My Family Connections to the Ebenezer Church.   By FF Harold McLean.

Owen Cavanough of French origin, a Seaman was on the Sirius when it was shipwrecked at Norfolk Island.

He was given a land grant of 60 acres, block 42 near Cascade bay.

 Margaret Darnell (real name Dowling) was taken off the Sirius a week earlier, before the shipwreck, she was an Irish convict.

Margaret and Owen were married by Rev. Johnson at Norfolk Island. They had 2 children there, my 3rd Great Grandmother, Grace, being one of them. They returned to Sydney in 1796.Owen farmed on Pitt Towns Bottom.

In 1801 at the Crown Court Church of Scotland in Covent Gardens, London,, seven couples with their families and 2 single men agreed to migrate to Australia. One of them a Gregory Hall shared with them a response he received from the British Government to a letter written to them by Hall, that they offer themselves as settlers to go to NSW on the term that they receive land in close proximity to each other.

They sailed from Septford on 12th February 1802 on the Coromandel, a 5232 ton sailing ship, also on board were 1436 convicts. March21st Mrs Johnson child alexander died and was buried at sea. April 28th Andrew Mein died, the only deaths on the voyage.

They arrived at Port Jackson, Sydney Cove on 13th June. The time taken for the first nonstop trip was 121 days, easily the fastest at the time.

The 8 families settled at a Government farm at Toongabbie for the remainder of 1802. In April 1803 after George Hall had surveyed an area on the Hawksbury, known then as Portland Head, they settled on both sides of the river. There were 15 blocks of 100 acres in each, seven other families joined them, and Owen and Margaret were one of them.

The new settlers kept up their religious faith. James Mein a Presbyterian Pastor who led the group in worship on the Coromandel became the leader. He led them in the first service 16th May1803, all religions joined in. In good weather the service was held under a Gum Tree on Owen and Margaret’s property, in bad weather in their home or Thomas Arndell’s home across the river.

 On 26th September 1808 the families met at “Hop-e Jam” the home of Thomas Ardell who was the assistant surgeon on the First Fleet.. At this meeting they formed the “Portland Head society for the Presbyterian of Christian Knowledge and the Education of youth”. They agreed to build a Church to measure 50 x 20 feet x 12 feet high. Next meeting on 21st January 1809 rules and regulations for the guidance of the society were read and adopted. Contracts with stonemasons and a carpenter were signed. Owen and Margaret donated 4 acres of land, Andrew Johnson to design the Church and supervise its construction, George Hall to swim his bullock team across the river and draw stone to the building site. The cost was four hundred pounds.

 The little church was ready for worship during 1809. The building was a stone building divided into 2 rooms by a Cedar panel, 1 end the church the other a school with side doors. For the first 20 years the Pioneers of Portland Head was not aligned to any religion or denomination.

In 1824 the Ebenezer Church became the first Presbyterian Church in Australia. The name of the church was chosen from 1 Samuel V11, verse 12 “Then Samuel took stone and set it up between Mispath and Joshanal and called its name Ebenezer; for he said ’Hitherto the Lord has helped us”.

                                                             The Church is the oldest Church in Australia still in use.

There were 2 others older. 1 was burned down the other pulled down to be replaced by a larger one. The Church is downstream from Windsor on the Coromandel Road, the King Road off the Putty Road.

Owen and Margaret Cavanough were both buried at Sackville Reach but their headstones were later removed to the Ebenezer Church cemetery by the Owen Cavanough Fellowship, which still meet at the Church for family reunions. We attend some of them and were at the bi-Centenary celebrations in 2009.

The church cemetery is a quiet peaceful place, high on the river bank, the ground are well kept. We find it a great place to visit on our few trips to Sydney. We call in and have a cup of tea and relax before facing the Sydney traffic.

 

An address by Harold McLean to the North West Chapter Fellowship of first Fleeters.

5th August 2017