‘BUNJIL' The Wurudgeri people looked up into the sky and saw Bundjil
who takes the form of an eagle, the creator of people, lands, laws
and language.
‘ENGLAND - IRELAND - SCOTLAND’
With the British Colonisation of Australia, religions in Darebin
became intrinsically linked to the immigration patterns of the varieties
of people that followed. By the beginning of the 19th Century religious
communities in Melbourne reflected it’s English, Irish and
Scottish communities. Churches of different denominations began
to establish themselves in Preston and Northcote from the mid1800s.
METHODIST
Samuel Jeffrey held Methodist Services in Irishtown - Preston in
1852. Wesleyan Methodists held services in Northcote in 1854.
BAPTIST
Edward Wood in Preston was the founding member of the
Baptist Church in 1859.
ANGLICAN - ANGLICAN ALL SAINTS
In 1857, a committee was formed to arrange for the building of a
proper place of worship for the Anglican faith in Northcote. They
held their meetings at the Peacock Hotel. All Saints Anglican Church
in Northcote laid it’s foundation stone in 1859 and held its
first service in 1860, while in Preston the Anglican All Saints
Church laid its cornerstone in 1865 with the second Anglican Church
laying its foundation stone in 1889.
PRESBYTERIANS
Northcote’s Presbyterians had been worshipping in Churches
owned by other denominations. It was not until 1876 that they built
their own weatherboard Church in Cunningham St. Presbyterians in
Preston held their first services in David St in 1890.
ROMAN CATHOLICS
In Arthurton Rd Northcote the Roman Catholics opened St Joseph’s
the first parish church and school in the town in 1891. St Joseph’s
later moved to Westbourne Gve on Ruckers Hill opening in January
1899.
Prestons first Catholic Church, Sacred Heart, was built in 1889
in Bell St. Later in the mid-1920s Preston Catholics built a new
Church and the old wooden Church was moved to Viola Street, Reservoir
and became St Gabriel’s Church. It’s passage along High
street caused so much chaos that the Shire Council resolved that
in future no Churches would be allowed to be moved along that route.
Hence Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Prebyterians, Salvation Army,
Roman Catholics and Lutherans in Germantown - Thomastown had established
themselves by 1900s.
CHURCH OF CHRIST
The Church of Christ congregation held services from 1902, but it
was not until Saturday 23rd March 1911 that the historic Church
of Christ was built. It was historic in that it was the first Church
built in ‘one day’ in Australia. It was erected in High
St Preston and attracted hundreds of onlookers who arrived by foot
and on horse and cart. A Sunday Service was held the next morning.
New Churches and Parishes continued to be created and so for a
time Darebin’s religious history was largely Methodist, Baptist,
Anglican, Presbyterian, Salvation Army and Roman Catholic.
NEW PEOPLE - NEW FAITHS
With new waves of immigration came new faiths. The great immigration
after the Second World War changed the face of Christianity in Darebin.
Large numbers of Catholics from many countries, especially Italy
and Malta saw the strengthening of the Darebin’s Catholic
Community with servies held in their languages in Northcote, Thornbury,
Preston, Reservoir and in particular at St Joseph The Worker in
North Reservoir, which has one of the largest Italian congregations
in Darebin.
ORTHODOX CHURCHES
Orthodox Churches established themselves in languages such as Greek,
Macedonian, Bulgarian and Lebanese.
Melkite, Christian Maronite, Coptic and Antiochian services also
began.
CHURCHES CHANGE HANDS
A reflection of changing times can be seen as some Anglican, Presbyterian,
Methodist and Baptist Churches closed and then
re-opened by other faiths.
METHODIST TO GREEK ORTHODOX
In 1966 St Georges Greek Orthodox Church held services in what was
previously a Methodist Church in St David St, Northcote. The historic
Yann Street Methodist Church was passed onto the Greek Orthodox
Church. An interesting combined Methodist-Greek Orthodox service
was held on the 5th February 1967.
UNITING CHURCH FORMED
In June 1977, the Methodist Church united with the Presbyterian
and Congregational Church creating The Uniting Church of Australia.
PRESBYTERIAN TO UNITING CHURCH TO ASSYRIAN CHURCH
In Joffre St Regent the Presbyterian Church became a Uniting Church
in 1977. 2004 found it had been an Assyrian Christian Church for
some time.
HOLY TRINITY TO ANTIOCHIAN
In 1972 the Antiochian Church began holding services in different
halls. For a few years they rented out the Holy Trinity Anglican
Church in Shaftsbury St Thornbury and held services there. They
came to an agreement to purchase the Church and in the early 1980s
St George’s Antiochian Orthodox Church came into being.
METHODIST TO UNITING TO ASSYRIAN CHURCH
St James Methodist Church became a Uniting Church, was bought by
the Assyrian Church who later sold it and moved to Broadhurst Ave
in Reservoir.
UNITING CHURCH TO COPTIC CHURCH
The Uniting Church in Northcote hosted services for the Coptic community
who later moved to their own Church in Gilbert Rd Preston.
SIKH TEMPLE
There was a Sikh Temple in Tyler St for about 12 years in the1980’s
to the early ‘90s, due to growing numbers the Temple moved
further a field.
SALVATION ARMY HOSTS LEBANESE MUSLIMS
In the 1990s The Salvation Army Citadel in High St Thornbury hosted
services for Lebanese Muslims, who then moved to their own Alawi
Islamic Social Centre in Thornbury. Again due their growing numbers
they moved to Keon Park and Greenvale.
GROWING RELIGIONS-ISLAM & BUDDHISM
Whilst there has been a decline in Christian faiths in Darebin over
the last 10 years, the Islam and Buddhist faiths are growing in
numbers.
FIRST MOSQUE BUILT IN VICTORIA
OMAR BIN EL-KHATTAB MOSQUE
In 1976 the Omar Bin El-Khattab Mosque in Crammer St Preston was
the first Mosque built in Victoria. The Mosque was built to provide
a place of worship for Melbourne’s growing Muslim communities.
Over the years, due to increased immigration from Muslim countries
such as Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Somalia and Sudan the number of Muslims
in the northern region almost doubled. The Mosque is a place of
worship to over 10,000 Muslims who live in Melbourne’s northern
region
LIN SON BUDDHIST TEMPLE
The Linh Son Buddist Temple was established on the former site of
Lakeside Primary School in Reservoir in1993. Lin So is the largest
Buddist Temple in Melbourne with a membership from across Metropolitan
Melbourne.
