At a Glance

• St Peter’s Anglican Church marks 200 years since its first service in 1823

• The oldest building in Campbelltown and a rare example of early Georgian design

• Deep links to the founding of the town and early civic leadership

• Heritage preservation as central to the city’s long term identity

A Bicentenary that Speaks to Our Origins

I recently had the pleasure of attending the 200 year celebrations of St Peter’s Anglican Church. Anniversaries of this kind invite more than ceremony. They ask us to pause and consider what has endured, what has changed, and what continues to anchor a growing city to its beginnings.

Opened only three years after Campbelltown itself was founded, St Peter’s is believed to be the oldest building in our city and one of the oldest churches in Australia. The first service was held on 29 June 1823. When I stand within its walls, I am reminded that this building has witnessed the entirety of our civic story, from a small colonial township to the diverse and dynamic city we are today.

Architecture as a Record of Time

The church remains in remarkable condition and forms an integral part of our city centre. Designed and built by Francis Lawless, a bricklayer transported to Australia as a convict, it carries with it a layered history of skill, hardship, and contribution. Lawless worked on several significant projects across Sydney, including the convict barracks at Parramatta and the Benevolent Society for Sydney. His craftsmanship at St Peter’s has endured for two centuries.

Its architecture is simple yet graceful. Originally conceived in a classic Georgian style, the building was proportioned with a clear dimensional symmetry, half as wide as it was long. In the later eighteen hundreds it was altered to reflect a more gothic character, before being restored in the mid nineteen hundreds to its original Georgian form. The windows installed in 1962 remain a defining feature of that restoration.

In reflecting on this evolution, I see more than changes in architectural taste. I see a community that cared enough to adapt, restore, and ultimately preserve the integrity of a place that mattered to them.

Faith and Civic Order in a Young Town

St Peter’s was not only a place of worship. It played a formative role in establishing Campbelltown as an orderly and structured town. Thomas Reddall, the first incumbent, was trained as a colonial chaplain and schoolmaster. His work aligned with Governor Macquarie’s ambition to shape Campbelltown into a stable and functioning settlement.

Reddall also served as the local magistrate and established a small school to provide tuition to Governor Macquarie’s son and others in the area. While this school is not connected to the present St Peter’s Anglican School, it is important to recognise the church’s influence in the early civic and educational life of our community.

Institutions such as St Peter’s remind us that the development of a town depends on more than roads and buildings. It depends on shared values, education, leadership, and a sense of moral purpose that guides public life.

A Cemetery that Tells Our Story

The nearby cemetery further deepens this connection to our past. It is the final resting place of many of Campbelltown and the Macarthur region’s most well known historical figures, including John Warby, James Ruse, William Bradbury and James Tyson. While the exact location of his burial site is unknown, Fred Fisher is also buried there.

These names are woven into our local identity. They speak to exploration, agriculture, enterprise, and folklore. Their presence beside St Peter’s reinforces the church’s role as both a spiritual home and a custodian of collective memory.

When we consider growth strategies and urban renewal, it is easy to focus on what is new. Yet places such as St Peter’s and its cemetery remind us that continuity is just as important as change.

Heritage at the Heart of a Growing City

As our city continues to expand, I have always believed we must recognise, celebrate, and preserve the heritage of our region. St Peter’s sits alongside Mawson Park, creating a picturesque scene in the heart of the city centre. It is a physical and symbolic anchor within an evolving urban landscape.

In planning for revitalisation and renewal, heritage buildings provide more than visual character. They give depth to place. They offer authenticity in a world that can sometimes feel transient. They also demonstrate that careful stewardship can allow old and new to coexist in a way that strengthens both.

The bicentenary service itself reflected this continuity. I was grateful to senior minister Jason Veitch for the invitation to attend, and to the Most Reverend Kanishka Raffel, Archbishop of Sydney, Regional Bishop Peter Lin and Rev Michael Duckett from Macarthur Indigenous Church for their inspiring contributions. Their presence affirmed that St Peter’s remains an active and engaged institution within our community.

Reflection

Two hundred years is a remarkable milestone for any institution. In celebrating St Peter’s Anglican Church, we are not only marking the endurance of a building. We are acknowledging the generations who have worshipped, learned, served, and been laid to rest within its embrace. As Mayor, I see in St Peter’s a reminder that the strength of Campbelltown lies in its ability to honour its foundations while confidently shaping its future. I congratulate the parish community on their contribution to our city and wish them well for the next two hundred years.

Read the original Mayoral Minute here: 10. St Peter's Anglican Church 200 Years of History