St. David's Church in Borden is demolished after earthquake damage in 2023

A church in the heart of a small Western Australian town held its final service before being demolished due to earthquake damage.

In order to build in demolition, the Anglican Church of St. David's in the great southern town of Borden was cancelled, after major structural damage had occurred several years earlier.

St David's Anglican Church in Borden was built in the 1950s. (ABC Great Southern: Samantha Goerling)

In the early hours of August 6, 2023, a magnitude 5 earthquake struck just northeast of Gnowangerup.

The earthquake and subsequent tremors cracked the foundations of the church, about 380 kilometers southeast of Perth.

St David's Church in Borden is part of the Anglican Diocese of Bunbury. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)

The church was built in 1959, after the local farming community spent nearly a decade seeking donations of wheat, wool and cash to fund it.

On a summer afternoon after 65 years in November last year, a final service was held outside its walls – fearing the roof would fall – to dismantle the building.

An earthquake and tremors cracked the foundations of the church. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)

Cracked into the foundation

The church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Bunbury, and Archdeacon Geoff Chadwick said efforts were underway to repair it after the quake.

“After the first tremor, there were cracks in the walls and so on, and they were repaired — but after the second tremor, those cracks reopened and new ones appeared,” he said.

The church was canceled during a service in November last year. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)

“The foundation is kind of cracking all the way down, as are the walls, and the roof will likely fall in.”

The town of Borden has seen a decline in population, and in recent years, the church only holds services at Christmas time.

Geoff Chadwick is a parishioner of the Anglican Diocese of Bunbury. (ABC South West: Bridget Mcathur)

Archdeacon Chadwick said considering the repair costs and scarce services, it was decided to demolish and dismantle the church.

“We couldn't be in the building because [it] It was considered dangerous indoors, so we had a lovely service under the trees.”

Initial efforts to repair the church were thwarted by subsequent tremors. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)

“We read the building license – it's got a bit of history, [including] When it was first dedicated.

“Then there was a prayer of thanksgiving for the building’s place in the history of this community in terms of weddings, funerals and baptisms.”

The church suffered significant damage during earthquakes in 2023. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)

Donations of wheat and wool

From 1950, the farming community around Borden began fundraising for a church, establishing a women's guild and a men's committee that raised money through the crop program.

Other donations were made in the form of wheat, wool or cash, and local James Walton Evans left 1,000 pounds in his will for the project, understood to be earmarked for St David's.

The church bell tower will remain. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)

Similar to St Margaret's in nearby Gnowangerup, Borden's Church cost 3,000 pounds to build.

It was built by Domenica Caramea, an Italian former prisoner of war, who returned to Australia and set up a building company in Gnowangerup.

The niche wall, the bell tower to stay

The building will be demolished, but the bell tower is made from an old ship's bell, and the niche wall with ash will remain.

The diocese still owns the land and has no plans to build another church.

A specialized wall will also be left containing about a dozen of the ashes of community members. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)

“It's a bit sad, but the community has understood the situation very well,” Archdeacon Chadwick said.

“We'll keep the niche wall, we'll keep the bell tower, and there's a park there.

“It will be a reminder of the fact that the church was there, and it can be a place where people can sit for quiet contemplation.”

Fiona Guys says the church has played an important role in the community over the years. (ABC Great Southern: Briana Fiore)

Churchwarden Fiona Gaze said the 2024 Christmas service was held in the nearby Borden Pavilion.

“I think he attended really well [service] … It's no different than what we normally had as a Christmas service … Most people were really surprised.”

Pews were returned in Matakiriya for community members to relatives, and other objects and artefacts were taken from the church to the local RSL building.

The garden will remain a site for “quiet contemplation.” (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)

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