From: The Advocate, Melbourne: Vic 1868-1954,Saturday 14 September 1912, page 25
AXEDALE
Perhaps no more striking illustration of this could we have, than the manner in which the congregation of St. Mary’s recently formed a conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. With the parish priest and spiritual director of the society, Rev. Fr. Cremin, at the fountain head, much good work has already been accomplished.
The parish of Axedale might well be regarded as a model one. not only on account of the practical demonstration of their faith, but also, if the enthusiasm with which the parishioners enter into any movement appertaining to the welfare of the Holy Catholic Church.
Besides exercising its charitable obligations, the conference has undertaken the distribution of Catholic literature. It is also proposed to build a hall for Catholic purposes, such as holding meetings, and as a place where congregational singing can be practised on Sundays, when there is no Mass.
A social will be held in aid of the building fund of St. Mary’s on October 16th. The residents of Axedale intend to give a complimentary concert to Miss Myle Egan, on the evening of the occasion of the next Hibernian picnic, in recognition of the popularity of the talented young vocalist.
A special train will leave for Bendigo after the concert for the convenience of patrons.
*Please note: Punctuation and paragraphs have been added to the above transcription for ease and speed of reading
From: The Bendigo Advertiser, 31 July 1879, page 3
AXEDALE PLOUGHING MATCH The Axedale annual ploughing match was held yesterday at Mr. M. Boyle’s paddock, about a mile and a half from the Perseverance Hotel, Axe Creek, or thirteen miles from Sandhurst. The weather being exceedingly propitious for the day’s outing, a fair proportion of visitors attended the match from Sandhurst, including Mr. D. C. Sterry, the Mayor of the city, but the general attendance was not very large, and chiefly consisted of the farmers and their families, from the immediate neighborhood, who, however, appeared to take a lively interest in the match, and displayed great concern as to the result.
The convincing ground, which is rather prettily situated on the banks of the Axe Creek, was, although perhaps not the best that might have been choson, on account of the circumstance, that when the paddock was ploughed last, the furrows were cut very deep and run crosswise, was fairly suitable for the purposes of the match.
Notwithstanding tho slight disadvantages mentioned, however, the competitors appeared to be quite satisfied, and the work done was, as a general rule, of an excellent character. The committee, which consisted of Messrs. T. Donnellan, T. O’Rourke, D. Mills, J. Burke, A. Whitlock, J. White, W. S. Cahill, W. Cuthbert, R. O’Brien, J. W. Bywater, T. Craike, J. Martin, J, Harris, and J. O’Loughlin, deserve every credit for the interest they took in getting up the match, which it was at one period feared would have fallen through, and Mr. H. F. Dodd, the secretary, who was untiring in his energies in collecting subscriptions, ably backed up the committee in their efforts, which proved an unqualified suc-cess, and must be highly gratifying to these gentlemen. The judges were Messrs. J. D. Bywater, J. Patten, and F. Poynting, who performed their duties admirably.
The booth on the ground for the supply of comforts for the inner man was conducted by Mr. Drake, of the Campaspe Hotel, Axedale, who also catered for the committee, and served up a very good cold luncheon. As usual on such occasions some of the card sharping fraternity were in attendance, but business with them was apparently any thing but brisk.
Of the ploughing nothing but praise can be written, and on the whole, for its general excellence, the competitors in each class are to be highly complimented, the judges in some cases finding it exceedingly difficult to discriminate as to the merits of the work done by different competitors.
In Class C. (boys) the work was considerably beyond mediocrity, and it compared in a very favorable manner with the ploughing in the senior classes. The youngsters, however, had some advantage over the competitors in the adult classes, as the ground allotted to them was the pick of the field, that upon which the others operated being of a crumbly nature which rendered it hard to show off a crown to advantage, and the want of some rain to bind it together hotter, militated considerably against the appearance of tho work in the senior classes.
In Class A, the champion class, there were only four competitors, and the first prize was awarded to A. Mills, of Axedale, who used a plough of Lennon’s make, The chief points in Mills’ work were the neatness of his furrows and the excellence of his crown and finish.
The taker of the second prize, A. McKinley, of Redesdale, who used a Gardiner plough, did remarkably good work; his finish, however, was somewhat faulty, a point which greatly influenced the opinion of the judges, but his crown was so wall finished that he was awarded first prize for it as being the best of the whole.
The third prize was awarded to T. Mofiitt, of Axedale, who handled a plough of McVey’s make. His crown also was very good and the furrows were very straight and well packed.
