Biography

St. Andrew's Church - Lefroy
15 km east of George Town, Lefroy was the site of Tasmania's first payable goldfield, established in the 1870s after the discovery of gold at Nine Mile Springs, which was renamed Lefroy in honour of the Governor in 1880. The area saw significant booms and busts due to its rich but quickly depleted alluvial gold and costly hard-rock quartz mining, eventually diminishing in importance and becoming known as a "forgotten gold town". The last of the larger mines closed in 1908.

At its peak in the 1890s, there was a population of about 5000, according to the booklet produced by the George Town and District Historical Society. “It was the fourth largest town in Tasmania. It had a race track, rifle club, cricket club and brass band. There were six hotels, three churches, a state and private grammar school, a masonic lodge and mechanics institute. The town had several shops, two butchers and a cordial factory. In 1907 the headquarters of the George Town Municipality was located there, remaining there until the 1930s. Once commercial mining ceased Lefroy slowly declined, its school and last church closing in 1954. Many of the houses were removed to George Town and Beaconsfield”.

Before the establishment of an Anglican church at Lefroy in 1881, services were conducted by Reverend John Fereday from St Mary Magdalene at George Town. In August 1880, the foundation stone for a church building was laid, and the church was completed and opened by December 1881, and dedicated as St Andrew’s Church. The church was built with strong community support, reflecting the town’s prosperity during the gold mining boom. Services were conducted regularly, often by clergy from George Town or itinerant ministers. It was part of a wider circuit that included George Town, Pipers River, and other outlying areas. It soon had a Sunday School and active lay involvement in worship and maintenance.

As mining declined, so did Lefroy’s population and church attendance. By the 1930s, the church was used only occasionally. Eventually, St Andrew’s was closed and the building was removed. The date is unclear, and church records still record an organist being paid until January 1931.  There are no service records for Lefroy after 1931. Pat Crawshaw’s history records that the centre was still part of the parish of George Town in 1947, but unable to contribute to parish expenses. She also wrote, “The meeting at the end of November 1952 notes a letter from the Department of Public Health condemning the hall, probably the deconsecrated old church, at Lefroy. A letter was sent to the vestry at Lefroy telling them to remove the stained glass window before damage occurred. There is no knowledge locally as to what happened to that window. In mid-1957 the building at Lefroy was again being used by "evangelicals". The pews had been removed and tried out at George Town but were not suitable. The collection of the piano was set for December. Permission was given to the Masonic Lodge to use the building. A request for the bell from the Ravenswood Church was agreed to in October 1958. Three tenders were received for the Lefroy building, and one for £70  from L. Taylor of Inveresk was accepted. There is a note on 5 April 1959 that all money received through the sale was to be paid to the diocese, presumably to reduce debt.” It is not known where the building went. At least one other church building in the region became a barn.

It was only during the period of rationalisation of Anglican properties during the 2020s that it was discovered that the land was still owned by the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania.

Lefroy was always considered part of the George Town parish, though its distance and changing population made regular ministry difficult. The church’s rise and fall mirrored the economic fortunes of the town itself.

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