Port Hedland church to be entered on heritage register

22/3/94

Heritage Minister Richard Lewis has directed that St Matthew's Anglican Church in Port Hedland be entered permanently into the register of heritage places.

The Minister said the old church building was highly valuable for its historic and social value.

The little timber church was built in 1917 to replace the original church, dating from 1908, which was destroyed by fire.

"This simple little building is testament to a community's strong ties to its built environment," Mr Lewis said.

"In its more than seventy-year history it has weathered a number of cyclones only to become superseded by a newer facility.

"But the local commmunity rallied to save it from demolition and turn it into an active cultural centre, one in which its original significance has been commemorated.

"It is a living facility which will ensure that one of the few surviving buildings dating from the early history of the Port Hedland township will not be lost."

The old church building was sold to the Port Hedland Tourist Bureau in 1986 after a larger place of worship was built.

The building was restored with assistance from the community, business and grants from the Department for the Arts and the Community Cultural, Recreational and Sporting Facilities program.

Since September 1993 the building has been operating as an art gallery and exhibition centre.

"Having already hosted a number of exhibitions, the Olde St Matthew's Church Art Gallery and Exhibition Centre is well on the way to becoming a focal point for community arts," Mr Lewis said.

Media contact:  Paul Plowman (09) 222 9595 Pager:  (09) 482 5692