Saint Luke’s Story 125 Years – 1874-1999

Saint Luke’s Story

125 years – 1874-1999

A Brief History of Saint Luke’s Church Havelock North

by Philippa Chambers

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An Historical Journey – 1874-1999

THE EARLY YEARS

St Luke’s Church is, and always has been, one of the focal points of Havelock North. Its origins go back to the early days of the village when there was a handful of English settlers making themselves a new life here.

In 1872 there were five houses, four shops, a pub, two blacksmiths, a school, a Presbyterian church and about 400 people living in the surrounding district.

At this stage before the Ngaruroro River changed its course Havelock North was on the main route south of Napier. It appeared to be the growing centre for the Heretaunga Plains. The outlying countryside had been bought and was being developed into large runs by more English settlers.

St Luke’s was built in a style reminiscent of English wooden churches of the day and reflected the traditions of those early settlers.

Although the original church has been considerably enlarged during its 125-year history, the basic concept has been faithfully adhered to. The 1874 tower was removed in 1913 to allow for extensions. The first five bays of the present nave are the original church. Rimu timber has been used throughout the structural body of the church and the lining is all kauri, now dark with age. The use of timber, especially in the carved arches, adds a great deal to the character of this lovely church.

A COLOURFUL CHARACTER

Thomas Tanner (1830-1918) of Wiltshire, was one of the early settlers who had bought large holdings of land on the Heretaunga Plains. He was the instigator and financial benefactor of St Luke’s. He was a colourful character of the day, and played an important part in the history of Havelock North, Hastings and indeed New Zealand because of his involvement in local body and national politics and his daring business ventures which cost him three fortunes.

Tanner loved the Church of England, he took a leading role in St Luke’s from its beginnings and for 20 years served as vestryman, synodsman and vicar’s warden. It was he who engaged the local builder, George Bee, (who also served for

Photo captions –

1874 The original Saint Luke’s on a treeless landscape.

Thomas Tanner

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St Luke’s Church – Havelock North

many years on the vestry) to build the church. A contract between the two men was signed in November 1873. Tanner no doubt also had a say in the appointment of the church’s architect, Thomas Cooper, of Napier. (Cooper also designed All Saints in Taradale, but there’s little other information available about him or his work).

The land bought for the church was a four-section block, which according to the original town plan, belonged to N Wilson, S Begg, A Wyatt and A H Russell.

Photo caption – George Bee

FIRST SAINT LUKE’S

According to the memo of agreement Bee was given just six months to complete the task. However, the service of consecration was not held until 20 September 1874 (10 months after the contract was signed).

The reasons for delay are not recorded but it appears from this synod report of September 1874 that the result was satisfactory:
“A ‘neat’ church was consecrated at Havelock North on Sunday, 20 September, at a cost of £550.”

The Havelock North correspondent of the Hawke’s Bay Herald had this to say about the consecration:
“St Paul’s (sic!) church was opened on Sunday the 20th inst. and was consecrated by the Right Rev. The Bishop of Waiapu (Bishop W. Williams), the incumbent, the Rev. Mr Marshall assisting. The church was literally crammed. In the evening Mr Marshall conducted the service and preached in a very excellent and impressive manner.”

From its inception St Luke’s was well attended and it was only a matter of six years before the need to add a chancel and vestry came up for discussion.

SECOND SAINT LUKE’S

Plans were drawn up by leading Christchurch architect B.W. Mountford who was well known in Canterbury as the founding father of an architectural tradition. His work includes the Canterbury Provincial Building Centre, Canterbury College Hall, the original Canterbury museum, the first Auckland Cathedral and the pre-earthquake Napier Cathedral.

Additions of a Chancel and Ventry were completed in 1881.

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An Historical Journey – 1874-1999

[Drawing of the floor plan of the church]

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St Luke’s Church – Havelock North

Today the Lady Chapel is all that is left of Mountford’s contribution to St Luke’s. The vestry which he designed has been removed and incorporated with the schoolroom.

