Clifden District, Waiau - Presbyterian Church History (From followers of faith to fabulous flowers)

Shared by Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

Clifden District, Waiau - Presbyterian Church History (From followers of faith to fabulous flowers). Little did the builders of the Clifden Presbyterian Church know when they proudly laid the foundation stone and erected the timbers for this symbol of their faith, that in less than a hundred years it would become part of a local flower farm. But in all honesty, this seems to be a better fate than some for an old church that has done its dash. The Church now has a new lease of life. IMAGES: Photos 1 to 5 - Photographs of the old Clifden Church, taken by the new owners as of December 2024, 'Blooming Boulders'. They have purchased the property & John Moffat's flower farm. The front photo is of Nathalie Pahl standing in the Church entry with flowers, she is part of this new venture. Photo 6 & 7 - Photo of residents and congregants at the closing Ceremony of the Clifden Presbyterian Church, Nov 1994, donated by Lincoln Moffat. (NOTE: we have a few names of people in this photo, but would like more, if you can help with this, please contact us or come into the Heritage Hub) Photos 8 to 10 - Photo of the Clifden Church, with the following caption (quoted): "Mabelle King, left, who still lives in Clifden, and Carried Fowle, now in Tuatapere, recall their days as part of the Clifden Church congregation. The church has closed its doors and will be used by a Tuatapere flower grower." Picture taken by May Seager, Copyright. An Article titled, "Amen" quoted below, copyright to Southland Times. Also, a copy of both article and photo together, 17 Dec 1994 by Southland Times, Copyright. This is a digital preservation copy made by CWArchives. ANNOUNCEMENT: On 18 December 2024, there was an announcement from Blooming Boulders. They told our local community, that (quoted), "...Finally after months and months of anticipation we did it. Blooming Boulders Limited is here! We bought a flower farm up the road from us, in Clifden. Things are changing for us as we now have multiple crops we haven't had before with the main one being gentian. An great flower, in multiple colours, with an amazing vaselife. Never heard of it? (They suggest to follow them on Facebook to see) ...We have enough to supply the New Zealand market so we will be entering our new chapter - 'wholesale'. In the meantime we are working hard to move what we have already established in our previous seasons, our business, our name, our stall and of course our flowers so we can keep offering you seasonal mixed bouquets... The new farm is so enchanting, we absolutely love it... Not to mention the cutest little church that is brimming with potential." NOTE: and of course, the historical photos and article here, are of this very same church! LOOKING BACK - CLOSING NEWS: Virtually exactly 30 years prior to the above exciting news, a more sombre event was reported. On 17 December 1994, the Southland Times carried the story shown above and attached, of the final chapter of this once beloved centre of local Christian worship, simply entitled 'Amen', quoted below: "Clifden's Presbyterian Church has closed its doors as a place of worship. Once a focal point for the farming community just north of Tuatapere, it has succumbed to economics and community change. Reporter MAY SEAGER talked to some former parishioners with fond memories of Sunday School tickets, canny fundraising, and times when the area's caves resounded to the sound of carolling Christians. Mrs Carrie Fowle is 94, blind and hard of hearing, but her days in the Clifden Church are clear in her memory. She grew up in Clifden, one of Leonard and Margaret Hill's 11 children, living on a farm with bush and hills on one side and rocks and tussock on the other. Before the church was built, Sunday School and church were conducted at different times in Mrs Durie's hall and the school. The church was opened and dedicated on Sunday, April 19, 1914, by Rev Alex [most often known as 'Sandy'] MacDonald, the first minister to preach in Clifden. Carnegy Gardner had given the one-acre site for what would be the first church established across the Waiau River. That river, Mrs Fowle remembers, sometimes tested the dedication of the clergy and congregation. "There used to be a punt on the Waiau River at Tuatapere, which the home missionary at the time, Mr McEwan, had to cross to make his way up to Clifden. The rope on the punt broke and hit him in the face," Mrs Fowle said. "He couldn't take the service. His wife, who had little ones at home and another one on the way, picked up his notes and took the sermon, except for one prayer which she asked my father to read." Mrs Fowle's father was an elder with the church for several years and one of her brothers and his fiance were the first couple married in the church. She was also married there, to George Henry Fowle, in 1926. She performed many tasks as part of the congregation, helping to plant trees, cleaning and