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The following is the 'Introduction' to The Little Church of St Peter : Ocean Grove by Cheryl Timbury :-
"The 'Little Church of St. Peter' was brought into use for the first time on 12 January 1896. For one hundred years this building has faithfully served the community of Ocean Grove with Church Services, Sunday School, Baptisms, Marriages, Meetings, Wednesday Worship and as a venue for displays.
Known in architectural terms as Victorian Carpenter Gothic, it is seen as a style used for churches of modest size when economy of expenditure and simplicity of construction were important. It is, as the name suggests, a medium which made use of timber. This type of church is small, box-like with a steeply-pitched, gabled roof of corrugated iron. For many years it stood amongst the trees, in isolations, beside a dirt road.
St. Peter's is an historical link in the development of the Anglican faith on the Bellarine Peninsula, during the years of poor communication and transport, when the Minister had to travel miles over badly-constructed roads from the mother church of St. Mark's at Leopold, to administer to the needs of his vast congregation.
The pioneers of the district who saw a need for a permanent place of worship, and whose names, even today, are remembered fondly, were small in number, but their devotion to the care and upkeep of the building paved the way for future generations.
The Geelong Advertiser became an important medium for parishioners, from when it first recorded the need for a Church of England in Ocean Grove. It has, over the years, published the arrival and departure of the incumbents, parish restructures and events that were of significance within the church calendar.
This small wooden church impacted on the lives of those people who entered its doors socially and spiritually. It has left lasting memories full of history and anecdotes.
The centenary of the 'Little Church of St. Peter' was an opportunity to collate some of these memories, combined with extracts from historical sources. It is not a chronicle on the history of the church, but a chance to reflect and give thanks for the past one hundred years."
[Reproduced with the kind permission of Cheryl Timbury, Ocean Grove.]
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Cheryl's book of memories of 'The Little Church of St Peter' is available from the Bellarine Historical Society, the Ocean Grove Newsagency, and the Ocean Grove Library. Cheryl's previous book St. Peter's Anglican War Memorial Church : Ocean Grove, 100 Years of Worship, 1888-1988 is also at the Ocean Grove Library.
