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Strathfield Uniting Church World War Two Carillon Print Page 
The Carillon commemorates those from the church who died in service or were killed in action during World War Two.
Strathfield Church was filled on Sunday last when a Radio Carillon installed in memory of the men of the congregation who 'went to the Great War and died' was formally dedicated. Among those present (exclusive of regular worshippers) were the Mayor of the Municipality, (Ald. Colin Hudson), representatives of the Strathfield Branch of the Red Cross Society, members of the Nursing Staff of the Eva Hordern Convalescent Home, representatives of the Returned Sailors', Soldiers', and Airmen's Imperial League, ministers and members of nearby Churches, and visitors and friends from several suburbs.
The superintendent of the Circuit (Rev. P. L. Black) was in charge of the service and performed the dedication ceremony. Those who shared with him the duties and the honours of the occasion were the Rev. R. H. Campbell, (Property Secretary of the Church), the Rev. S. R. Bowyer-Hayward, M.A., (Principal of Leigh College), and the Rev. S. M. Barrett, L.Th. Mr. Barrett preached the occasional sermon, and added solemnity and impressiveness to the service by his very fitting utterance. He took as his text the words of John 12:24: "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." He stressed the fact that Jesus had changed entirely the standards of human values, and pointed out that the worth of life is not to be judged quantitatively but qualitatively. It is not how long a person lives that really matters: the purpose to which his time and energies are devoted is the thing, and in the end the only thing, that counts. Jesus, dying as He did at thirty-three, actually accomplished more than could have been accomplished had He lived to seventy or eighty years of age. His life was not wasted, though it was cut off at an early age. Similarly, the lives of the men whose sacrifice was commemorated in the memorial which had been dedicated were not wasted. They 'laid the world away' that we and others might live in freedom and peace, and in view of what they had done our duty was to dedicate ourselves to the task of building a better world.
The Carillon was constructed by Mr. L. I. Martin of Concord and Strathfield, and the cabinet, which is made of polished Queensland maple, was designed by Messrs. Morrow and Gordon, Architects. The making of the cabinet was undertaken by Messrs. Kell and Rigby of Burwood, and all concerned are to be congratulated upon the fine quality of their work. A bronze tablet attached to the cabinet bears seven names in alphabetical order. They are — James Watkins Douglas, Harold Samuel Evans, William Stanley Hancock, Donald Hood, John Henry Roberts, Trevor Glynn Rowsell, Ronald George Smith. Laurence Binyon's familiar lines appear under the names: 'At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them.' The whole cost of the memorial was subscribed before it was dedicated, and a retiring offering on behalf of the Blinded and Permanently Disabled Soldiers' Association amounted to about £25.
Methodist (Sydney), 30 November 1946.
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Source: MA, NRWM
Strathfield Church was filled on Sunday last when a Radio Carillon installed in memory of the men of the congregation who 'went to the Great War and died' was formally dedicated. Among those present (exclusive of regular worshippers) were the Mayor of the Municipality, (Ald. Colin Hudson), representatives of the Strathfield Branch of the Red Cross Society, members of the Nursing Staff of the Eva Hordern Convalescent Home, representatives of the Returned Sailors', Soldiers', and Airmen's Imperial League, ministers and members of nearby Churches, and visitors and friends from several suburbs.
The superintendent of the Circuit (Rev. P. L. Black) was in charge of the service and performed the dedication ceremony. Those who shared with him the duties and the honours of the occasion were the Rev. R. H. Campbell, (Property Secretary of the Church), the Rev. S. R. Bowyer-Hayward, M.A., (Principal of Leigh College), and the Rev. S. M. Barrett, L.Th. Mr. Barrett preached the occasional sermon, and added solemnity and impressiveness to the service by his very fitting utterance. He took as his text the words of John 12:24: "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." He stressed the fact that Jesus had changed entirely the standards of human values, and pointed out that the worth of life is not to be judged quantitatively but qualitatively. It is not how long a person lives that really matters: the purpose to which his time and energies are devoted is the thing, and in the end the only thing, that counts. Jesus, dying as He did at thirty-three, actually accomplished more than could have been accomplished had He lived to seventy or eighty years of age. His life was not wasted, though it was cut off at an early age. Similarly, the lives of the men whose sacrifice was commemorated in the memorial which had been dedicated were not wasted. They 'laid the world away' that we and others might live in freedom and peace, and in view of what they had done our duty was to dedicate ourselves to the task of building a better world.
The Carillon was constructed by Mr. L. I. Martin of Concord and Strathfield, and the cabinet, which is made of polished Queensland maple, was designed by Messrs. Morrow and Gordon, Architects. The making of the cabinet was undertaken by Messrs. Kell and Rigby of Burwood, and all concerned are to be congratulated upon the fine quality of their work. A bronze tablet attached to the cabinet bears seven names in alphabetical order. They are — James Watkins Douglas, Harold Samuel Evans, William Stanley Hancock, Donald Hood, John Henry Roberts, Trevor Glynn Rowsell, Ronald George Smith. Laurence Binyon's familiar lines appear under the names: 'At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them.' The whole cost of the memorial was subscribed before it was dedicated, and a retiring offering on behalf of the Blinded and Permanently Disabled Soldiers' Association amounted to about £25.
Methodist (Sydney), 30 November 1946.
Location
| Address: | 13 Carrington Avenue, Strathfield Uniting Church, Strathfield, 2135 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.875746 Long: 151.091758 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 03-September-1939 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 15-August-1945 |
| Designer: | Morrow & Gordon, architects (Cabinet) |
| Monument Manufacturer: | Mr. L. I. Martin (Carillon), Kell & Rigby (Cabinet) |
| Link: | http://www.warmemorialsregister.nsw… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 24th November, 1946 |
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Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au
