The notebook had been preserved along with other family history documents by a descendant of one of the Church’s founders. It is in the form of a small dark clothbound volume, but with no indication of the contents on the outside cover.

Gerald McCalden, who is writing a history of Craven, is ecstatic.

“The Union Church has been central to the life of the Craven Community for most of the last century” he said.

“But none of the older residents I spoke with were sure about the date it was built.”

“We thought it might have been around 1919, but there were no records. Now we know that the concept of a Union Church was formally initiated in March 1916, and that the Church was ready for use later in the same year”.

Gerald has been gathering material for a history of Craven for more than two years, and hopes to publish by the end of 2009. He says that it has been a long hard slog, but also challenging and rewarding.

“Almost a hundred people have contacted me, and have provided documents, photographs, and family records” he said.

“But this recent discovery suggests that there may still be a lot more relevant material out there, whose value may not be recognised by the owners”.

If you think you can help, Gerald can be contacted on 6558 8273, or by email at mccalden@tpg.com.au.

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