Keeping church’s ‘old lady’ in good shape
The St Thomas Anglican Church Hall is celebrating its centenary year.
A Rondebosch church will hold a walkathon on Sunday in aid of maintaining its century-old hall.
The hall, known as St Thomas Anglican Church’s “old lady”, according to Reverend Claire Hunter, is in its centenary year.
“Over the last century, the hall has been a place of meeting and gathering for all sorts of people, and proved to be a great gift to both the church and wider community,” she said.
As a heritage building, the hall needed ongoing maintenance to keep it in good shape, said Reverend Hunter.
“Maintenance costs money, and so we are appealing to the wider community to support us in this endeavour.”
The church itself is 158 years old, and the hall opened in 1923. In the early 1960s, it was used for services while the church underwent expansion. In the 1970s, the church and its hall were a haven for families after they were forcibly removed under apartheid from an informal settlement in Bellville South.
These days, the church hall is rented out for various community events, including choir rehearsals, private functions and dance, drama, self-defence and exercises classes.
“I can recall the fondest memories being those events we had in the hall during our 150th celebrations in 2015, culminating in a magnificent celebratory dinner and our daughter’s 21st birthday brunch,” said long-serving church secretary Caroline Westwood.
Reverend Hunter celebrated her youngest daughter’s wedding at the church hall at the beginning of the year.
“Inside she was transformed from a boring old church hall into a magical ‘dinner and dance’ space with white drapes, fairy lights, beautiful décor and flowers,” she said.
The walkathon will start at the church, at 61 Campground Road, Rondebosch. Entry is free, but donations can be done through the St Thomas Walkathon BackaBuddy page. Teams can book a time to walk, from 7am to 7pm, by calling the church at 072 680 2833. All fitness levels are welcomed, refreshments will be served after the walk and there will be prizes for the best dressed.
Visit str.org.za or call 021 685 6752 for more information. Email the church office at parishoffice@str.org.za if you want to hire the hall.
