The Primitive Methodist Church, Arthurs Creek

Arthurs Creek Methodist Church building is entering a new phase – the building over to the community. A small history group meets monthly, still in the church, organised by Malcolm Macmillan relating to the local Arthurs creek community and its pioneers. The ACCC refers to Arthurs Creek Community Centre. This presentation was given to this history group by Ross McDonald in July 2022.

Introduction
You don’t have to be born in the bush to appreciate country towns.
There is a similarity about them – a church, football ground, fire brigade, Mechanics Hall, school and a post office (closed 1972). Arthurs Creek is one of these towns and it is quite special to its residents and visitors.
These buildings and institution combined to create the momentum of a lively town that was establishing itself as a vibrant fruit growing, pastoral and agricultural district.
At our first ACCC meeting the question was put, largely with tongue in cheek, and looking for a reaction – is Arthurs Creek a cultural desert? There was vigorous debate from the group with many offering examples of cultural, musical, self-improvement and social gatherings, to vigorously reject the proposition.
Topic
I have been asked to talk about the Methodist Church of Arthurs Creek and the people who made it happen. Malcolm and others here today, I am sure, will be happy to fill in the gaps or correct where I am off the mark.
My name is Ross McDonald and our pioneering family lived at Glen Donald, the house that still stands on the Hurstbridge Road just south of the oval.
I am also related to the Drapers that lived on the other side of Running Creek at Charnwood and the Apteds, through my sister Maree, who married Barrie Apted – so in a way I am a local.

We are fortunate to be able to refer to some fine local histories in our research – Bruce Draper was an extensive writer on the Arthurs Creek area and the pioneering families. His book “Up the Creek, early days on the Arthurs Creek District” is widely quoted. Bruce’s precision and accuracy in his writing was water tight.
There were many other local histories to draw off – W.J (Bill) Payne “The Plenty”; Lindsay Mann “Arthur’s Creek cemetery”, Ross Macmillan “the Diary of Interesting events in the Macmillan family”, James Murphy “Early Settlers of Arthurs Creek”, Dianne Edwards “The Plenty Valley “and of course many anecdotes and stories from the locals.
Scottish Presbyterians and selectors
Whilst the Irish made up one third of Melbourne’s s population soon after settlement, the 1850’s and 1860’s saw a large influx of Scottish Presbyterian immigrants. They were just what the colony needed – hard working, law abiding, God fearing, and predominantly from a farming background. Furthermore, the aftermath of the gold rush meant that miners were eager to farm. The Duffy Land Acts were powerful forces in Arthurs Creek.
We have heard about John Ryder and Charles Draper tossing a coin to decide the allotment they would select at Arthurs Creek. We can imagine the jockeying for a prime selection. The first areas opened up for selection were the Western District of Victoria where competition was keen. Each land office was opened for half an hour a day. At Camperdown with only 800 inhabitants the town had to supply accommodation for 2000 invaders who were in quest of selections.

The Methodist Church
The Methodist Church was the first public building in Arthurs Creek (1873) followed by the Arthurs Creek school (1874) and the Mechanics Institute (1887). It was clear that the pioneers drew considerable strength from worship. The Methodist church favoured by Arthurs Creek was the Primitive Methodist. Primitive meant “simple” or “relating to an original stage”; based upon the Ministry of the 18th centurty evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles Wesley.
Before the church was built, the Methodists would hold their service under a gum tree in John Ryder’s paddock beside the bridge. After that the land for the church was given by John Ryder to the community.
Christina McDonald and Cornelius Stewart (carpenter/builder)
John and Christina McDonald arrived in Port Phillip in the immigrant ship Theodore in 1852. Both were Gaelic speakers and were indentured to captain Aneas McPherson, manager of Thomas Walker’s estate on the Plenty River. Interestingly Donald Macmillan was also indentured to captain McPherson until he paid off his passage money. Both the McDonalds and Macmillans were from the Highlands near Inverness and became neighbours and close friends.
John McDonald senior was from Laggan near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. He selected his land in Arthurs Creek in 1864 and called it Glen Donald – clearing the land to establish a farm and orchard. Christina was very hospitable, caring and a good Christian. She was one of the pioneering women, a matriarch, perhaps similar to Helena Ruth Macmillan. John and Christina had 5 sons and 2 daughters.
Their neighbour was Cornelius Stewart- known as Scottie Stewart the carpenter. Cornelius Stewart was a builder and carpenter, born in Fifeshire Scotland and came to Australia in 1865.
Carpenters, builders, wheelwrights and blacksmiths were in great demand in the colony of Victoria, as new buildings needed to be erected and bridges and other infrastructure required. Possessing sharp, well-maintained tools was a prerequisite – this was the case with Charles Draper at Arthurs Creek who treasured his large wooden chest of tools brought ashore when he disembarked in Melbourne from the immigrant ship Kate in 1853. No doubt this would also have been in the mind of Cornelius Stewart as he contemplated his building profession in the new colony of Victoria.
Now both Christina McDonald and Cornelius Steward were actively involved in building the Methodist Church.
The contract to build the church was given to Stewart who with the help of local volunteer workers completed it in time to be opened on 30 November 1873. The local histories inform us that the timber for the church were split palings and shingles, from one tree at Kinglake, and these shingles remain under the iron of the church until today. They were cut by one of the forebears of Brian Murphy. The finer timbers were carted by James Mann with his horse and dray.
Bill Payne, in his book “The Plenty. A centenary history of the Whittlesea Shire” reports that the Church has a foundation of logs sawn in part by Mrs John (Christina) McDonald “.
We know that Cornelius built at least 2or 3 buildings in Arthurs Creek – there are reports of his own- near the corner of Arthurs Creek and Strathewen Road, near the Arthurs Creek bridge. The Smale family subsequently owned Cornelius’ home on the creek between about 1920 and 1950, and secondly the Methodist Church ( Malcolm to step in and give details ) Bronwyn Reid thinks Cornelius Stewart may have built one of the Reid family’s houses.
Cornelius held the position of Treasurer of the church and was the second Sunday school superintendent, preceding Hugh Macmillan, Malcom and Ross’ grandfather who held the position for over 50 years.
Some years after John senior died at GlenDonald, Christina married her neighbour, Cornelius. The marriage of Christina and Cornelius was said to be the first wedding in the Arthurs Creek Methodist church 1874.
From all accounts Christina was vivacious with a large heart and a kind Christian spirit. For her 90 birthdays at Arthurs Creek, the reception went for over 4 days and had a host of visitors listening to her historic recollections of her early days. She was also “deeply sensitive to the words of Longfellow”

