- The Anglican Church in Tasmania removed 34 properties from its sale list
- 73 properties remained for sale to help meet about $8 million in redress
- Seven of eight Southern Midlands churches stayed on the list
- Windermere’s community raised $45,000 to save its church
The Anglican Church in Tasmania reduced the number of properties it planned to sell to fund redress for abuse survivors, ABC News reported in December 2018, but communities in the Southern Midlands said they would keep fighting.
The church had originally proposed selling 107 properties. It removed 34, leaving 73 on the list, as it worked to raise about $8 million for redress. Churches removed from sale included St Matthias’ at Woodsdale, St John the Baptist at Ouse, St Mary’s Church, Rectory and Cemetery in Hagley, St Michael and All Angels in Pyengana and St Andrew’s at Evandale. In Windermere, the community raised $45,000 to save its church.
In the Southern Midlands, eight churches had been proposed for sale and seven remained, including St Mary’s at Kempton and St James at Jericho. Former mayor and councillor Tony Bisdee led local opposition. “We would have the highest percentage of Anglican churches for sale in Tasmania,” he said. “I think it’s a great travesty that has been imposed on the community.”
Bishop Richard Condie defended the revised list: “We think we’ve struck the right balance between community concern, raising the money for redress.”
The Tasmanian case shows how a church’s legal debts can turn local buildings into saleable assets, and how communities can sometimes save them by raising money. Jamaican churches with many small rural buildings should keep clear records of who paid for and owns each one. Congregations and diaspora members who want to protect a home church may need to be ready to fund it.
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