Church services on the Bouddi Peninsula

Almost 90 years ago, a Mr Ransley held church services in his home at Wagstaffe.

As the congregation grew, Rev Tanner came across by rowing boat from Woy Woy.

On June 16, 1914, Lot 68 Wagstaff Point Estate was purchased by Alfred Thomas Pritchard, Harbour Master of Sydney, for 17 pounds 10 shillings and transferred on the same title to the Lord Bishop of Newcastle, John Francis Stretch for 10 shillings.

Early residents recall a rough, general purpose, community-cum-mission hall in Wagstaffe Ave being used for socials and occasional services.

There were no pews in 1920.

After World War I Mr Ransley, with the help of locals as timber cutting was the main industry, built a hall for dances.

The proceeds were to be used to pay to build a Church of England on the present block bought for 10 shillings by the Diocese of Newcastle.

As well as services, baptisms, funerals and weddings were held.

In January 1927 Pretty Beach Public School opened with one teacher, Mr Charles Allen, from Ettalong.

He was a hard working Methodist lay preacher, who conducted Church services along with his daughter, Joyce, who taught Sunday School, in the one roomed school until his sudden death in 1949.

Later, Frank Vehyl, a local resident, gave Sunday School lessons and donated pews for a church to be named St Peters.

Most of the furniture and fittings were donated as memorials.

All, or most, weddings and christenings took place at St Peters as it was too difficult to travel to St Pauls Kincumber.

However, there was a close relationship with the little church at Kincumber which was started with Home Services in 1830, and a church built in 1844.

The graveyard is of historical importance as early settlers and many residents of Wagstaffe and the adjoining areas are buried there including the first teacher Will Davis, Mary Hardy of Hardys Bay, astronomer James Dunlop, Aborigine Turo and more recently, Russell Drysdale.

Around 1947 Mrs Jarrett ran a small Sunday School and, in 1950 Mr Frank Dale drove an old van around the area collecting children to attend.

The school had 50 children enrolled with five teachers.

This was discontinued in 1966 when the Dales left the district.

About 1954 Shirley and Jack Truscott held children's services on Killcare beach, until they moved away.

It was reported that they later became missionaries.

Frankie Oates was a stalwart of St Peters from the time she came to live permanently at Killcare in the 1980s until the church was decommissioned in 1996.

On behalf of the little church, she organised an annual fete at Wagstaffe Hall on Easter Saturday each year for many years.

After the church was decommissioned, Frankie and the congregation moved to All Saints at Empire Bay, which also closed because of a diminishing congregation.

St Pauls at Kincumber then became the church for some but others, such as Jack and Shirley Battishall chose to go to the Community Church at Hardys Bay.

Frankie Oates died in November 2007 and her funeral was held at the 'new' church, St Pauls, Kincumber.

CD-ROM, 2010 David Dufty, The Bouddi Peninsula