Vestryman Mr William Fairhead undertook the building of these additions for a fee of £300 to be completed by Christmas 1880. However, it appears from vestry notes the job had some unforeseen difficulties as it was not finished in time and cost more than the contract price. But the vestry meeting of April 1881 recorded satisfaction with the work and a sum of £330 was fully paid.

THIRD SAINT LUKE’S

The village continued to grow and so did St Luke’s congregation. In November 1904 the vicar, the Reverend A.F. Gardiner proposed a scheme to raise funds for re-roofing and enlarging the Church. It was decided to add an aisle on the south side and this addition was completed by January 1906.

Four years later additions were again under vestry consideration, this time because Woodford House girls’ school had moved from Hastings to Havelock North and the headmistress, Miss M. A. Hodge, wished the girls to attend Sunday morning services. She guaranteed 3d. per girl each week whether or not they were present. She said she would ask the school authorities to give £5 a year to the stipend fund.

It took two years of planning and discussion before vestryman and architect William Rush, of Rush and James, was asked to submit plans for enlarging the church. These plans were approved by Bishop A. W. Averill on 4 October 1912 and the foundation stone was later laid by him on Shrove Tuesday, 4 February 1913.

William Rush was an English trained church architect who came to live in Havelock North in 1904.

Photo captions –

In 1913 major additions in ferro-concrete were made, including a tower as a memorial to the late Vicar, the Reverend Allen Gardiner.

The wall of the north aisle was rebuilt in timber after the 1931 earthquake damage which was so severe that the tower had to be removed altogether.

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An Historical Journey – 1874-1999

He also designed Woodford House, Iona College, Hereworth School and the Eskdale Church. He is known too for his paintings and drawings of New Zealand.

The enlarged church was consecrated on 24 August 1913. The earthquake of 1931 caused so much damage to the tower that for reasons of safety it had to be removed. Other damage to the north nave wall, the entrance porch and the West wall was reconstructed in timber.

Apart from the north side-entrance and porch which were designed by the architectural firm of Davies, Philips, Chaplin and Partners and added in 1965, the structure of the church remained as it was in 1931 until the additions of 1998.

ST LUKE’S IN THE 1990s

By the beginning of the 1990s the church and all its buildings needed upgrading. The parish and vicar’s office, the supper room/Sunday school and village hall, and the Mission Guild op shop were all in separate buildings in various stages of repair. In 1993 the property review committee put a draft plan to parishioners. The plan was for an addition to the church, which would include all the functions of the other buildings except the op shop, under one roof and would also include a steeple to replace the one destroyed in the earthquake. The draft had been drawn up (at no cost to the parish unless accepted) by Sir Miles Warren of Warren and Mahoney, architects of Christchurch, for the parish to consider. The proposal was not put to the vote, but some parishioners expressed concerns over finance, and the steeple was viewed by some as a luxury. Vestry was asked to re-think the issue and report again.

A second committee was formed and eventually came to much the same conclusions as the first but the cost was still a problem. Consideration was given to moving, leasing or selling the hall, or to abandoning the extension programme and adapting the hall to accommodate the offices, meeting rooms and toilets. After getting professional advice, none of these options were considered to be satisfactory.

At this stage the Director of Anglican Care proposed a St Luke’s retirement village as a development to extend the organisation’s aged care services, and to help fund St Luke’s redevelopment programme. It soon became clear that the position and size of the hall was going to be a problem. The parish was forced to face the possible demolition of the hall if the site development committee’s proposal was to be accepted.

The proposal was presented to the parish in November 1995 and a month later it won approval at an emotional meeting of 147 parishioners where it was put to the vote with the requirement of a 70% agreement for acceptance. The decision was the subject of a drawn-out public controversy. A petition was

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St Luke’s Church – Havelock North

organised to save the hall, media reports were frequent and letters to the editor became heated and at times vitriolic.

The people of Havelock North and many parishioners felt strongly about the village hall. It was one of the last of the early Havelock North village buildings still standing. Designed by William Rush and built in 1910, it was the result of a community fund raising effort. In 1916, however, it was passed over to St Luke’s with debts equal to half its original cost. It continued to be used as a village hall for both community and church functions and it filled a vital role, but by the 1990s it was out-dated, seldom used and expensive for the parish to maintain. The Historic Places Trust placed a C classification rating on it in 1994. But the view of the Trust was that it was not an outstanding example of Rush’s work, and that there were more impressive local examples. The hall’s continued existence had to be balanced against how the church could best function in its role of serving the community as it approached the 2000s.