In 1903, after the wedding at the Methodist church of Emily – the eldest daughter of John and Susan Mcdonald – to John Herbert J.P. of Nutfield big celebrations took place at Arthurs Creek.
We can recount an interesting story here. John Herbert was 24 years older that Emily and is said to have unsuccessfully courted her mother, Susan Underwood. He is reported to have said ‘ if I cannot have you as my wife, I shall wait and marry your first daughter. This he did and his patience was well rewarded:

Fortunately, we have Alex Sutherland with us today who can give us some detail, since Alex’s mother, baby Flora, I think is in this photograph. The small folding table in the photo is still in the wider family.

Cornelius Stewart’s sister came to visit her brother and subsequently settled at Arthurs Creek. By some accounts she was lonely in her adopted new land.

Music
The first organist at the Church was Mrs (Bel) Elinor Isabel Prout Williams, daughter of the head teacher at the Arthurs Creek School (Julie Williams), who in 1889 became Mrs William Draper from the property of Dishleigh, on the Hurstbridge Road next to the Macmillans .
Elinor played and taught the piano at Arthurs Creek and was known as Elinor Isobel Prout Williams – all of her siblings had Prout in their name. Samual Prout Hill was a renowned painter, lecturer and journalist.
How interesting that today the musical heritage of the Dishleigh property continues with the world renown soprano singer Annalisa Kerrigan now living in the former Dishleigh home, Arthurs Creek.

Honour Roll
In 1917 an honour board was donated of the men who enlisted for World War I and those who served in World War II and affixed at the church.
Of those who enlisted was my great uncle, Harold Underwood McDonald. He was in family photo that I showed above. He was engaged to Pearl Murphy the postmistress from the Arthurs Creek Post office.
He had also been a regular at the Arthurs Creek Sunday school where Hugh Macmillan the Superintendent had taught young Harold and his brother John Henry McDonald.

Harold was presented with a prize book when he was 10 called The Heir of Elmdale. The book kept Harold and the other Sunday school pupils on the right path, as they learned from the experiences of a young boy who encountered many setbacks but ultimately won through.
Harold died of wounds in the battle of Bullecourt on 15 May 1917. His name figures on the honour board and the Harold McDonald memorial table was donated by his mother, Mrs John McDonald, to the church in memory of her son.

Some Highlights
Besides the regular Sunday services, usually in the afternoon, there were a number of highlights.
The former Nillumbik Methodist Church from Diamond Creek was added to the rear of the Arthurs Creek church in 1963 to provide a new Sunday school hall.
Barry Apted and Brian Murphy dug holes for the foundation of new church addition and I understand, in the walls or in the rock walls, is a bottle with the names of all who worked on the church.
There were also celebrations at Harvest Festival time, with a big supply of grapes and apples and boxes of fruit, in March each year.
Often the respective Methodist lay preachers would come by train to Hurstbridge for the Arthurs Creek 3.0-4.00pm church service. Arrangements were made to pick them up and return them to the station in time for the departing train in the afternoon.
In order to catch the train leaving Hurstbridge at 4.30pm, the church service needed to be concluded by 4.00 pm sharp. Alas – may sermons went on over time.
Barrie Apted as a boy remembers sitting in the back seat of his father’s Pontiac car with the wooden wheel spokes – making a dash for the station, roaring over dirt roads. The preacher would be anxious and nervous. Barry’s father, Les Apted would gun the car and often arrived at the station to see the train just pulling out. The preacher would be on the running boards making a dash for the train. On one occasion, after they missed the train – it was a long drive to the Greensborough station.
Conclusion
It had been a great honour for me to talk to you today.
This church over 150 years has rallied to provide a valuable resource for the spiritual life and worship for the people of the Arthurs Creek district. For this the community is eternally grateful.
Now the page had turned to a new chapter – the Arthurs Creek Community project and the plans that are afoot. We wish it well.

Resource

Up the Creek: histories of the Arthurs Creek Region: a collection of published and unpublished articles by Bruce G. Draper