| Historical notes: | The organ was built in 1887 by Forsters and Andrews (Hull, England), for the Congregational Church, Bourke Street, Darlinghurst, to a specification designed by Mr Thomas Sharpe, organist of All Saints, Woollahra.
Installation was carried out by Mr Charles Richardson. The organ was a gift to the church by the three Misses Baxter, the original purchase cost being 746 pounds plus 50 pounds for freight and erection.
The formal opening of the organ was at a service on Sunday 10th June, 1888, at which Thomas Sharpe was the organist.
The organ was regularly used for worship over the next eighty years. Following church union, the Fellowship of Congregational Churches sold the Darlinghurst property in 1984. The organ remained on the site for a further three years.
A small group from the Dural Uniting Church began to investigate the possibility of including this organ into the new building development on the Galston site. Enthusiasm for the proposal grew, and following a petition and Parish Council approval, an application was submitted to the Heritage Council of New South Wales for permission to remove the Heritage Fosters & Andrews organ from the Congregational Church building, Bourke Street, Darlinghurst. Also submitting an application was SCEGGS Redlands Cremorne, and on 3rd July, 1986, the SCEGGS Redlands application was successful.
Since the Dural application was unsuccessful, application was made to St Albans Anglican Church to purchase their 1890 Telford and Telford pipe organ. This application was accepted, and the organ was removed and stored for refurbishing in January 1987.
On or about 14th August, 1986, the Galston congregation was notified that SCEGGS Redlands were undecided about finalising the purchase of the Foster & Andrews organ. Purchase of the organ by the Galston congregation was concluded by 25th August, 1986, for the sum of $8,500. An application to the Heritage Council of New South Wales on 2nd October, 1986, approved the removal of the organ from the Darlinghurst site, and installation of it in our new Church at 11 School Road Galston.
It was then decided to offer the Telford and Telford organ from St Albans church (with some refurbishment) for sale. St Marks Anglican at Granville purchased the organ for $20,000.
The removal of the Fosters & Andrews organ was carried out in November 1986 and February 1987. It was stored for refurbishment, and this long and laborious task continued over the next 6 years.
Galston Uniting Church was opened and dedicated on the 22nd October 1988, and the organ has been gradually installed since that time. The majority of the work was done by volunteers over 7 years, with over 3000 person hours of work. Supervision of the work was by Brown and Arkley, with the consultant for the Heritage Council of New South Wales being Mr Christopher Dearnley. The final installation detail, tuning and voicing has been undertaken by Ian Brown and Associates.
The organ has been fully refurbished and installed in its new location, and the specification is unchanged from when it was built.
On the 6th of June 1993, the organ was re-dedicated. Our prayers are added to that of the Baxter sisters who at the original dedication on 12th June 1888, prayed that "the organ will ever be used for the purpose for which it has primarily been given, namely to glorify God by assisting the congregation to sing His praises." (http://galstonunitingchurch.com/pipe-organ/) |