It was a difficult time for the parish but the hall was demolished in September 1996. The supper room was given to the Baptist Church and is now situated in Te Aute Road. It has been extended and refurbished and is now their permanent Church centre. The op shop was sold for re-location and the old St Luke’s School room which includes part of the original Church and which had housed the parish offices for many years, was moved to the present street front site. It has been lovingly refurbished and painted in stages by groups of parishioners and community volunteers and is now the mission guild’s op shop.

Many parishioners resisted the inclusion of the steeple in the church extension plan, because of the cost. However in May 1996 an anonymous donation by parishioners, to cover the cost of the steeple, was accepted by vestry and the redevelopment plan continued. In May 1998 the 12 unit St Luke’s Close retirement village, designed by Warren & Mahoney of Christchurch and Paris Magdalinos of Napier was ready for its first occupants.

The blessing of the church extensions (also designed by Warren & Mahoney and Paris Magdalinos) by Bishop Murray Mills was the focus of St Luke’s Patronal Festival in October 1998. Then, in time for the Christmas celebrations, the church was painted and the landscaping of the grounds and sealing of the drive were also completed.

The same year St Luke’s was fortunate to receive three important grants from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board. The first of $50,000 (from the Community Facilities division) went into the main lounge which will be available for public hire and community activities such as the St Luke’s Community Drop In Centre and the Pre-School Music groups which meet regularly.

The second grant of $6,000 (from the Environment and Heritage division) was given to cover the costs of a conservation report by a recommended NZ Historic

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An Historical Journey – 1874-1999

Places Trust architect Jeremy Salmond. The third grant of $66,000 from the same source enabled the recommendations to be carried out. These included the braced repiling of the whole church, the installation of fire sprinklers, restoration and protection of the stained glass windows, and a great deal of other restorative work.

VICARS – 1872 – 1999

History is about people and in the life of a church there are many people involved. Unfortunately, in a short publication like this, there is not room to give credit to all the people who have given their time and talents to the development of the parish over the past 125 years. Not the least of these is clergy wives. There are many others deserving recognition too. However here we restrict ourselves to the contributions of the clergy.

Detailed biographies have been written in Robert H. Somerville’s “A History of the Church of St Luke” so here we shall just take a brief look at the contributions of each vicar.

There were two vicars responsible for Havelock North who predated the founding of St Luke’s, they were first John Townsend, vicar of St John’s, Napier from 1867 and later Samuel Dutton Greene who was appointed to Clive, Havelock North and Puketapu in 1872. However, he resigned later the same year.

William Marshall was the first minister to be appointed specifically to Havelock North. Although there was no church at that time services were held on occasions at the home of Mr and Mrs John Chambers at Te Mata homestead.

St Luke’s was built during his ministry. From a letter he wrote to his parishioners on Christmas Day 1874 (he was unable to preach because of illness) it was obvious he had a gentle nature. He was a devout priest and focused his ministry on family life.

One of the major events of his time at St Luke’s was the establishment of St Matthew’s church in Hastings. Havelock North was the main centre of the district in those days and Hastings was a part of this parish. It was largely due to the efforts of William Marshall that the first church of St Matthew was built.

Photo captions –

John Townshend

Samuel Greene

William Marshall

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St Luke’s Church – Havelock North

St Luke’s served as the mother church of Hastings and Clive until 1895.

William Marshall resigned in 1878 and was replaced by the Reverend Harry Woodford St Hill, brother-in-law of Thomas Tanner. St Hill was a family man, and his whole family took an active part in the life of St Luke’s especially in the field of music. It was during his ministry, and thanks to the generosity of Thomas Tanner that the Sunday School (the school room) was built in 1882. St Hill resigned in 1901.

The Reverend Allen Francis Gardiner was the next vicar. He had a British missionary family background in South America. Before coming to New Zealand he joined the Royal Navy and later studied at Cambridge.