playing the organ, both for church services and for the choir. She has been living in Tuatapere since 1979. Grace Gardner, who took over from Mrs Fowle as organist, had been playing church organ since about the age of 12: "It was something I really enjoyed doing." She played for the district choir, which performed once a month at the combined service and regularly put on an Easter and Chrismas cantanta. In the days when she and her late husband, Robin, lived at the Gardner homestead, the choir met there for practices every week, followed by supper. In the 1950's, with the wealth of singing talent throughout the district, a carol service was held in the Clifden Cave. This was a major task; the cave had to be cleared of growth, rocks and dirt. Hay bales were used for seats and kerosene lanterns were placed on trees to light the way. Mrs Gardner remembers the flickering lights of 130 candles as backed by a choir of 35 voices, the first carols in the cave took place. The following year, a nativity tableau was organised by Sadie Pearce, which proved enormously popular. Crowds increased each year. Unfortunately, several choir members left the district and when Mr Kerr, who had enthusiastically led the choir, left with this family, the event was discontinued. In later days, Mrs Gardner played throughout the district and was the regular Sunday organist for Clifden. "It was an old organ at Clifden but I didn't mind it. I was old too. The young ones would have preferred something more modern," the 86-year-old Mrs Gardner says. A Clifden resident for 55 years, she now lives in Invercargill. Mabelle King's father, Robert, had the unenviable task of collecting the sustentation - the twice-yearly collection of funds for the church - and when he died the responsibility fell to her. "He was a Scotsman and far better at it than I, "Miss King says on reflection. It was a job in which one had to be diplomatic and careful; people often asked to look at the records to see what they had given the previous year. Mr King, however, didn't call on just the parishioners. He visited everyone in the district, saying the church was there for all the people. Although Miss King admits that during her 15 years collecting she did not have quite the same method as her father, she was heard herself described as one who wouldn't leave until the sustentation had been given. "They don't do it anymore, which is not so good. If it's left to people to give they tend to forget. At least we were a reminder to them," she says. She grew up in the church and was the youngest of eight children. The Kings lived two miles from the church and had to cross the Clifden Bridge to get there. Once, in the 1960's or 1970's, the bridge was being re-decked and timber was laid down during the weekends so people could keep using it. We had to leave our vehicles on one side and walk across, because the river was full, bank to bank, and it was very frightening." Miss King got her first 'ticket' when she was four years old, while attending Sunday School at Clifden. That was a piece of card with a verse on it. It was presented to the children attending Sunday School and it earned a special place in the family Bible. She is now 80 years old and still lives in Clifden. The Clifden Church has been sold to John Moffat, who is a flower grower." (Article quoted and shown above in digital format, is a preservation copy, as allowed for under exceptions in the Copyright Act of New Zealand. Please understand it is still in copyright and do not copy or distribute this further.) As an interesting aside, in his book on Southwest Sawmills, Allen Templeton has another story from Carrie Fowle (née Hill) where she remembers that on her way to the Clifden Church, she used to give flowers to a wee girl Maisie Rawlinson, who lived in a tent beside her families house at the mill. This may seem odd, but this kind of open air treatment was often used to treat tuberculosis, and this young girl recovered from it well, ending up marrying Teddy Chamberlain and they also had two sons. The flower story continues, with the initial church and flower farm ownership by John Moffat after the sale to him, to now being taken over by Blooming Boulders Ltd as a new and growing venture by them. It's the circle of life. John Moffat, owner of the Clifden Church from 1994-2024, tells us this: "After I purchased the church in 1994, (the late) Ray Laurie and I re-piled the church. It made a fine packing shed for the flowers for the next 30 years. When my staff working inside wanted more flowers from those outside in the flower beds, they would just ring the (church) bell! The church is still in good condition, a credit to the quality of the timber and the builder. I hope it will be good for another 100 years." Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of this Clifden Presbyterian Church, it's congregants, or even the following flower farms during the years, please do share this with us in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Or you can make contact with us as per the archive front page.