St Oswald’s Anglican Church, Meekatharra, WA by
Andrew Priest, on Flickr
St Oswald’s Anglican Church is today it seems the Meekatharra presbyterian church, the only church remaining on what was known as Church Hill.
The State Heritage Register describes St Oswald’s thus:
St Oswald's Anglican Church (fmr) was built to a design by architect Harry M. Marwood of Geraldton and dedicated on 24 August 1909 by Bishop Riley. Crooks and Brooker, who had a hardware store in Meekatharra, were the builders. The building was also used by the Freemasons until they acquired their own Lodge building in 1915. St Oswald’s Anglican Church became the centre of the Meekatharra Mission district covering Nannine, Peak Hill, Tuckanarra and Garden Gully. In the 1930s, services were being held on Thursday and Sunday in rotation with Wiluna, which had been added to the Rector's round. From 1936 to 1948, St Oswald’s was part of the Wiluna parish, reverting to Cue parish from 1948 to 1957…
In the 21st century, services are held each Saturday for an Anglican congregation that fluctuates between 12-13 and 6-7 people. Of the three churches established in Meekatharra, St Oswald's is the only one remaining. The Catholic and Methodist churches were on the same street and the area was known as Church Hill.
Gascoyne Murchison Outback Pathway Exploration July-August 2020 - #GMOPE 46.