Faces and places: Roger Robinson aka ‘Seagull Man’

Faces and places

Roger Robinson aka ‘The Seagull Man’

Well and truly retired For eight years or so, long-time local Roger Robinson has been driving his ute to Aldinga Beach to feed the seagulls. Gaining their trust over time, he finds his avian companions to be very warm and friendly. ‘There were about fifty here yesterday ... a couple of them hitched a ride home with me one day, so now they know where I live,’ he says wryly. And if you’re wondering how his car could possibly be so clean, he tells us he makes a point of washing it regularly. Photo by Jason Porter.

Celebrating

of homes through the decades

Divine interventions

Story by Stephanie Johnston

Page left and above: St Brigid’s Catholic Church at Goolwa Beach was dismantled and relocated to the Goolwa dunes in 1994. The original timber interiors were restored and remodelled for holiday accommodation. Photos by Jason Porter. Styled by Liza Reynolds. Entryway bench from Living by Design, Port Elliot. Artwork and accessories from Valley of Yore, Myponga.

Historically ‘conversion’ implies a dramatic change of faith through baptism. Open the doors of these five former church buildings and you’ll witness divine interventions of a different kind.

Adelaide’s ‘city of churches’ moniker could easily extend to our beloved Fleurieu Peninsula. The South Australian colony was the first in the world to separate church and state, and a multitude of dissenting denominations established themselves here, away from the discrimination they’d experienced in their home countries. In the early days services were held in private homes or in the open – in the old McLaren Vale town of Gloucester, settlers gathered to worship beneath a giant gum tree beside a well at Oxenberry Farm. Dating from the 1840s, the churches here were among the earliest built by the colony. Often basic structures with plain furnishings, the surviving buildings are nevertheless diverse in history, heritage and design. They were most commonly built of locally sourced stone, but timber and cob – a combination of clay, straw and limestone rubble – were also used, and later corrugated iron came into play.

Converted places of worship are hot property – whether in their original state, fully converted or somewhere inbetween. Once deconsecrated, they can embrace a diverse range of functions. In addition to residential conversions, the churches in this story have variously served as community meeting places and performance spaces, studios for photography, dance and yoga as well as B&Bs, cellar doors, a restaurant and a centre for Italian prisoners of war. >

Page left and above: This well-known church in Willunga is home to an eclectic and ever-evolving collection of vintage furniture and decorative pieces. Adam’s redesign of the interior leaves as much full-height space as possible and cleverly preserves view lines to the numerous pointed arch features. Styled by Sarah Hall. Photos by Marnie Hawson.

As alluring as it may be to invest in a church, the rewards come with the risk of unexpected restrictions and restoration costs. Any upgrades and alterations need to be sympathetic to the original structure and may require special planning consents. Restoration can attract grant assistance, but this often doesn’t go very far, making most conversions a labour of love and sweat.

And what of the custodians of these distinctive structures, many of which sit beside old graveyards bearing witness to the travails of history? Do their new owners feel the presence of ghosts, or suffer the guilt of lapsed beliefs?

Not according to Chloe Fitzgerald and Sam Dunlevy, the custodians of Sellick’s Hill Wesleyan Chapel, located at the top of Sellicks Beach Road below the Victory Hotel. ‘The vibe is really nice,’ says Chloe. ‘Because the graveyard is only a few metres from our kitchen window, I thought I might feel a bit on edge … but I feel really relaxed here. So if there are any ghosts they must be friendly and happy and keeping to themselves.’

Sam and Chloe bought the property in 2015, converting the weatherboard Sunday School hall at the back into a liveable home before turning their attention to the church and grounds. The local heritage-listed 1836 chapel building was structurally sound, having already served as a restaurant, and requiring only a facelift and decorative touches rather than serious restoration. The pointed arch windows, exposed timber rafters and timber floors remain a feature, enhanced by the addition of a tasting bar made from an old Saltram’s wine vat and a decoratively carved piece of pulpit sourced from a different church. In 2020 the Berg Herring cellar door opened its Gothic arch doors, providing the perfect outlet for this young couple to promote their fledgling wine brand.