Allen Gardiner’s ministry at St Luke’s was marked by growth and development. A vicarage was built in his time and it was largely due to his efforts that St Luke’s was enlarged. He was also responsible for the establishment of the Village Hall. It was in his time too that St Luke’s took on the extra help of a curate (the Reverend A. Hall). Gardiner resigned in 1911 owing to ill health and died the following year.

The Reverend John Arthur Lush was appointed as vicar in 1912 just as the renewed church building was completed.

The first World War was taking its toll at this stage and for some time Lush was away serving as an army chaplain leaving Reverend Hall in charge of the parish. After the war, when Lush returned to St Luke’s he became involved in the founding of St Luke’s Day School which opened in 1920.

In 1921 he left the parish and his place was filled by Canon Kenneth Edward McLean who was St Luke’s first New Zealand born vicar.

During his years in the parish he highlighted the need for a healing mission as well as giving importance to missionary work abroad. He loved children and his interest in them is reflected in the two books he wrote

Photo captions –

H.W. St Hill

Allen Gardiner

John Lush

Kenneth McLean

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An Historical Journey – 1874-1999

whilst in Havelock North. They were “A Religion for Monday Morning” and “The Pearl Fishers”.

In 1930 he was appointed Archdeacon of Hawke’s Bay. He resigned from St Luke’s in 1937.

The next vicar was Stephen Francis Newcome Waymouth who was inducted in the same year. He was an Englishman, born in India. During the first years of his ministry the Second World War was having a marked effect on church attendance and Mr Waymouth worked hard to improve it. He also gave special attention to his work with young people, teaching at both Woodford House and Hereworth schools.

In 1948 he was made Canon with responsibility for Missions. It was at his instigation in 1947 that the parish magazine “Tidings” first made an appearance.

In 1955 Canon Waymouth was made Archdeacon of Hawke’s Bay and not long after that he retired from Havelock North.

St Luke’s was without a vicar for nearly 12 months but at the end of 1955 the Reverend John Cecil Julius Wilson was welcomed as vicar. Born in Adelaide, he was the son of the Bishop of Melanesia. He began his ministry at a time when all churches throughout the country were suffering financially from the effects of the war, and one of the first things he had to do was close down the day school.

At this time the Wells Organisation (a professional fundraising group) was working with great success for churches throughout New Zealand, so in the early years of John Wilson’s ministry the services of the Wells Organisation were enlisted. This caused both tension and interest in church life. Soon the church was flourishing again and parish groups began to spring up and grow.

In 1961 John Wilson was made Canon with responsibility for Diocesan Social Services.

The parish was now able to take on the extra help of a curate, the Reverend H.E. Titterton, the first since Mr Hall. John Wilson served St Luke’s for 15 years until 1970 when he became vicar of Otane. In 1989 John became chaplain of Waiapu House where he is still serving in 1999.

There was another long gap after he left before a new vicar was appointed. During that time the parish was in the hands of the curate the Reverend

Photo captions –

Stephen Waymouth

John Wilson

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St Luke’s Church – Havelock North

Selwyn Jones. In July 1971 the Reverend David William King became the first Hawke’s Bay born vicar of St Luke’s. He had a strong teaching ministry both among the school student parishioners and his adult congregation. He ran a “know your faith” course one year from which a number of house groups were formed.

David King was deputy chairman of Waiapu House committee and in 1976 was made Canon responsible for Social Services in the diocese.

He helped with the establishment of the Drop-in Centre and it was in his time that the Missionary Guild’s regular Friday shop day began in the Green Room.

A central event during his ministry was the St Luke’s centennial celebrations in 1974.

David King resigned from St Luke’s at the end of 1978 to go to Cambridge and once more St Luke’s was without a vicar, but the parish was grateful for the help of John Wilson, Who was retired and living in Havelock North. He and the curate David Moxon led the parish until the arrival of Canon Peter Geoffrey Atkins in 1979. Peter Atkins was born in Ireland; he studied at Cambridge university and came to New Zealand in 1960. In 1979 he was appointed Archdeacon of Hawke’s Bay.

