunch Anglican, making sure her four children – Fredrick, Jim, Anne and Marguerite – were regulars at Sunday school, church services and the various social events that marked the religious calendar.
Later, Evelyn’s garden parties at the Allan family’s Berwick property, St Neot, were eagerly anticipated.
“Mother would walk to church under all circumstances, no matter how tough things were. She was a wonderful woman,“ remembered Jim fondly.
Church, sport, family and community were the scaffolding upon which the Allans built their lives.
Jim was born at Rainbow, in the Mallee. His father was a Presbyterian whose family had significant landholdings in the district.
John Allan married Evelyn Tubb, a school teacher, whose older brother Fredrick Tubb was awarded a Victoria Cross for bravery at Lone Pine, Gallipoli. Tragically, he never returned home, dying during service in France.
Disappointed when he failed to inherit any of his father’s land, John moved Evelyn and their young family firstly to Pakenham and later to Berwick.
As soon as the family was settled in Berwick, Evelyn made her way straight to the church to introduce herself and her young brood.
It was the Depression, and Jim’s father “took any work he could“.
“Things were pretty crook, but we survived.“
After finishing his primary schooling in Berwick, Jim attended Dandenong High School.
He left school to become a telegraph messenger in the postal service. His mother had insisted “I get a stable job“.
He worked in Prahran and boarded at Brighton, returning home to Berwick on the weekends.
He was later summoned back to Berwick by the local postmaster who got wind of the good work Jim was doing in Prahran.
Jim would spend the rest of his life in Berwick, save for a stint in the air force in the 1940s.
He was posted to Canada, but fell ill with mumps.
“I suppose I’m lucky. Would have got shot down the first time I went out,“ he joked ruefully.
After the war, Jim studied architecture for three years, before returning to the post office.
His spare time was spent playing football, cricket, tennis and golf for various Berwick clubs.
He was also a Scout master and held various official roles within the church, including church warden.
Jim was nearly 40 when he and Joy married in 1965. The pair had met water skiing at Lake Eildon.
“I didn’t have time to get married before that. When you’ve got a Scout troop, it’s like a full-time job,“ Jim explained.
After more than 50 years together, Jim and Joy are still demonstrably fond of each other, calling each other darling with genuine affection.
Upon joining the family, Joy was quickly co-opted into helping out at the annual St Neot spring garden party.
Evelyn would throw open the gates of her treasured garden to raise money for the church.
“We all helped,“ Joy explained.
“Jim would be on the gate taking the money and Grandma (Evelyn) would greet everyone at the gate.
“Fred would organise lucky dips and treasure hunts down in the paddocks. The ladies would parade around the lawns in their beautiful hats. It was a chance for them to dress up.
“Grandma worked tirelessly for the church.“
Former Eumemmerring MP and parishioner Neil Lucas is writing a history of Berwick Anglican Church.
“Mrs Allan was a keen gardener and set about enhancing all aspects of the large block, the adjacent street and the reserve across the road beside the Cardinia Creek,“ Mr Lucas writes in his manuscript.
“There were already numerous trees and shrubs on the property when the Allans settled in the house, and Mrs Allan added to these, planting fruit trees, lemon, lime plum, grapefruit, cumquat, willows, kiwi fruit and a large vegetable bed, which fed the family throughout the year. An orchard, lemon trees and a grove of willows then provided a backdrop to the south of the house. Mrs Allan together with Fred and Jim designed the flower beds, fish ponds, arbours, and the rose beds – they all contributed to turn the garden into a wonderful display each season.
“When the Allans’ garden had developed to Mrs Allan’s satisfaction, a proposal was put to the vicar that a garden party be conducted as a social and fund-raising event.
“The garden party at the Allans became a regular event and was conducted for more than 20 years during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. It was not unusual for more than 200 to be in attendance. Various activities were planned well in advance with all the family members together with their friends assisting with their expertise, stalls with items for sale, hat parades, art shows with works for sale. Fred would spend hours planning games and entertainment for the children. Marguerite together with her friends would assist the members of the Ladies Guild who worked tirelessly throughout the day with teas, coffees and delicious cakes, scones and sandwiches.
“The vicar would make a speech and guests wandered through the rose gardens, by the fish ponds and fountains, or made use of the tables and chairs which were scattered around the garden. A favourite place on a hot day was under the large willow in the back garden where the deck chairs added additional colour.
“Others would wander down to the Cardinia Creek area. These events were a highlight of the church year and greatly anticipated each year by the parishioners.“
In 1976, Evelyn jotted down her thoughts about that year’s event.
“The garden is really in good order as we had a garden party for the Church of England on the 13th of the month,“ she wrote.
“The result was marvellous owing to co-operation of family, friends and neighbours, and many thanks are due to the efforts of the Church Guild. Here it was a glorious day, and we had afternoon tea out on the back lawns under willow trees and the paddock where Fred had massed bed of dahlias, zinnias and phlox. Also a treasure island roped off and a fortune teller’s tent. He was very popular and there was a queue waiting. We had erected a tent for him but this he left when it became hot and took refuge under the pin oak which is starting to colour. Jim counted up 520 dollars. The church warden took the money to bank for church funds and so concluded our effort.”
For Evelyn, the garden parties were her way of contributing financially to the church.
“In those days people gave money to the church, but the Allans didn’t have any money to give anybody,“ Jim said.
“It was Mum’s way of making a contribution.
“She had a lovely garden, and in those days you showed your garden. People who visited Mum would go away with boxes of bulbs and cuttings. She would do the flowers for the church and send flowers to the hospitals.“
Jim and Joy were among those who wandered through the old church when it was opened to the public to launch celebrations on 2 October. The building is now in private hands, and is used for Pilates classes.
The visit was a walk down memory lane for Jim, who reminisced about his mother’s dexterity on the organ and his days as a bell boy.
As for the old bell, it hangs outside the new church, mounted in a specially made steel frame.
During October it will be rung 15 times before each service, one gong for every decade.
Neil Lucas’ book will be published next year.
For further information on the 150th celebrations, go to info@berwickanglicanchurch.org.au or phone 9707 1105.
