It reads:
Mr Chairman, Vicar, Distinguished Guests, Fellow Parishioners.
When l was first asked to address you this evening, on St Mary's Parish, in its centennial year, I was soon aware that it was a daunting task. I wondered how I could condense 100 years of achievement into a short address.
However Mervyn Collins allowed me to read the proof copy of the history of St Mary's and I realised that the historical side: of our celebrations was very well covered in this publication. I should like to congratulate Mervyn as the editor, and his contributors, for this very fine history. He has covered every aspect of our 100 years in a very concise and efficient manner. It is surprising to note that this is the first complete booklet that has been available on St Mary's - on every other occasion the information has been published in the various Parish news and other news letters of the Church. I would like to acknowledge the information collected by Chris Richards and Frances Duguid in the latter part of their lives. These detailed personal accounts have been very valuable in the compilation of our history. This has made my task much easier and I will endeavour to expand on some of the highlights of my association with our parish.
I would firstly like to acknowledge the valuable contributions that the thousands of individual parishioners have made to the life of St Mary's over the last 100 years. Everyone in their own special way has added to our history and although I will be mentioning some people in my address this in no way detracts from the contributions made by others.
Levin in 1897 was a very different place to the town we know today and we must applaud those hardy pioneers who felt the urgent need to gather together to give thanks to God for what they considered their blessings, in such harsh conditions. The faith and foresight of Mr Fred Roe and his Committee in seeing the first St Mary's Church built and then paid for, by April 1899, in only 2 years, should be an inspiration to us all. The Ladies Committees and Sunday Schools were very active in keeping the Church members together. The newly constructed St Mary's must have been a symbol of achievement to all residents of the small settlement, being set in amongst the newly fallen bush, with so few residents in its near vicinity.
Amongst the first families to assist the Church, were Mr John Kebbell of Ohau, who gave so much of his time and talents to establish St John of Ohau and St Mary's in Levin. His daughters Miss Kebbell and Mrs Norman Kirkaldie were very prominent members throughout their lives and we are grateful for the contributions that they made.
The service of Mr John Hayfield, as the organist and ch6irmqster from 1907 till 1955 has not been surpassed. Older parishioners will recall him walking to Church from his home in Kent Street, in all weathers, puffing contentedly on his pipe and consistently refusing offers of transport. He had a waxed moustache, never wore glasses and had remarkable hearing. His one ambition unfortunately unfulfilled, was to play the new organ in the new St Mary’s.
Mr HL Jenkins, who came to Levin as Town clerk gave meritorious services to our Parish during the 1930 - 1960 period. He was parishioners Church warden from 1932 - 1957, was Secretary Treasurer of the Vestry, a lay reader, a member of the choir and also played the organ when Mr Hayfield was indisposed. His daughter Margaret is still living in Levin and has been of great assistance to Mervyn, with their historical records.
Mr W G Benning was the storekeeper at Ohau and was a stalwart of St John's. The family moved to Waitarere Beach, where he assisted with the Anglican Church activities and finally settled in Levin where he served as a vestryman and Vicar's Church Warden, for many years, at St Mary's. His sons Bill and Hardy both carried on his good work and now we have his grand-daughters Vivienne and Heather actively involved with St Mary's parish work.
When the Rev. Edward Norman arrived in Levin in 1952 the district was starting to grow rapidly. Realising that our facilities were inadequate, he immediately put his many talents into having the new Church built. He then insisted that the Parish involved itself in a canvass, so that we could get greater use of our new Church, by our parishioners. Although there was some reluctance from some quarters it proved to be great success and we entered a very interesting period of our history. The new Church was built and paid for in 6 years, and the Parish Hall replaced, St Aidans established at Waitarere, as well as provisions being provided for Church expansion in the new subdivisions.
The drive and enthusiasm of Mr Bill Gordon for the Church music and his choir led the Vestry to give him permission to purchase the pipe organ from the Methodist Church in Hokitika. The Rev. Vern Joblin, Chris Richards and Bill Gordon flew in a very small plane to Hokitika, to dismantle the organ and pack it up, ready to be sent back to Levin. On the flight down, the cabin door became unlatched and Vern spent the rest of the trip holding the door closed. The Lord was with them and us, as their mission was successfully accomplished. Bill was our organist and choirmaster for 35 years and our Church services were greatly enhanced by his efforts. Bill loved his pipe organ and it was always quite apparent when he was playing it. The choir has always been the envy of other Churches and we are much indebted to them for the time and skill they have given.
In my youth, the houses of the Borough did not extend much past Winchester Street. There were several small holdings and then farmland. In consequence our farm house seemed a very long way from town. To attend Sunday School, my brother, two sisters and I often came in with a gig, drawn by our pony. This was a great attraction for our friends and the Sunday School lessons were interrupted by requests for a ride in the gig. We were then detained giving gig rides up and down Manchester Street, for a considerable time after Sunday School much to the consternation of our parents.
During the time that the Rev. Gordon Stote-Blandy was our Vicar, the Levin Swimming Club started the inter-Business House relay competition (the Hudson & Burnham Cup), and Keith Lines, Brian Stratton and I were wanting to enter a team, on behalf of "The Farmers". I happened to mention to Gordon who was a very good swimmer that we needed another swimmer to complete our team. He offered his services and we subsequently won the cup. When I informed Gordon that there had been some criticism about his being in a Farmers' team, his reply was "Tell them that I am the Good Shepherd".
No account of St Mary's Parish would be complete without reference to Chris Richards. Chris was involved in our Church from 1955 till his death in 1990 and in that period served as a vestry man, Church warden, synodsman, parochial nominator and member of the parish trust board. But he will always be remembered for the very fine items of Furniture and the Reredos, which he installed in our Church. He gained the title of "Mr Fixit" and was of such great value to the Ladies Guild, that he was made an Honorary Member.
The Lines Family have been involved in the administration of our Parish, since they arrived in Levin, at the end of the war. Jack spent many years on the Vestry and was responsible for keeping the Church of England Men's Society active for very many years. His dedication to the Church has been exemplified by his generous bequests that have been received since his death. Keith and Alison have also been prominent members over a long period and we are grateful for the many duties they perform.
In conclusion, let me express our thanks to Mervyn Collins and his committee for the long hours of research and organisation that was involved in bringing these celebrations together. I have been very fortunate and have gained great strength and comfort from my association with St Mary's Parish during my entire life time. The friendship and support my family has received from the clergy over the last 100 years has been much appreciated. My father first arrived in Levin to start work on a farm in Queen Street East in 1896 and he would have witnessed the building of the first St Mary's Church.
During the period when the Rev. Mr Norman was Vicar, I was having a difficult time on my farm, due to a bad outbreak of facial eczema among my sheep. I decided to go to the Wednesday morning Communion Service to help relieve my worries. It was an unusual occurrence for me to attend that service and about an hour after I returned home, Mr Norman arrived to see what my problem was.
This was a good example of the support, comfort and dedication we have all received from our clergy over the years as parishioners of St Mary's.
Let we, who have benefited so much from the efforts of our early parishioners, make a resolution to emulate their faith and determination to further the Christian principles in our district.