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A FORGOTTEN ONE HAS BEEN FOUND

from The Stanford Spectator Issue 14

by stanfordnewsagency

from The Stanford Spectator Issue 14, page 22

Article from: The Stanford Spectator Issue 14

ROCKET MAN

By: Liz Clarke

Acampaign to restore the one-and-a half-century old St Thomas Anglican church in Stanford is underway.

Like gracious dowagers, slightly frayed but still proud of their heritage, St Thomas Church at the far end of the Stanford Village Green and the old school next door, remain iconic and integral parts of the village’s history, spanning nearly 150 years.

But the ageing dowager with her weather worn limestone façade and thatched roofing are feeling the effects of old Father Time, knowing that if urgent repairs are not carried out soon, they will become a mere memory – a beautiful little church and a legacy school that used to be here, but are no more.

Faced with this bleak scenario, church and heritage leaders in the village got together last year to pave the way forward and rescue the church and the old school from an almost certain demise.

Said Keith Brown, a heritage committee member: “Since we first alerted the village to the state of the Church and due to the urgency of repair work, the response from our community has been amazing. We have enough funds to start some of the urgent roof repairs, but obviously we are going to need a great deal more to finish the job. But at least it is a beginning. We hope to be able to prevent further damage during the rainy season.”

Last month the Church opened its doors for a special Easter Music & Song get together as part of an ongoing fundraising campaign.

“It was such an emotional evening for all of us,” said Bea Whittaker, one of the movers and shakers behind the St Thomas restoration campaign and one of the Village’s most accomplished choristers.

With some gentle persuasion from Bea and her team, the popular Hermanus Choir was invited to become part of the St Thomas’ Church outreach.

The weather wasn’t kind, a howling gale and driving rain. But it didn’t stop the friends and well-wishers of St Thomas from attending this special celebration. The Church with its lofty wooden rafters and interior blessed with a showcase of century old carpentry rang out with the glorious sounds of Easter and the message of goodwill.

But it was the ordinary folk packed row by row, who in silence and praise gave their commitment.

“We will save our Church. Yes, we will!”

Local cemetery care and clean-up crew, The Forgotton Ones, recently uncovered a fascinating tombstone in the north-western cemetery situated in Moore Street. This unusual tombstone, in the shape of a tree trunk, is from the grave of a young lad by the name of Jan de Villiers, who died in 1940 at the tender age of 22. Many of the older graves dating from as far back as the early 1900s have been overgrown by thick shrubbery. Slowly, one by one, these ‘forgotten ones’ are being uncovered as a symbol of a life once lived, and this is all thanks to a group of caring people.