Down the hill on Willunga’s bustling high street is a state heritage listed stone building with an eye-catching arched double door. Previously known in the township as ‘Blue Doors’, the church was constructed by the Church of Christ in 1860, and has since been used as a Masonic Lodge, community hall, war depot, belly dance studio and now a full-time residence.

On the other side of now pale green doors is a large open space with a high cathedral ceiling filled with Sarah and Adam Hall’s eclectic, and ever-evolving collection of vintage furniture and decorative pieces. What was essentially one large space has been divided into three bedrooms with a new mezzanine to accommodate the family of four. The couple’s redesign of the interior leaves as much full-height space as possible and cleverly preserves view lines to the numerous pointed arch features. Other additions include two narrow north-facing arch windows in place of previously bricked-up niches, a new kitchen, shelving and a ceiling-high trapeze for the kids – clinching this conversion’s fun family vibe.

Next stop is another newly-established cellar door in a former Wesleyan chapel. Built in 1854 on Strout Road, the tiny Bethany Chapel was so named because it was the same distance from McLaren Vale as was the biblical Bethany from Jerusalem. Now home to Samson Tall’s tasting room, its makeover embraces its ecclesiastical heritage, offering a small glass window into the century-old cob wall construction and providing interpretive signage for the adjacent graveyards – where early settler Samson Tall, along with several more easily-recognisable pioneer families, are buried. >

Above: As the sun shines through at Samson Tall cellar door. Sweeping views of vineyards are enhanced by a glass of wine on the back deck. Photos by Jason Porter. Styled by Liza Reynolds.

The chapel was rescued from ruination twenty years ago by Doug and Chris Allen, who wrote to the church, begging them to sell. Later, Samson Tall founders Paul Wilson and Heather Budich repeated the exercise, writing every year to the Allens and eventually securing their prize after eight years of persistence. According to Paul, the Allens did all the hard work, leaving Paul and Heather to resurrect the beautiful Baltic pine floor, add some decking out front and slowly mine the cemetery for its seemingly endless supply of captivating stories. The renovation of an early twentieth-century corrugated iron congregational church at Waitpinga needed a significant extension to serve a family of four. According to architect Martin Williamson – father (and father-in-law) of custodians-in-residence Belinda and Tim Britton – the challenge was how to respect the scale and form of the original 1936 structure, which had served Waitpinga families through to its sale in 2016.

Above: The renovation of an early twentieth-century corrugated iron congregational church at Waitpinga needed a significant extension to serve a family of four. Builder Matt Caters says, ‘It was rewarding to all involved in the transformation from its original state to what it is now yet still retaining the building’s character and original form.’ Photos by Jason Porter. Accessories sourced from Living by Design, and Charlie & Jack, Victor Harbor. Styled by Liza Reynolds.

The solution was to match the roof of the two-storey extension to the height and pitch of the church roof, and to replace the original corrugated iron with Colorbond, distinguishing the old building from the new timber-clad extension. Matt Cates at 4Life Constructions undertook the build, in which the church foyer and vestry were removed, the original church providing the ideal size and volume for the main living space. Installation of glazing to the north allowed in the winter sun, creating views of the surrounding landscape. Finally – as with all the churches in this story – the restored original floorboards are a feature.

St Brigid’s Catholic Church at Goolwa Beach unearths a completely different narrative. Similar in scale to our other churches, it was built of timber in 1897, in what is now the ghost town of Farina in the state’s far north. In 1936 the then Bishop of Port Augusta gave permission for the building to be relocated to Murray Town, where >

Above: Sellick’s Hill Wesleyan Chapel, located at the top of Sellicks Beach Road has recently been reimagined as a cellar door for Berg Herring Wines. The feature wall framed by the beautiful wood and stone structure. Top images by Jason Porter. Bottom images by Ben McMahon.

it continued to be used as a church until sold at auction and relocated to the Goolwa dunes in 1994. The original timber interiors were restored and remodeled for holiday accommodation, and current owners Sarah Davies and Nigel Smart have since built a mezzanine into the original interior, added two rooms to the exterior and replaced an existing lean-to with a brand new bathroom. And those ghosts? While Sarah and a girlfriend experienced inexplicable sleeplessness and feelings of unrest over many years this abruptly stopped some years back. ‘I don’t know what happened to change things’, says Sarah, ‘but it is the most peaceful place now.’