Much of his energy during his ministry at St Luke’s was devoted to young people and schools. This aspect of his work was highlighted by the 1983 visit to St Luke’s of the Archbishop of Canterbury, (Archbishop Runcie), an occasion and celebration specifically for school pupils within the area.

During his ministry there were a number of major tragedies suffered by members of the parish which included the Erebus disaster.

This was also a time of continuing growth in relationships between all the churches in Havelock North. In 1983 Peter Atkins was elected Bishop of Waiapu.

The curate of that time, the Reverend Alister Hendery had charge of the parish until the arrival of the Venerable Rex Caudwell Archdeacon of Waitomo from the Diocese of Waikato. He was instituted as vicar in December 1983 and made canon with responsibility for Christian Education in 1984.

In February 1984 he was joined by the Reverend Arnold Chalmers as assistant priest, a role he filled until 1989

Photo captions –

David King

Peter Atkins

Rex Caudwell

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An Historical Journey – 1874-1999

when the Reverend Stephen Donald became assistant priest for a year. Although retired, Arnold continued to give assistance from time to time. Youth ministry was led for three years by youth Pastor Helen Dunnett. The Reverend Stuart Anderson a retired minister living in Havelock North joined the assistant ministry team in 1991 and has taken on part-time leadership roles several times during the 1990s. In 1999 he is still a member of the ministry team. In 1992 the Reverend John Candy joined the parish as assistant priest. He left in 1994.

During this time St Luke’s roof was retiled and within the church the sanctuary and chancel were rearranged to bring the altar closer to the people to allow for greater flexibility in its use and to reflect changes in liturgical practise.

It was during Rex’s ministry that the Sacred Dance Group and the Harvesters music and singing group were formed, these, with the parish choir provided a variety of music and worship for services. The ministry of healing was also established at a monthly service. The Pre-school music group began in 1993 and immediately became popular with young families in the community.

Rex introduced the Education for Ministry programme to St Luke’s. Women began to take an equal part in ministry at services of worship. Varonie Scarborough became the first woman to be People’s Warden.

In November 1993 Rex resigned from St Luke’s to become vicar of Te Aroha.

The parish was grateful to three retired Havelock North clergy who were responsible for ministry until the new appointment was made. They were the Reverends Stuart Anderson, Cherie Baker and Arnold Chalmers.

The appointment of the Reverends David and Ann Dinniss from Wellington broke new ground for St Luke’s, they were the first husband and wife clergy team for the parish. David was vicar and Ann associate priest, (Ann was also a part time dentist). They were inducted in July 1994. Stuart Anderson also continued his part-time ministry and Reverend Bronwyn Marchant came as curate in 1996 until she was appointed vicar of Takapau in 1997. Rebecca Heyward is the current youth minister at St Luke’s, she was appointed in 1996.

David and Ann have brought a strong commitment to teaching, social justice, music and youth. They arrived at a crossroads time in the development of St Luke’s. Differing points of view on theology and styles of worship had come to a head and plans to up-grade the

Photo caption – David and Ann Dinniss

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St Luke’s Church – Havelock North

Church and site had been put on hold because of the sheer size of the project and the sensitivities it raised in the parish. But with a new vicar decisions had to be made. It was a difficult time; David had not initiated the project but he had to be involved in its resolution. With the clergys’ encouragement and everyone’s attention to due process St Luke’s now has a complex which is probably the envy of many churches throughout the country. The Dinniss’ regret the inevitable hurts suffered by some members of the parish but have worked hard to minimise them.

Ann gave up dentistry in 1997 and on Palm Sunday 1998 she was inducted as co vicar with David. While they share the worship and preaching roles David focuses more on teaching and Ann on pastoral ministry, developing liturgy and music. Monthly Taizé worship has been introduced and a number of programmes including ‘The Way of Faith’ and ‘Pastoral Partners’ have also been established. Programmes for young people and parents are an important part of St Luke’s ministry. In his role as Chairman of the Waiapu Diocesan Social Justice Committee David also involves the parish in issues of social justice.

The Dinniss’ believe in an on-going development of the ministry of all believers.

They see a healthy future for the parish which in 1999 has a growing group of young families and children involved in the life of the church.

