Poverty Bay's Oldest Church

The place to Poverty Bay history occupied by the Matawhero Presbyterian Church was acknowledged by a simple ceremony held recently when a plaque provided by the National Historic Places Trust was unveiled.

The little church was crammed to the doors for the commemorative service, conducted by the minister, the Rev. D. H. Turnbull, with the Rev. R. W. Lange as guest preacher. The overflow, seated in the welcome shade of trees outside, heard the service by loudspeaker.

"The history which this church has looked out upon, some of it of a rather macabre nature, belongs to all the people and cannot be confined to any one denomination or congregation," said Mr Turnbull.

In his sermon, Mr Lange referred to his pride in the fact that he was descended from pioneers of the district.

The plaque was unveiled by Mr J. T. Hill, chairman of the regional committee of the Trust, who recalled that he and Mrs Hill were married in the church in 1926.