Our History
On December 12, 1902, Coolamon was formed into a separate Parish.
METHODIST CHURCH
Methodist Church services were first held in Coolamon about the year 1886, and were held in the Railway waiting room and later in the Oddfellow’s Hall. Services were held intermittently from Junee until 1898, when the Coolamon Circuit was constituted.
In 1898 land was purchased and plans were prepared for the first church, a wooden building. It was erected on the north eastern corner of Methul and Douglas Streets. The congregation grew and the Methodist Church Circuit invested in a larger block of land. The new brick church was built in 1927 on the north western corner of Mirrool and Loughnan Street.
Prior to the commencement of building the brick church, the first, wooden building was moved over a two-week period by horses and telegraph poles to the larger block and served as a Sunday School and church hall during the construction of the brick church.
The wooden church continued its role as a Sunday School in addition to a community hall post completion of the brick. Church minutes record the brick church was constructed over a two-year period during a drought. A collective decision was made by the Church Circuit to install a structural arch in the Southern wall with intent to complete the architects’ vision.
The structural arch remains a testament to resilience and provides visual proof of fortitude and provision. The feature is a humbling reminder of courage and craftmanship.
THE UNITING CHURCH
The Uniting Church was inaugurated 1977 when the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations, in accord with local consultations, came together to form the first autonomous Australian Church.
The former Methodist and Presbyterian congregations of Coolamon, Ganmain, Marrar, Matong and Rannock areas came together to form the Coolamon Parish of the Uniting Church. The joint Methodist and Presbyterian Parish of Coolamon and Ganmain was formed on January 1974.
The former Manse on the corner of Loughnan and Mirrool Streets and the former Parsonage in Loughnan Street were disposed of during 1978.
Not all the dots are joined. Between the archives and people on the ground, there are missing links and distorted stories! So many who had a direct connection have moved into the ether and the history has gone with them.
images from our history