LOOKING AT ST LUKE’S TODAY

St Luke’s is one of the most beautiful and interesting churches in the district. This is true of both the inside and outside.

There is no doubt that the huge pin oak tree which was planted by J.H. Williams in about 1890 enhances the surroundings of the church and is an ever present reminder of the wonder of God’s creation, just as the stained glass windows and other works of art add to the beauty and spiritual atmosphere of the inside.

We enter St Luke’s today by walking up wide steps covered by an arched porch, new doors lead into a new and spacious foyer, the steps and floor are tiled in terracotta.

The beauty of the timber used in the high ceiling, walls and doors makes a striking first impression. The design and staining of the timber is all in keeping with the church interior. Now the offices, lounge, two schoolrooms and toilets are all adjacent to one another, a part of the church as a whole.

From the foyer we can see the old baptistry which has been cut off from the body of the church by glass and timber doors and now serves as a flower room. The font and stained glass window have been moved, the font stands in the foyer and the window is now in the church. Wide double doors of timber and glass lead into the body of the church

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An Historical Journey – 1874-1999

STAINED GLASS

Inside, the immediate and perhaps most striking feature is the archway of timber beams which spans the centre aisle of the church. Another feature which St Luke’s is well known for is its stained glass windows. The oldest of these, in the chapel, was given by the vicar Canon Woodford St Hill. Two other sets of windows, also in the chapel, were given by the parishioners – one in memory of St Hill’s wife and the other in St Hill’s memory.

The window, ‘The Good Samaritan’ was moved from the baptistry into the church and was given in memory of another vicar, Archdeacon Kenneth McLean. Other windows (apart from the small one over the altar which was given by the Sunday School as a war memorial) were given in memory of faithful parishioners by their families and include work by famous names in stained glass such as Powell of Whitefrairs and Woon of Putney. The more recent windows are works of Wellington artist Beverley Shore-Bennett and made by the Miller studios of Dunedin.

MUSIC

Music has always played a major part in the life of St Luke’s and the present organ is the third to be used.

It was the result of a major fundraising campaign by parishioners which culminated in a “sale of gifts” in the village hall on 21 April 1926.

The organ, from Lawton and Osborne of Auckland, was installed in the church that year. Since then some major changes have been made to the instrument, including electrification, replacement of some pipes and in 1976 a complete rebuilding by Crofts of Auckland, with the installation of a new console. The cost of this last work was met by a small group of parishioners.

The parish choir went into recess in 1997, but continues to provide choral singing for special services and Elizabeth Curtis continues in her 22 year ministry as Music Director.

PARISH ACTIVITIES

There has always been a variety of active parish groups at St Luke’s and this history would not be complete without mentioning the work of the Mission Guild which has been active for 31 years, giving support to missions both overseas and at home. The Mother’s Union, later to become The Association of Anglican Women, has also flourished at St Luke’s since 1914 catering for the different ages and stages of women’s lives. Beautiful flower arrangements have always been part of the tradition of St Luke’s thanks to the many women over the years who have given and still give their time and talents to working on the flower roster. One of the special ways St Luke’s has been providing

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St Luke’s Church – Havelock North

loving service since 1974 is through The Samaritans who provide frozen meals for people in times of need.

FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS

Throughout history religion has inspired artists and St Luke’s is lucky to have been given some special pieces as well as having had a number of artists and crafts people amongst its own parishioners.

The crucifix above the pulpit was given as a reminder of a mission held in the parish in 1911 by Father Fitzgerald CR. He had been given the crucifix by a Mrs Stewart of Kensington for a New Zealand church. The figure is carved in ivory and dates back to the 16th or 17th century. Canon Lush had the crucifix mounted on a wooden cross and placed in its present position.

The altar rails which were made and designed by Mr J.C. Vivian of Christchurch in conjunction with Mr K.E.H. Ellicott were installed and dedicated in 1958. For the most part the cost of these was met by a Sunday School fund collected over a period of 16 years. These rails were moved to their present place at the same time as the chancel and sanctury [sanctuary] area was rearranged in 1986.

