St Mary in the Valley Anglican Church at River Road in Kelmscott will celebrate its 150th anniversary on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April.
Saturday will be a day packed with activities for all, beginning with the official opening ceremony and tree planting from 10am.
Throughout the day there will be children’s activities, including face painting and games, historic displays, ancestry research, pioneer graveyard tours, and a chance to join voices with the accomplished Carradine Choir from 2pm.
Visitors will also have the chance to be immersed by the glorious music from Australia’s oldest pipe organ.
St Mary in the Valley’s pipe organ was built in England, probably between 1750 and 1770.
The organ was found in Eccles, in Kent, and dispatched to Australia, where it was erected in the Church in 1971.
Much restoration and maintenance work has been required to bring it and keep it to the standard to which it is currently enjoyed.
The pipe organ will feature in a special concert from 11.30am with accompanying musicians.
Visitors will also be able to learn about the history of the original St Mary in the Valley Anglican Church, which was built in 1871 and consecrated on 29 March 1874.
The story behind the building of the original church and its use as the first state primary school in the district will be explored in an historic display.
Sunday will mark a day of celebration of the continual ministry of St Mary in the Valley to the people of the Kelmscott area.
There will be a combined church service at 10am for all church members, their families and interested community members followed by a Bring and Share (finger food) morning tea.
A special feature of the St Mary in the Valley Church is the bell tower; the bell originated in Rathowen; a village in County Westmeath, Ireland.
The bell is not often heard, but it will be rung before the anniversary service on Sunday.
