History

The Big Bullocky Moves: 1916 & 1927

Though only one photo remains of the church building being physically moved from Impression Bay to Koonya, over mountainous and narrow roads, stories have survived in plenty through the generations. Before confidence levels reached a point where they were willing to ‘load up the church’, two bullock teams from two different properties were trained to work together. This involved many humorous training sessions fraught with mild disasters; however, the church was eventually relocated successfully.

The church remained in Koonya until 1927, when it was decided to relocate the chapel again, this time to the principality of Nubeena, where a small township was developing around the burgeoning fishing industry. Once the building was relocated to its current location, significant additions were made to accommodate the larger congregation.

Whether it was providence, coincidence, or the location of the building itself, the church ended up being in the very centre of the town, both geographically and in local significance.

Nubeena’s largest church, situated between the town’s only school, grocery store, doctors’ surgery, and nursing home, meant that the church and any church event were quite literally at the very centre of town. While the building was in the centre of town, the church became the epicentre of the community. The geographical importance of the church’s location to the community led the elders of the church in the late 1960s to ensure the new building was placed as close as possible to the existing building. With land purchased, construction began directly across the road, ensuring that the building remained the hub of the community, and the outreaches provided the spokes to the tyre that is community service. 

The Building Additions

One of the notable additions made to the church building after its relocation was the installation of a veranda in 1954. This was seen as part of the church's ‘mission’, as the veranda was for the use of the Sunday school. For a long time, the Sunday school was larger in size than the Sunday congregation, with around 65 students attending Sunday School and approximately 50 adult members in the congregation. This was owing to some very dedicated leaders, who would drive around the community and collect as many kids as they could convince adults to release from Sunday morning chores.

Because of the large number of students, Sunday school was held outside, which, according to a former student, Darcy Williams, “became most unpleasant during the rainy weather, over the winter period”. The veranda with a roof was a very welcome addition for the children.

While the township of Nubeena is remote, the Nubeena Church of Christ has always ensured that it doesn’t do ministry in isolation, but remains connected to the broader body of Christ. The church both received and offered help from other churches with similar groundings in the faith. The minister from Hobart City Church of Christ was a regular supporter of the church, preaching every fourth Sunday. In addition to receiving support, the minister of the Nubeena Church of Christ contributed to the body by conducting circuit preaching with the Port Arthur and Highcroft churches. The preacher would generally walk over 25 km on any given Sunday to minister to the three churches. This three-church circuit preaching was maintained between the late 1890s and was completed around 1927 with the cessation of regular services at both Highcroft and Port Arthur.