JOHN Davis joked as he prepared for a holiday in September 1991 that he should not be contacted while on holidays unless his church, St Matthew’s in Albury, burnt down.
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In an odd coincidence, Dr Davis — who was the Archdeacon of Albury at the time — received a phone call the next day to say the church had been gutted by a fierce blaze.
The parish priest flew back into Albury soon after and had his first view of the church from his plane window.
Worshippers and those who helped rebuild the church gathered at St Matthew’s yesterday to mark 20 years since its reconstruction.
Dr Davis recalled arriving at the church after the fire and symbolically ringing the “biggest bell I could get my hands on”, despite concerns from firefighters about the safety of the structure.
“I wanted to let people know we were still in business,” he said.
“Community faith is obviously bigger than a church, but it was still a very significant thing.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years, but on the other hand it feels like forever.
Speaking about the rebuild, Dr Davis said he never doubted the church would rise from the ashes.
“I think with jobs like that you take a deep breath and get on with it,” he said.
“You have no idea what it’s going to involve and I think if you did, you might not have the strength to do it.
“You take each day as it comes.”
Maurice Chick, now 89, was in charge of the rebuild and attended yesterday’s service.
The family of late foreman John Miles, who was farewelled in a funeral service at the church two years ago, also attended.
“I think it’s a really important and vibrant community gathering place for our traditional Anglican faith in the centre of the city,” Dr Davis said of the building.
