Two Wars & In-between

Part 2 in the History of Gordon Uniting Church

As the 20th century progressed the Gordon area grew and so did the Gordon Methodist Church.

World War 1 (fought on the other side of the world) saw many of the local men volunteer for Army service in Europe. Casualties were enormous with great loss of life. If you look at the memorial windows from the "old church" you will see a list of 4 who did not return one being a Callaghan son Stanley Ross. Others returned scarred, with memories and physical disabilities to contend with for the rest of their lives.

One of my teenage memories is of an older gentleman - a stalwart of this Church who had been gassed while serving in France and consequently had very little voice. Yet every year he prepared the conformation classes and presented the group to the Church. Teenagers noisy! disruptive! talkative! but for George Moore there was always quiet respect.

The Great Depression followed in the late 1920's creating a challenge for the whole world AND our small part of it. Jobs were lost, money was scarce and ingenuity was needed to make it go the distance. The people needed caring support and this they received from the Church. The Kindergarten Guild was formed a fellowship and support group for mothers of young children, and a "Rays" group for girls and an "OKs" group for boys to provide for the younger people who needed occupation and a goal. There was no money for entertainment, but there was a lady in the Church - Alice Staff - with an interest in amateur theatre, and each year she would spend countless hours, after school, training us in songs, dance, and little operettas, and scrounging together costumes suitable for each occasion, so that we could perform to a hall of very proud and grateful parents. We learnt a lot about being part of a team in those days that we were all important no matter if we had the star part or were just there to pull the curtain back and forth on the little stage.

Then, World War II, overtook us, and some of the men of the Church began to enlist and appear in uniform.
Cecil Callaghan, another Callaghan son, was a member of the 8th Division who later rose to the rank of Major General and commanded the Division after the fall of Singapore. Also in the 8th Division was Bill Locke's father. Reg Locke was 38 when war broke out, and was one of the older serving officers. Captured by the Japanese, he spent 3½ years as a POW in Singapore and Japan. Bill tells that each man going overseas went with a keepsake presented by the Church in the morning service in Reg's case a Fountain Pen. This left Reg's keeping only once, when due to hunger, he traded it for a bun. The pen was subsequently bartered back again and returned to Australia with Reg after the war .

Bill also talks of the Church family's strong support for Marj, his mother, and the young Locke Family during this difficult time.

During these years I was a member of the Church Youth Group, known as the Study Circle. We were a strong band of youngsters and apart from our homes and families, the Church and the dedicated Youth Leaders were the centre of our world. We had our own small room named naturally the "Study Circle Room", and it was here that we displayed on the wall for all to see the framed photos of each of the young men and women of the group who on reaching 18 were required to register and join the Forces. Jack Lewis and his brother Stan were there. Val Stevenson's brothers Bruce and Keith. The attached photo is of Bev Jones' brother Geoff, who subsequently became a Methodist Minister. There would have been more than 20 photos in our gallery and we were proud to be associated with these young folk. Most, but not all, returned at the end of the war and settled again to the jobs and studies which had been interrupted by their time in the services.

Our world today is our legacy and we are grateful to those who gave their lives, their time, and their talents during two world wars, that we could continue the work of the Church in this area.

. . . Jane Sanders

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