In class B there were twelve competitors, the first prize being given to J. McGachey, of Bagshot, who used a Lennon plough. The furrows were exceedingly neat, although the ridges were perhaps a little narrow, but they were well packed, and the crown and finish being excellent the judges were fully warranted in giving him first prize.
The second prize was given to J. Slattery, of Leichardt, with a Leslie plough, who did good work, and the third to A. Wallis, of Marong, also with a plough belonging to the same maker.
The prize for the best finish in this class was given to J. McGachey, In class C, or the boys’ class, the work was of a really excellent character, and reflected great credit on the youthful competitors, among whom were several boys under fifteen years of age.
Out of eight who competed,, Wm. Wallis, of Marong, with a Leslie plough, was awarded the first prize, with W. Lyons, also of Marong, with the same make of plough, gaining second prize, and M. White, of Axedale, with a McVey plough, being awarded third honors. The work done by each of the competitors being of a first class description.
Annexed is the result of the competition:-
lass A.—1st prize, £5; {2nd, £3; 3rd, set of swingle trees, valued £1 1Os., presented by Mr. Cuthbert. Open to all, except those whom the committee shall consider as professionals. Entry, 7s. 6d. A. Mills, Axedale (Lennon) … 1 A. M’Kenly, Redesdale (Gardiner) … … 2 . Mofitt, Axedale (M’Vey) … … … 3 P. O’Sullivan, Wagamba, (Lennon) 0
Class B.—1st prize, £4; 2nd, £2; 3rd, set of plough back bands, valued 17s. 6d., presented by Mr. Probts, saddler, Clare Inn; 4th, pair of swingle trees, presented by Mr. M’Vey. No ploughman allowed to plough in this class who has ever won a 1st or 2nd prize in class A, or 1st prize in class B. Entry, 5s.
J. M’Gachey, Bagshot (Lennou) … … 1 John Slattery, Leichardt (Leslie) … … 2 A. Wallis, Marong (Leslie) ….3 J. Conroy, Axedale (Henderson) … … 4 T. White, Axedale (Cockburn) ….0 W. O’Loughlin, Sweeney Creek (Lennon) … 0 J. Martin, Axedale (M’Callum and Gade) … 0 M. Donnellan, Axedale (M’Vey) ….0 H. Ryan, Axedale (M’Vey) ….0 J. J. Sullivan, Wagamba (Lennon) ….0 A. Wirth, Axedale (M’Vey) … 0 M. Fitzpatrick, Axedale (Lennon) … … 0
lass C.—For youths not exceeding 17 years of age. 1st prize, £3; 2nd, £2; 3rd, pair of elastic-side boots, value £1 Is., presented by Mr. Whitlock. Entry, 2s. 6d.
W. Wallis, Marong (Leslie) … … … 1 W. Lyons, Marong (Leslie) ….2 M. White, Axedale (M’Vey) ….3 M. Hawkins, Axedale (Lennon) ….0 M. Quin, Axedale (Lennon) ….0 J. Harris, Axedale (Lennon) ….0 J. Whitlock, Axedale (Lennon ….0 J. Lynch, Axedale (Lennon) … 0
For the best crown, Wallis secured first prize and for the best finish, J. Whitlock was awarded first honors. Besides the prizes above stated, several others, consisting of articles of clothing, were given, which allowed each competitor to have a prize. After the judges had given their decisions, the assemblage dispersed, although a good many left the ground before that time, as it was nearly dark before the results were made known, and some of the visitors had to travel long distances over bush roads.
It was remarked that the committee would have acted wisely if they had appointed more judges, or allowed the competitors in the champion class to judge the work in Class C., which would have been the means of facilitating the judging.
In the evening a ball was held at Drakes Campaspe Hotel, Axedale, which concluded the annual contest. In a pecuniary sense the match was so successful that after all prizes and expenses are paid, a surplus will remain, to go towards next year’s match, at which it is proposed to offer a silver cup, valued at £10 10s., to be competed for in Class A.
*Please note: Punctuation and paragraphs have been added to the above transcription for ease and speed of reading
From: McIvor Times and Rodney Advertiser, Friday 23 April, 1869, page 2
St. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, AXEDALE.
This church was opened on Sunday last, by the Rev. J. Nish of Sandhurst, who took his text from Malachi 3rd chapter 8th verse, “Will a man rob God,” from which he preached an excellent and impressive sermon, and was listened to with great attention by a full congregation of earnest worshipers, and no doubt will be long remembered in this district, where the Protestant population have not before had the privilege of worshiping God in a house set apart for his service.
