In 1907 church elder and former Minister of Parliament Thomas Peacock offered £400 towards the cost of a new pipe organ for St Stephen’s Presbyterian Church in Ponsonby.
So how did it happen? Well, according to Helen it all started when the church decided to give their organ a make-over and refurbish its bellows earlier in the year. She began doing a bit of research into the different pipe organs in Auckland.
With its restoration, she realized they had a golden opportunity to see if the one in St Stephen’s could qualify for heritage level status.
“I thought, look why don’t we see if we can get category one or two?”
What’s next? Well first, the organ will have to be inspected by the New Zealand Organ Preservation Trust (NZOPT). They’ll match it up against a strict set of criteria to see if it meets the standards they’re looking for.
(As of this interview, the South Island Organ Company has verified that the organ at St Stephen’s is one of the rarer ones in New Zealand.)
To top it all off, 25 July will mark its 111th birthday. To celebrate this special occasion, St Stephen’s is planning a recital called ‘A Joyful Noise.’ Free to the public, it’ll have Helen performing a range of pieces from Bach, to Silvestri, and even some music that you’d never expect to hear from a church.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that by this time next month, their organ will be enjoying its new status and will remain a part of the community for another 111 years.
“It’s an asset to the local area as it’s a fully working engineering marvel that was created here in New Zealand by a George Croft, a local organ builder. I think that’s something we can all be proud of.”
For more information about St Stephen’s or news about ‘A Joyful Noise, please visit www.facebook.com/Ststephensponsonby