St. Peter's Anglican Church - Southport

83 Nerang Street, corner High Street, Southport, Gold Coast, Queensland 4215 Australia

Parish History
 

It was in January, 1874, a few months before the site of the Town of Southport was surveyed, that the Rev. J. Gilbertson was appointed in charge of the parish known as "The Logan, Albert. and Pimpama," which also included the Coomera and Nerang River districts.

As Southport became more settled the Rev. J. Gilbertson paid monthly visits to Southport for Services, staying with a Mr. Pardoe, a sugar planter at Bundall. . Some years later, Mr. Pardoe bequeathed the land on which St. Peter's Church is built as a site for a church in the growing district.

In February, 1885 it was decided to build a church, but difficulties prevented the project beginning. However in 1886 a contract was made for the building of the pre­sent St. Peter's Church. But the contractor, after having the material delivered on the site, failed to complete his contract, and another builder was given the work.

On 12th June, 1887, during the incumbency of the Rev. E. Meeres, St. Peter's Church was dedicated by Bishop Webber. Records tell us that "there was a large congregation present, including the Southport Defence Corps, a fine athletic body of 40 men who marched to the church in their new uniforms of scarlet and dark blue, with white helmets."   The church was not built as large as had been originally intended, and was unlined. Later, the Women's Guild had the porch added, and some kneeling cushions placed in it. As the years passed and the town grew, it was found necessary to enlarge the church, particularly as the boys of The Southport School (which had then been founded by Bishop Dixon, a former Rector) attended the Services. The front wall and porch were moved forward, and the nave of the church was lengthened by about 25 feet. It was about this time that the organ chamber was added and the church completely lined. During the progress of the years many beautiful furnishings have been placed in the church, many of them as memorials to the departed pioneers of the town and district. The original Rectory on High St owes its erection to the inspiration and generosity of the late Mrs. Maddock Hughes and her sister

The Parish of Saint Peter at Southport initially covering an area from the northern bank of the Nerang River northerly almost to Beenleigh and westerly to Beechmont, the Parish included (by 1969) the churches of Saint Peter at Southport, All Saints’ at Chirn Park, Saint Margaret at Nerang, Holyrood at Coomera, Saint James’s at Labrador (Biggera Waters), and Beechmont.  In 1988 the northern part became the Parish of Saint James at Biggera Waters with Holyrood at Coomera.  The southern part comprised Saint Peter’s at Southport with All Saints’, Chirn Park.  Saint Margaret’s at Nerang is a parish and Beechmont is part of Mt. Tambourine.

St Peter’s church was housed in a small timber building facing High Street, with an old “Queenslander” style Rectory on the corner of High and Nerang Streets, the church was rebuilt in brick in its present position in 1959.  When the Main Roads Department widened High Street in 1998, they bought the old Rectory and the Parish built a new office and meeting rooms complex to the east of the ‘new’ church.  Then, in 2004, the Parish built a new building to allow the Saint Luke’s Nursing Service (Spiritus) to operate a Respite Care Centre for the more elderly members of our area.

The siting of our church is particularly fortunate as the passing traffic along both High Street and Nerang Street gives Saint Peter’s a prominence and visible presence in the community.  You can’t really miss us.  We are opposite a car show room and diagonally opposite and in the next block east of the Gold Coast Hospital.  This gives us the opportunity to reach out to the community teaching the members about Christ and making him known to more people than were we in a less prominent position.

The history of Saint Peter’s Anglican Church is a long one and the church has played a significant part in the history of Southport and the Gold Coast.  We look forward to making the next phase of our history a continuing worthy and proud tradition.  We walk in the footsteps of our older members, but with an eye to bringing forward the younger ones, who are our hope and our future for the continuation and the spreading of the Christian message, in the proud and historic Parish of Southport.