St Paul's Anglican Church

St Paul's was built in 1869 by the firm of masons 'Mawson, Potter and Scarlett'. The spire was added in 1891.

The church is significant for its fine stained glass windows.

A Brief History of the Anglican Church on Monaro

This was collated by Canon Keith Stephens, Rector of the Parish of Cooma from 1986 until 2000.

The first recorded ministry on Monaro was made by the Revd W G Nott, a roving SPG chaplain, in 1842. Between 1838 and 1842 the Revd Edward Smith also paid visits to the area, but he left no records of which centres he actually went to on his travels from Queanbeyan (where he was the rector, with the responsibility for a region which included Monaro).

Revd Edward Gifford Pryce was the last chaplain appointed to the colony. He was licensed by the then Bishop of Australia, W Grant Broughton, to the district of Monaro and the County of Auckland (that is, Bega to what is now the Victorian border). He called it "the area beyond the boundaries". He travelled was beyond that district and his ministry included all of Gippsland as far as Port Welshpool. His license is dated 17th February, 1843 and the regular ministry of the Anglican Church in the area commenced with his arrival in July that year.

Bishop Broughton's first visit was in 1845. By that time Pryce was holding services in a number of locations across Monaro. Most were in homesteads, although in Cooma it was probably in Kirwan's Inn or at "the George" which was being used as his home. With John Lambie (Commissioner of Crown Lands), McCabe (a Government Surveyor), the Bishop and Revd Pryce chose land on the road to Myalla near "The Grange" for a church and cemetery in "Coomer". Bishop Broughton laid the foundation stone for Christ Church [click here for details about Christ Church].

Within five years it was realised that Christ Church was not located where the village of Cooma was developing, and although services were held there in the mornings, evening services were held in the Court House.

St Paul's Cooma was commenced in 1865 to a design of A D Soares (pronounced Swarez), Rector of Queanbeyan and Diocesan Architect. The builders were Mawson, Scarlett and Potter. The first service in the new church was recorded in 1869, and the first Bishop of Goulburn Diocese, Mesac Thomas, consecrated it in 1872. It was without a spire until 1891.

Services have been held in a number of locations over the years. For example, in 1878 the register shows that regular worship took place at "Arable", "Coolringdon", "Goodwins Vale", and "Dog Kennel Creek" as well as Cooma, Berridale and Adaminaby. Occasional services were held at Michelago, Bredbo, Nimmitybelle, Rock Flat, Jerangle and Countegany.

The 1840s and '50s saw rapid expansion of population and farming pursuits. By 1845 Revd Pryce recorded that there were about 1500 members of the Church of England in the district of Maneroo and County of Auckland combined. By 1970 the population of Cooma alone was 12000 (during the peak of Snowy Hydro personnel) with approximately 3600 Anglicans.

In 1856 Bega/Pambula had separated from Monaro and in 1876 Jegezerick (including Adaminaby) was made a separate Parish. In 1914 two Mission Districts were formed: Michelago (including Bredbo and Jerangle) and Nimmitabel (including Umeralla - now known as Chakola). In 1916 Nimmitabel District came back to Cooma, then was taken off again to be part of Michelago District! Manpower was stretched at that time. Archdeacon Ward, the Rector of Cooma, left the Parish in the care of his assistant Curate to become an Army Chaplain for a year. Nimmitabel came back to Cooma Parish after a very short time, followed by Numeralla and Umeralla. Bredbo came back to Cooma Parish in '36. Jerangle was attached to Bungendore until the outbreak of World War II, when it appears to have been served from Queanbeyan. In '49 Jerangle returned to Cooma for occasional services only; then St John's Reid took Jerangle in '50. St Andrew's Jerangle finally returned to Cooma in 1954.

Meanwhile, Cooma Parish was slow to realise the impact the Snowy Mountains Authority was having on the town; the first recorded mention of it in the Parish Council minutes was for the hire of chairs to SMA for a concert, in June 1951! It wasn't until early '52 that moves were commenced to start a ministry in "the Snowy area" (Cooma North) and in July that year a cottage was purchased to house a Curate. Later a hall was built and services commenced.

By 1961 the Greek Orthodox Church started using old Christ Church for services and later, Serbian and Russian Orthodox. Those denominations still use St Paul's for occasional services.

The Anglican Church grew in the 1960s in Cooma. New blood was injected with all the folk who came to Cooma as it boomed with the growth of the Snowy workforce. The church hall was for a time used for accommodation and the supply of food for those out of work during fluctuation in workforce requirements. Eventually the hall was too small and the churches took that ministry to the old pavilion at the Show Ground.

The Rector and Curate found the workload too great and two honorary Priests were ordained - Dick Clarke and Charles Wheeler. (Later on, Geoff Blyton was also ordained.)

The present Parish of Cooma has a greatly expanded lay ministry serving an area bounded by Colington, Jerangle, Brown Mountain, Native Dog Creek, Bobundra, Kelton Plain, along the Snowy Mountains Highway as far as Yarrangobilly and including Cabramurra, and following the ACT border back to Colington. There are currently seven worship centres: St Bartholomew's Bredbo, St Andrew's Jerangle, St Peter's Nimmitabel, St Paul's Cooma, St John's Adaminaby and St John's Numeralla, and the combined church / pre-school at Cabramurra.

Incumbents of Cooma...