On Tuesday evening, a tea meeting was held in connection with the opening services; after tea, which was served in the Foresters Hall, the people retired to the church, when the meeting was opened with praise and prayer. The Rev. D. Renton, (the pastor of the congregation), then took the chair, and reported the various steps that had been taken towards supplying a want long felt by a portion of the community, viz., that when he first came to the district, in July last, he called a meeting of those favorable towards providing Axedale with a Presbyterian church, at which a committee was formed and subscription lists opened, and after a little exertion they found they were warranted to call for tenders of the comparative cost of a building of blue stone, of brick, and of wood.
When the tenders came they chose blue stone with white brick facings of the windows and door, and they accepted contracts for labor only, the committee themselves undertaking to provide all the materials, which they promptly commenced about the beginning of September, and the foundation stone was laid by the Rev. J. Nish, of Sandhurst, on the 30th of the same month, and here the chairman remarked that but for the energy and zeal put forth by the various members of committee, the building would not now have been what it is, as they freely gave of their means, and spared neither time nor exertion in obtaining the needed funds to carry on and complete the church-a building which would be an ornament to any country district.
The amount at their disposal has been £258 4s. 6d., leaving a debt of £51 1s. 2d., which it was hoped would almost if not altogether be removed by the proceeds of the opening services. The total cost of the building being £309 5s. 8d. This of course does not complete all that is necessary, as a vestry, a stable, and fencing are still required, which no doubt will be had in due time.
Interesting addresses were then delivered by the Rev. J. M. Abernethy, of Eaglehawk, Rev. J. Westacott, (of the United Methodist Free Church) Heathcote, the Revs. G. Taylor, and J. Nish, of Sandhurst; and some sacred music was rendered by Messrs. Adamson, Alsop, and Foyster, of Heathcote.
We have not learned what was realized from the opening services, but from the large attendance on both occasions, it must be something considerable towards reducing the debt. We most heartily congratulate the Protestants of the Axedale district on their new church, which is very finely finished, and certainly one of the neatest country churches we have seen for some time.
Its dimensions are thirty-eight by twenty-one feet, and has seat accommodation for 110 people. It has four stained glass windows on each side and one in the end gable behind the pulpit, which are in beautiful harmony with the other parts of the structure, the pews are all stained and varnished, the pulpit and doors dark oak, the walls of stone color, the roof a delicate blue; the whole reflects great credit on the architect and workmen; and we have no doubt but it will prove a blessing morally, intellectually and spiritually to the district.
Image: churchhistories.net.au
ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, AXEDALE. (1869, April 23). The McIvor Times and Rodney Advertiser (Heathcote, Vic. : 1863 – 1918), p. 2. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article93694133
St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Axedale, 150th Anniversary Celebration Booklet 10 March 2019,
*Please note: Punctuation and paragraphs have been added to the above transcription for ease and speed of reading
From: McIvor Times and Rodney Advertiser, Friday 25 September 1868, page 2
AXEDALE. [FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
September 22nd, 1868.
We are glad to see signs of progress, as every new bridge and road are the means of helping to develop the resources of the Colony, and we would wish that the construction of roads and bridges were much more rapid than they now are, as it would materially assist in opening up the country.
Another feature of progress, which we are always delighted to observe, where the people are settling, is that they have not forgotten the good old institutions of their Fatherland, such as the church and the school. Axedale has had for many years a Roman Catholic Church, and now the Presbyterians have begun, what promises to be a very nice church of bluestone, which will be an ornament to the township of Axedale.
We understand the ceremony of laying the foundation stone is to be performed by the Rev. J. Nish, of Sandhurst, to whom most of the people of that persuasion belong; but it has recently been connected with the Heathcote district, and the minister, the Rev. D. Renton, also the Rev. J. W. Inglis, of Sandridge, and J. M. L. Abernethy, of Eaglehawk, will take part in the proceedings.
There has also been an application to the Board of Education for a grant to a Common School, which will no doubt be complied with, and thereby supply a want much felt in that place; so that before long the township of Axedale will be able to boast of two substantial churches and a common school. The Foresters’ Hall has, for the present, been kindly placed at the disposal of the committee, and the school will be opened on Monday next, under the management of Mr. George McKay.
AXEDALE. (1868, September 25). The McIvor Times and Rodney Advertiser (Heathcote, Vic. : 1863 – 1918), p. 2. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article93690135
St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Axedale, 150th Anniversary Celebration Booklet 10 March 2019,
*Please note: Punctuation and paragraphs have been added to the above transcription for ease and speed of reading
Axedale - Then and Now 