41. ORGAN WINDOW

The delicate tracery window behind the organ was designed by Philip Handel. It was given by Mrs Nancy Darley who was Cathedral organist for 20 years. The design includes musical instruments, and the music score is Handel’s Water Music!       INDEX

42. NAVE SOUTH WALL

We now leave the chancel, and progress along the South aisle. Some more lovely windows ... !    

43. SOUTH WINDOWS 1

The left window has the inscriptions, ‘The first day of the week ... they came unto the sepulchre’, and ‘The angel and the holy women at the empty tomb’. According to Mark 16:1, the women were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. The window was the gift of the Cathedral Ladies’ Guild. The right window depicts the Parable of the Good Samaritan, with the victim being cared for in the left pane, and the priest and Levite walking past in the right. The story can be found in Luke 10:30–35. The words of inscription are, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ at top, and ‘Go and do likewise’ below. The left window is in memory of Edward Randolph Cleaver who died of wounds in active service 28.10.1917 aged 31. The right window is in loving memory of Edward Cleaver who died 31.10.1917 aged 62.     

44. CANTERBURY CROSS

This gift is one of a large number which were dedicated at the Empire service in the Canterbury Cathedral on June 15, 1935 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and were then sent out to 90 Cathedral Churches throughout the Empire, and to two in the United States of America. The cross is a bronze replica of the eighth century Canterbury Cross. It Is of unusual shape, and is set in a stone taken from the Cathedral itself. The stone measures 14in. by 10.4in. Under the cross is set a Latin inscription. The organisation known as the ‘Friends of Canterbury Cathedral’ paid for the gifts, which were sent throughout the Empire as part of the Jubilee celebrations of the King. [1935 Newspaper article]

45. SOUTH WINDOWS 2

The left window shows Jesus’ call to Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother (Matt 4:18 –22) The inscription is, ‘They left their nets and followed him’. The windows are given in memory of Rachel Marion Ray who died 1955 aged 81, and John Ryan Ray who died 1.5.1977 aged 97. The right window was given in memory of the first settlers of Gippsland and in thanksgiving for many blessings, by Max and Enid Davis, 1980. The window shows seven scenes of early Gippsland.

46. WEST DOOR INTERIOR

The inner West doors are set in a lightly carved wooden frame which is ecclesiastical and Gothic in design.    

47. WEST WINDOW

The wonderful and brilliantly colourful West window portrays the Sermon on the Mount. This was designed and installed by Philip Handel of Sydney in 1957, and features a fine example of Gothic tracery. This was the first of twelve windows designed and installed by this artist. It was also his first major contract.    

48. LADY CHAPEL ALTAR

We return now to the South chancel arch and enter the Lady Chapel. This reredos was originally behind the high altar of the Cathedral. It was dedicated in 1929 in memory of Theo and Ada Little. The Chapel altar was the gift of Bishop and Mrs Cranswick and was a thank offering for a long and happy life in this place. The Lady Chapel is a little unusual in that it is a modern construction added to the existing Cathedral.   

49. LADY CHAPEL CROSS

This brass and timber Cross stands in place of a silver Cross dedicated to the memory of Harry and Alice Andrew in 1962. This is usually in storage.   

50. LADY CHAPEL WINDOWS

These two windows are located in the wall of the Lady Chapel. They are two of the original stained glass windows from an earlier Chapel, depicting the Nativity, and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. They were a gift in memory of Dean Clarence and Mrs Dorothy Alexander, both of whom were loved members of the congregation.     

51. CHAPEL BISHOP’S STAFF

This is the older of two Bishop’s Staffs belonging to the Cathedral. This more ornate Staff was presented in 1902, and is inscribed with the names of the former Bishops of Gippsland.

