St Andrews Church in Walcha is the oldest building standing in the town and the oldest church in the Armidale Anglican Diocese, and it is in desperate need of salvation. The building is in a state of disrepair and has not been used since the 1990s; however, a group of residents want to change this and bring the building back to life, and have begun to raise $50,000 to put towards work to save the building and its historic stained glass windows. Each week I will tell the story behind a window.
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Isabella Elizabeth Fenwick was the daughter of Captain George Jobling and his wife Margaret (nee Reed) of "Goolawa", Port Macquarie. She was born at Ulgham, Northumberland, England and baptised there on 14th July 1821. On 4th August 1846 she married Christopher Dawson Fenwick (1815-1895)of Yarrowitch Station at St Thomas' Anglican Church, Port Macquarie. The marriage was announced in the notices of the Sydney Morning Herald. Her wedding dress is in the Port Macquarie Museum. She gave birth to eleven children all born at Yarrowitch.
The beautiful window at the west end of the church is dedicated to her after she died at 'Europambela" on 21st May 1883. Christopher Dawson Fenwick, her husband, was a founding trustee of the church, a parish councillor and a synod representative. This is also a Hardman window listed in the Company Daybook.
The pair of windows comprise a single scene. The theme is the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist as recorded in all four gospels. It is overseen by a host of angels with a pair below waiting to dry Christ's feet. The composition is wonderful and the blue background of angels in a starry sky is masterful. There are lovely details such as the fish in the River Jordan and the angels in the canopies whose hands overlap the border as if it were a balcony edge. The angel's wings are also beautifully painted. The faces are serene and beneficent. This is a magnificent window and must be preserved.
Donations to the Friends of the Old Stone Church restoration fund can be made at the local branch of Regional Australia Bank