History

The 20th Century was just a few years old. Canterbury and Surrey Hills were burgeoning young suburbs on the outskirts of Melbourne. Housing was encroaching on the open paddocks. Clusters of shops were being built around the railway stations in Canterbury Road and Union Road. Schools were expanding. Lawyer and politician Robert Beckett, a dedicated Methodist, saw the need for a church to serve the growing community around the Highfield Road area and decided to do something about it. He gave a block of land for a church at the corner of Highfield Road and Rupert Street (now Prospect Hill Road). The year was 1911.

The First Church - 1912

The following year on August 4th 1912 a timber church was opened on the site. The young church had 33 members. There were 15 families associated with the new 'cause'. It was the beginning of the Highfield story. Robert Beckett was not only a man of vision but also action. He was born in 1862 and came through the depression of the 1890's as a successful lawyer with a strong commitment to the church. He was a class leader at Surrey Hills church for many years, in the days when the John Wesley concept of small groups, or classes, of church members meeting regularly for self-examination was still strong. His contribution to the life of the Highfield Road church set a pattern for the scores of dedicated lay people who have followed him in the ninety or more years since that first building was opened.

The original church cost £450 and was made of timber. Its vestry still stands behind the Sunday School main hall and abuts the eastern boundary. The main part of the original wooden church was transferred to Springvale circuit in 1958. The opening service on that winter's day in 1911 was conducted by three ministers, Rev Henry Bath, Rev D.J. Flockart and Rev John Thomas. The first minister to have oversight of the Highfield congregation was the Rev T. Dickson of Surrey Hills church.

Sunday School started in that first year with nine boys and twelve girls under Mr W. J. Walker and within five years had almost quadrupled. In October 1917 there were 117 on the Sunday School rolls. In those early years the church grew rapidly - like the community it served. It also reflected the issues which dominated community life. The First World War took its toll and the Honour Roll, which is on the north eastern wall of the church still, commemorates those who saw service.

The Growing Years

The original church ready for new life at Springvale - 1958

As the suburb developed in the early years there was a rapid growth in members attending the church. The church played an important role in the social and sporting life of the wider community. A tennis club was formed in 1920 and three years later a cricket club.

The first timber building was soon far too small for the weekly congregation and the duties required of the Minister too demanding to be met by a part time minister from Surrey Hills. The Trustees decided they needed a new building. The new church was to be a landmark and a fine brick building in the classic Methodist style of the day was planned. The memorial stone was unveiled in the autumn of 1925 by Miss Nettie Beckett in memory of her father.

Six months later, in August 1925, the new church was finished. It was known as the Robert Beckett Memorial church. The dedication was held on 1st August and conducted by the President of the Victorian Methodist Conference, Rev William Harris; the President General of the Australian Conference, Rev Dr E. H. Sugden, and the Rev Dr. A. E. Albiston. In 1928 the Rev H. Mervyn Knuckey became the first married minister to be appointed to the Highfield Road congregation. His ministry was to last five years.

There was something of a village atmosphere about the church in those days, as a row of shops, grocer, butcher, fruiterer, chemist and a circulating library, had been built opposite the church in Highfield Road (now occupied by the school oval).

One hundred and ninety nine was a good number to achieve at Sunday School on a regular Sunday, with the annual picnic drawing an even larger crowd. It was soon clear that in order to accommodate the growing Sunday School, a substantial new building was needed. The new brick building (the present day Hall) was completed and opened in January 1930 at a cost of £1600. The next major project was provision of a parsonage for the minister and his family and in 1937 a house was purchased at 52 Highfield Road for £1600.

The War Years

The second world war had a significant impact on the life of the Congregation. More than 100 men and women from the congregation joined the armed forced and those who stayed at home established a church branch of the War Comforts Fund. The Rev B.L. Semmens became the district Air Raid Warden and had the responsibility of supervising the blackout drills in the wider community. In many ways the war brought the church into greater prominence in the community, as it increasingly became a focus for community activities.

At the beginning of 1943 a Youth Council was formed that brought together leaders from the Sunday School, the Scout Troup, the cricket club, the tennis club, the Christian Endeavour, the Young Ladies Institute, the Young Men's Institute, the Girls Fellowship and the Young Women's Missionary Movement. The Youth Council began by organising youth teas every two or three months and young people from other churches as well were invited.

1941 - The Highfield Scout Troup
Officially the 19th City of Camberwell Scout Troup, outside the Sunday School Hall. The Scout Master (centre of the front row) is Mr G. Collins. He was one of many to enlist.

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Both John and Charles Wesley encouraged hymn singing to express the reality of the faith. That musical heritage has long been an important dimension of the Highfield Road congregation. A choir was formed in the first years of Highfield Life under Mr Sam Hodge with Mrs H. Davies as organist. After the second world war the congregation at Highfield honoured the men and women of the church who had joined the forces by raising money for a memorial organ. It was dedicated on 27th October 1946. That organ served the church for 18 years but increasingly gave trouble in hot weather and in 1964 a new organ was purchased.

The annual Sunday School Anniversaries were always rich musical experiences and a highlight of the church year. To prepare for these anniversaries a large pre-fabricated wooden platform was erected in the church over the pulpit and directly in front of the pipe organ. Putting up the platform was a major achievement each year. Services were held over two successive Sundays with three services each week. The last Sunday night was always an all-stops-out affair with hymn singing continuing for up to 20 minutes after the main part of the service had finished.

1964 - One of the last Sunday School anniversary services to make use of the platform

The Ministers

These shops were opposite the current church site (where Canterbury Primary School is now)

Some of the shops in Highfield Road