52. CHAPEL EXIT WINDOWS

The window at left is another stained glass window removed from the former Chapel. It can be found in the entrance doorway which leads to the rear car park. It shows Mary praying. The inscription at top reads, ‘Blessed art thou among women’. It was given in memory of Frederick and Nellie Smith, and also brothers Michael and Charles Conway. The window at right can be found in the Delbridge Hall. It too was recovered from the old Lady Chapel, and was a gift from the Old Scholars of the Grammar Schools. It was donated in 1981. It depicts Jesus teaching in the Temple.    

53. COURTYARD VIEW

Between Delbridge Hall and the Cathedral lies a pleasant courtyard which can be viewed from the hall windows.

54. DELBRIDGE HALL WINDOW

On the West side of Delbridge Hall is a large round window depicting the Diocesan Coat of Arms and the Gippsland landscape. It was a gift from the Catholic Diocese of Sale. It was commissioned from the local Gippsland stained glass artist, Bruce Hutton, in 2007. Finally, we look at a little of the history ...

55. FIRST CHURCH

The first Holy Communion service of the Church of England in Sale was held in a primitive building on the SW corner of Cunninghame and Marley Streets in 1850. As far back as 1846, Gippsland had been visited by Rev M. Price, the Resident Clergyman of Manaro, NSW. During this time he held a few services at Flooding Creek (Sale). The first incumbent in Sale, Rev P. K. Simmons arrived in Sale in 1854. [Most of these history notes and photos come from the file ‘The Cathedral Church of St Paul Sale : Eighty Years of Parish Life 1854 – 1934 : Jubilee of the Cathedral 1854 – 1935’; slv 283.9456 C28C]

56. 1883 FOUNDATION STONE

The first section of the first church was built around 1856, with the foundation stone being laid by Captain Jones of Fulham. By 1862 the church had become too small, and an extension was carried out at a cost of 1700 pounds. Sale became a parish in 1877. The present church site was purchased in 1882, and two years later the present church was opened. The organ was purchased in 1884 at a cost of 200 pounds. This organ is still in use at the Cathedral.

57. EARLY ST PAUL’S

The clergy had their difficulties in these early days. One Incumbent refused to hand over the Church records, and legal action was taken against him. An Assistant Priest was indicted by the Bishop of Melbourne because of the language he used in one of his sermons. The words used are unrecorded! From 1851 various Organists and Vergers were appointed and dismissed. The charge against one Verger was that he allowed his horses to trample over the church lawns.   

58. BAPTISTRY 1929

In 1902 the Diocese of Gippsland was formed. Canon Arthur Wellesley Pain of Darlinghurst, Sydney, was appointed the first Bishop. St Paul’s became the Pro-Cathedral. In 1907 the debt on the Church was cleared, and the Church consecrated. From 1908 - 1910 further additions were made to the church buildings, including the Choir Vestries on the NE corner of the Church. The Parish Hall was built in 1912. In 1929 the 75th Anniversary of the Church was commemorated, and work was carried out to improve the interior of the Cathedral. This included a ’very beautiful Baptistery’, and many other additions. The Baptistery photo is of special interest, as we recognize the framing arch still in use in the Cathedral.

59. SIDE ALTAR 1929

The East end was entirely altered by removing the organ and choir stalls out into the Nave, thus opening up the chancel, and enlarging the sanctuary to suit it for Diocesan purposes. The old organ loft and Rector’s Vestry were converted and furnished as a side chapel. Many other new furnishings and beautiful gifts we made by the congregation and friends. The Cathedral in its new and beautified form was officially opened on All Saints Day, 1929.

60. 1940 VIEW

The Lady Chapel was moved from its position adjacent to the chancel to the rear of the Cathedral, and back again in the 1980s. This area was rebuilt in 2007 and a new, larger Lady Chapel incorporated into the area. Delbridge Hall was also opened in 2007. The window incorporating the Diocesan Coat of Arms also dates from 2007. The water feature in the courtyard alongside the Hall was installed in 2009 in memory of Noel Tatchell, a long time parishioner and Lay Canon. This completes our tour of the Cathedral.