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From: "Susie Zada" <>
Subject: Re: [GEELONG] Colac
Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 05:57:24 +1000
References: <174208.79119.qm@web53409.mail.re2.yahoo.com>


Hello Russell,

For the period you're looking for I don't think you should be looking for a
physical church building - basically it didn't exist then.

In those early years, the various ministers would have been travelling on
horseback from Geelong or Melbourne and although the baptism may have been
listed at Colac they would be entered (often much later) in the register for
their church in Geelong or Melbourne.

Some statements from the Colac-Otway Heritage Study covering buildings in
the area ............

"The Wesleyans did not establish a presence in Colac until 1858 and relied
on a circuit minister for six years until a permanent local appointment was
made.

The Minister lived in a small, plain, single storey house until the
congregation had raised sufficient funds for a new manse and church in the
early 1870's.



The manse, a two storey brick structure, was erected in 1872 at 81 Wallace
Street for use by Rev. Groves."



"A Wesleyan presence was established in Colac in 1859 with the erection of a
small church in Church Street. This sufficed until 1874 when a larger
church was built in Murray Street, a little to the opposite of the
Commercial Hotel. There was some disquiet in the church community on this
location in the main commercial street of Colac but it was not until 1924
that the site was sold and a new church and Sunday school planned for Skene
street.



While building works were going on the Wesleyans held services at the
Victoria Hall."



"The Regent Theatre (23 Murray St) was originally built as the Paramount
Theatre in 1925. The site had earlier been occupied by the Wesley Church
and was totally cleared to make way for the theatre. The original owner and
promoter was John McDonald a Colac estate agent and dealer. The Regent
Theatre Co of Geelong bought the property in 1931 and changed the name."


So definitely no church in 1851.

If you look at the Geelong & District directories ............

http://www.zades.com.au/geelong/gddrsrc1.asp

you'll see that Frederick LEWIS is listed in 1851 as a Wesleyan minister,
Yarra Street, Geelong.

And if you look at the Geelong & District Consolidated Book Index .......

http://www.zades.com.au/geelong/gdbksrc1.asp

you'll find plenty of entries by searching on LEWIS, F (also one for LEWIS,
Rev Canon) that are for him.

Hope that helps .............. Susie Z

----- Original Message -----
From: "Russell Harris" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 7:57 PM
Subject: Re: [GEELONG] Colac


> Hello Linda,
> That is an interesting article, I had read that this afternoon. The church
> was a 20th century one I was after something much earlier.
> Thank You
> Russell

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