The Goldfields Leader of February 1902 reported that “The Boulder Miners’ Hall was erected on the Lake View lease some 5 or 6 years ago”.
It is believed that the Rev’d E.M. Collick purchased it by private subscription and almost entirely enlarged it considerably at his own expense He was Rector of Boulder from1898 to 1901. For a time it was used as a Church Day School. Then the Government rented it for twelve months, the lease expiring in July 1901. Regular Sunday services were commenced just before Advent 1901.
When the Lake View school was opened in 1902 there were regular services and Sunday School in the building. Parochial statistics reveal that for the year ended Easter 1902 there were 10 Sunday School teachers and a total of 137 pupils enrolled. There were also 3 teachers and 36 pupils at the Lake View Mission Hall Sunday School. A bell and turret were provided by Mr and Mrs R. Hamilton in 1902 and other improvements effected. The population of the mines area was beginning to decline somewhat in 1903 as people moved to newer suburbs. The building was moved to Leviathan Street South Boulder in 1904 and opened there by Bishop Riley that October.
SOUTH BOULDER
The Church of S. Mark [and later S. Aidan] Leviathan Street, Boulder
This building was originally built as the Mines Hall [1896-1897] on the Lake View lease, and was moved to South Boulder in 1904 and erected on Lot no. 382, which was between 23 and 29 Leviathan Street. A Sunday School was being held at this time in the school and Mr W.B. Matthews was Stipendiary lay reader in charge, and he was followed by Mr L.B. Drury. A Mr Rodway was there in October 1906, the same year that the township was gazetted.
Bishop Riley re-dedicated the new church at 3pm on Sunday 23-10-1904, and it was reported at the Boulder Parish A.G.M. in May 1905 that “since the opening of the building there have been regular Sunday morning and evening services, and Holy Communion has also twice been celebrated by the Rector. It stood on Lot 382. The Sunday School has grown tremendously, and there are now about 90 children on the roll”. There, too, “a promising choir is being formed, and Miss Wellwood, who for some years played in S. Matthew’s [Boulder] has very kindly taken charge of the organ”. In the same year Mr Drury visited South Boulder State School for two classes each week and West Boulder for one, instructing an average of 136 children per week.
The church was restored in 1916 and became known as S. Aidan’s when a parochial district was formed in the following year. From 1916 – 1918 the Rev’d W.F.H.N. Eldershaw had charge of the district together with Brown Hill and Trafalgar. It is believed that the Rev’d R. Coverdale also had charge for a while in 1918. The Bishop stated that from May 1923 Boulder and South Boulder would be worked as one parish. Upon the resignation of the Rev’d A.F.H. Edington the Bishop stated in 1924 that it was “not advisable or possible to appoint a successor as district has shrunk by removals”. The Sunday School continued to the end of 1928. The last service was held therein on 20-03-1929 by the Rector of Boulder with a congregation of five. In 1929 the building was sold for £35.
Centres in 1922 were: South Boulder, Trafalgar, Brown Hill and Kanowna. The Rector received a stipend of £250 p.a. plus Rectory. F.W. Brindley was the Secretary and A.E. Pett the Synodsman.
CLERGY STATIONED IN SOUTH BOULDER
1918 – 1921 L.A. Marina
1921 – 1924 A.F.H. Edington
Information supplied by Ted Doncaster
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