The altar itself is an oak refectory table, also the work of J.C. Vivian. It was given by Mrs Waymouth and her family in memory of her husband Archdeacon Waymouth. A Laudian frontal embroidered by Jill McVinnie of Hamilton is used on special occasions. It was given in 1987 by the Lincoln family in memory of John Winfry Lincoln. A set of seasonal banners, frontals and falls was made for St Luke’s by two parishioners Jan Boyce and Joan Dennison in 1998.

The processional cross and the paschal candle stand were designed, carved and presented to St Luke’s by Mr E.J. Treacher, The Wardens’ staves were given by David and Beverley Fenton in 1985.

Then there’s the Bishop’s chair which was designed in oak by a parishioner, Miss Ruth Nelson. It was given by her mother in 1925. The carved altar ledge in the chapel was made by Miss Nelson. The clergy chairs were made in 1882 by A. M. Johnson. There are a number of prayer cushions in the sanctuary and these were all made by Mrs Caroline Turner-Williams, a parishioner who died in 1978 aged 106.

The plain oak cross on the wall behind the altar is a focal point for the congregation. It rests in perfect proportions with the space created by the three windows on this wall. Although it looks as though the space was planned specifically for it, this cross was designed by Canon John Wilson during his ministry and made by Mr Ted Treacher.

Mr Treacher also made and donated a prayer desk and more recently (in 1988) the baptismal table, Which he made from a branch of the St Luke’s

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An Historical Journey – 1874-1999

Oak tree which broke off in 1982. He also donated all the prayer book shelves in every pew. The brass lectern was a gift from Canon H. Woodford St Hill in 1888, in thanksgiving for his safe return from England.

A hand painted banner inscribed ‘The Leaves of the Tree for the Healing of the Nations was painted by C.O.S. Kilbeck, artist of the Alcuin Guild, London, and was given to St Luke’s by Reverend Lush on his return from service as an army chaplain.

An oak dower chest in the foyer was given by Mr and Mrs Miles Greenwood in memory of his parents, Mr and Mrs A.R. Greenwood. It had been in Mrs Greenwood’s family (Crompton) since the 17th century. Its history is recorded and pasted on the inside of the lid.

MEMORIALS

In the access enclosure to the steeple there is a brass plaque reminding us that the first tower which fell in the earthquake was erected in memory of Allen Francis Gardiner by his parishioners and friends. There is also bronze plaque commemorating the life and contribution to St Luke’s of George Bee, the builder of the original St Luke’s on this site. This was given by his descendants in Havelock in 1988 and is one of many plaques commemorating faithful parishioners and clergy.

A bronze war memorial by the main door remembers by name the men of the parish who gave their lives in the two world wars.

So there is much in Saint Luke’s
which honours the past,
there is also much
which celebrates the present
and there are the people of Saint Luke’s
who with Christians throughout the world
look forward with faith
to the challenge of the future.

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St Luke’s Church – Havelock North

CURATES, ASSOCIATE AND ASSISTANT PRIESTS

J. Hobbs   1890-95
H.E. Taylor (Temporary help from)   1896
H.H. Robjohns   1909-1911
L.J. Mackay   1911-15
A.F. Hall   1915-19
H.E. Titterton   1959-61
L.P. Florance 1964-67
B.E. White   1967-68
S.H. Jones   1968-72
B.J. Hamilton   1972-75
P.J. Davidson   1975-78
D.J. Moxon   1978-81
A.G. Hendery   1981-84
A.L.R. Chalmers (Associate Priest)   1984-88
S. Donald   1989-90
S. Anderson   1991-
J. Candy   1992-94
B. Marchant   1996-97

CREDITS

Text   Philippa Chambers
Photographs   S Bowden
P. Dingemans
J. Foster
B. Galloway

First printed for Saint Luke’s Parish Vestry 1988

We gratefully acknowledge a generous bequest from the estate of the late Melva Monica Woods which enabled the initial printing of this publication.

Revised for 125th anniversary in 1999

The author acknowledges the help of two previous publications:
‘St Luke’s Havelock 1874-1949’
‘A History of the Parish of Havelock North’, Hawke’s Bay 1874-1974
Robert H. Somerville

Brebner Print