Buying St David’s
Part way through 2021 we were advised that St David's would be put out to commercial tender. We had only a matter of weeks to find the funds to save it. This, after years of work, $1 million raised for the most part in $80 increments, and achieving Category A historic heritage protection. All thanks to the thousands of people who have supported us.
Why did we need to buy St David's?
We needed to buy St David's because though the Auckland Council heritage listing provides the highest level of heritage protection available, an "adaptive re-use" clause - which on the surface of it sounds fair and reasonable - means that even the most highly protected buildings can now be partially demolished. If we failed in our bid to purchase, the Soldiers' Memorial Church - built as a permanent memorial to the lives taken by World War One - would highly likely be desecrated, and forever lost.
The opportunity to serve the New Zealand public
Simon O'Neill ONZM.Image courtesy Jessica Chloe Photography
To save St David's, we needed to share, nationwide, its potential to serve the public good. The inherent qualities of the building would determine its future usage. The acoustics of St David's are superb, and in fact, the main body of the church (the great hall) is effectively a musical instrument.
Our research had revealed the lack of a centre for acoustic music in the Auckland region. 70+ choirs, and a great diversity of acoustic musicians of every flavour, need what St David's has to offer. For rehearsing, teaching and sharing music.
As Trustees, we wanted the New Zealand public to experience St David's unique qualities - including its ambience and acoustics - for themselves. The question was, how?
Horomona Horo - Image courtesy Jessica Chloe Photography
BUY ST DAVID'S and TO THE STARS
The answer of how to share the wonder of St David's widely soon became clear: we needed to create a virtual concert. So, just one week later, 'TO THE STARS' was filmed, in a single 20 hour day. This feat was made possible thanks to the extraordinary support of Simon O'Neill ONZM and Carmel Walsh-O'Neill, Founding Patrons of the Centre, together with each of the incredible artists and creative individuals who gave their all. It is also thanks to all who have supported our fundraising activities over the years.
At the same time as creating the concert-movie, we launched BUY ST DAVID's, a nationwide Give-a-Little campaign. Special thanks to Graham Gibson, Auckland RSAs President for his pivotal role, and also to Aziz Al-Sa'afin and the AM Show for their brilliant coverage of the project. We also acknowledge Radio New Zealand and other news media for their valuable support.
The path to ownership - with thanks
We acknowledge the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa which placed a protective covenant on St David's prior to the close of the tender process. This covenant stipulates that St David's cannot be used for commercial, or residential, purposes.
We acknowledged Ted Manson ONZM, Founding Patron, Friends of St David's Trust, who entered the tender process and purchased the three church properties (St David's, 68 Khyber Pass Road, and Madeira Lane carpark). The Trust did not have the funds to purchase all three properties, and without this intervention we would certainly have lost St David's.
We acknowledge each of you who has given toward the purchase, both through the BUY ST DAVID'S Give-a-Little campaign and directly. Your generosity is enabling Friends of St David's Trust to secure the ownership of St David's. The Trust will purchase St David's Memorial Church (70 Khyber Pass Road) from Ted Manson Foundation St David's Ltd as soon as the boundary adjustment with 68 Khyber Pass Road is complete.
68 Khyber Pass Road and Madeira Lane carpark are to be developed for residential units. Friends of St David's Trust's ownership, and work, are confined purely to St David's (70 Khyber Pass Road).
There are many more entities and individuals to thank. We look forward to doing so in the New Year.
Trustees and Advisory Board - thank you
Special thanks to my fellow Trustees: John Morrow (Trust Secretary), Dawn Judge (Treasurer), Lisa Bates MNZM, Angus Ogilvie and Craig Stevenson; and equally Graham Judge, Advisory Board Member. Hearty thanks to each of you for your selfless and inspiring service.
2022
We are thankful for the gifts of 2021, not the least for the secured future of St David's.
We have many mountains to climb in 2022, including to take ownership and full responsibility for a great, historic, civic-scale church building with decades of maintenance and upgrades to attend to, and to continue our work to see St David's continue as a place of remembrance, and to serve acoustic music.
To honour the lives taken by World War One and subsequent wars, we will work to ensure that peacetime life reaches its fullest potential at St David's. We will re-open the doors for all to experience the wonder of sunlight streaming through the great eastern, and western, leadlight windows - and to experience music-making - in celebration of the wondrous potential of human creativity. The art of remembrance.
We end 2021 with a karakia. Please click on this link http://www.saintdavidsfriends.org.nz/heritage then scroll down to the bottom of the page, to hear An Irish Blessing, composed by David Hamilton while choir master of St David's.