Historical and Technical Documentation by Graeme Rushworth (1988),
Chris Sillince (1993), Kathy Drummond (2012) and Pastór de Lasala (2025)
© OHTA October 2025
St Matthew's Church, in continual use since 1840, is the oldest Catholic Church on mainland Australia. A grant of land was appropriated in 1836 for a Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery. The church was the plan of Fr J. J. Therry and completed under the supervision of architect, Thomas Bird, and also Bishop Polding. A bequest from parishioner James Doyle added to local public subscriptions. The church was consecrated on 21 October 1840 by Bishop Polding and the Rev. W. Ullathorne: the 80th Regiment Band played at the official ceremony.
The organ for this church was built by Alfred Hunter in England in 1879 for Henry McQuade's residence Fairfield, in Windsor. It arrived in 1880. However, McQuade decided to give it to St Matthew's Catholic Church and so on 1 January, 1882 it was first used there. It is possible that it was never used at Henry McQuade's residence. The instrument is situated in a gallery with 13 decorated pipes of the Open Diapason displayed. The builder's plate gives Hunter's address as "379, Kennington Rd, London".
The pedal board is flat and parallel with a compass of twenty-nine notes. The action is mechanical. Until the restoration by the South Island Organ Company, Timaru, New Zealand in 1998 the blower was pumped either manually by an assistant or by a foot lever to the right of the Swell pedal operated by the organist.1
| Great Open Diapason Flute Swell Sw Keraulophon Sw Stopped Diapason Sw Principal Pedal Bourdon |
8 4 8 8 4 16 |
Couplers
Swell to Great
Great to Pedals
Swell to Pedals
Compass: 56/29
Mechanical action
Electric or hand blowing
Swell pedal in middle and foot pump on right
Photos: Trevor Bunning (July 2012)
Photo: Simon Colvin (October 2025)
1 Graeme Rushworth, Historic Organs of New South Wales: the instruments, their makers and players, 1791-1940 (Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1988): 291, Chris Sillince, "Country Organ Ramble" Sydney Organ Journal, 424/4, August/September 1993: 9-10 and Kathy Drummond, "Hawkesbury Ramble", Sydney Organ Journal, 43/4: Spring 2012, 42-44.