St Matthias’ Church will not receive special treatment from the Anglican Church, despite the discovery of an 1842 deed of trust.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The church was chosen as one of 108 properties to be sold to realise an $8.6 million contribution to the national redress scheme for sexual abuse survivors.
Descendants of the Windermere church’s original owner, Dr Matthias Gaunt, submitted the original deed to the church, which transferred the property to the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania.
The deed states that the property must be used for no other purpose than the “celebration of divine worship” or as “a place of burial”.
The Anglican Bishop of Tasmania, Dr Richard Condie said the parish would have to submit an exemption application before September 1 like everyone else to have the property removed from the sale list.
“Communities are welcome to express their concerns about the sale of church property marked for sale,” he said.
The diocese’s Synod voted in Launceston on Saturday to sell the 108 properties, including 76 church buildings, without any exemptions.
Dr Gaunt’s descendant Julie Gaunt said the decision was disappointing.
“My belief is that there are some churches that haven’t been used for years, but this is a community that still uses their church,” she said.
St Matthias’ Church, like many of the other churches to be sold, has a cemetery attached to it, which falls under the Burials and Cremation Act 2002 legislation.
Bishop Condie wrote a letter to the state government to expedite the process of reviewing the act, and to potentially strengthen it to provide protections to gravesites.
Ms Archer said a review was under way prior to the letter being sent.