Lutheran Worship Education and Fellowship

Fast Facts

Type of thing	Religious, Educational, Social
Place made	Gawler, Willaston, Buchefelde

Click here to view an album relating to Lutheran Worship, Education and Fellowship.

Lutheran Worship

In 2025, the Gawler Lutheran Church celebrated 175 years of Lutheran Worship. Over the years, Lutheran places of worship in and near Gawler have included:

• Buchfelde (Gawler River)
• Willaston - the home of Johann Willhelm Kurtz (this may have been his residence at 23 Main Street Willaston or an earlier Willaston residence)
• The Little Glory Primitive Methodist Church - 18 Finniss Street
• Zion Lutheran Church - 31 Finniss Street
• North Gawler Lutheran Church - 7 Warren Street (former church, now residence)
• Immanuel Lutheran Church - Cnr Second Street & Seventh Street

Click here to read Bob Fielke's (2021) 'History of Lutheran Places of Worship In and Near Gawler', which outlines the history from the first worshippers at Buchfelde in 1850.

Click here to read 'Bob' Robert J Fielke's (2024) 'History of the site and buildings of the Zion Worship Centre in Gawler Church Hill State Heritage Area', which includes the history of the Education Centre (originally Hylands House, then served for some time as Lutheran Manse), Zion Lutheran Church, Zion Lutheran Hall, Zion Preschool Centre and Zion Lutheran Manse.

Lutheran Education

The first Lutheran school in Gawler, the Lutheran Day School, opened in 1928, across Dundas Street from the Zion Lutheran Church, in the former Primitive Methodist Church (originally built as a Primitive Methodist Church, it had become the Lutheran's "Little Glory" Church prior to the opening of the Zion Lutheran Church in 1922). The teacher was Mr H. McKenzie and there is a 1936 photo of him with a class. In 1936 the Lutheran School also took over the running of the Gawler Grammar School, which was operating from Murray Street on the corner of Walker Place (the former Gawler School of Mines and Industries Building - contemporary address 56 Murray Street). - they "appointed a fully qualified Teacher to carry on the School as previously." (see photo of 1936 class outside this building). Not all children from the Grammar School continued there following the Lutheran take over, some transferred to the public Gawler Primary School causing an influx of enrolments. The Lutheran Day School ceased operating in 1941.

In the early 1970’s the need for a Lutheran School in Gawler was again raised in the Lutheran Parish. This interest culminated in the Parish establishing the Lutheran Kindergarten, known as the Zion Pre-school Centre and situated next to the Zion Lutheran Church at 24 Cowan Street, Gawler. It opened in 1979 with Mrs Raelene Materne as the Director, and rapidly expanded from 10 students in March 1979 to 50 students in October 1980. [In 2025 the Zion Preschool relocated to a newly redeveloped building at 5 East Terrace Gawler East, adjoining the Immanuel Lutheran School site].

In October 1982, about 30 members of the Lutheran Parish attended a meeting to assess the possibility of a Lutheran Primary School being established in Gawler. A feasibility study was recommended. At the Parish AGM in November 1982, the proposal for a feasibility study was endorsed and a committee was elected; Bob Fielke as Chairman and Roy Bell as research officer. Other members were Pam Krieg, Alan Humphrys, Colin Kroschel, Pastor Sander and Pastor Goldhardt. The Committee reported to the Parish meeting of the 16th October, 1983 and the meeting voted 103 out of the 117 present in favour of establishing the school. An Establishment Committee was elected; Bob Fielke was Chairman, Roy Bell was Secretary, with Committee members Howard Wittwer, Terry Krieg, Ray Noack, Doris Leske, Christine Rosenzweig, Mark Jaescke, Pastor Sander and Pastor Goldhardt. Max Ronan and Pastor Bergen joined the Committee later. The Immanuel Lutheran School commenced with 38 students in 1985 in the old Catholic School [corner Cowan and Porter Streets, Gawler] with Roy Bell as the first Principal. In 1986, the school moved to the 11 Lyndoch Road site, which was first used by the Gawler High School and the Gawler Technical School from 1915. From 1964 to 1985, it was the home of the Gawler East Primary School. Following negotiations with the Minister of Education that site was transferred to the Gawler Lutheran Parish for the Immanuel Lutheran School, which commenced there in February, 1986 with 66 students, with plans to grow to 200 students. In 2012 more than 350 students attended with plans to extend to 400 students.

Compiled by Robert Fielke Dec 2012 (with later additions by Gawler History Team)

Lutheran Fellowship

In addition to worship and education, Gawler's Lutheran community have also joined together socially.

Gawler Lutheran Netball club first played in 1945 (see article commemorating their 50th anniversary in 1995) and as of 2026 are still going (see their website Lutheran Netball Club).

In 1953 tenders were called for the construction of a Zion Lutheran Hall. The Zion Lutheran Hall, which faces Finniss Street, was built in 1954, with the foundation stone laid on 9 May 1954. As of 2026, it continues to be used by Gawler Lutheran Church and the community. Circa 1965 it was the site of Gawler Lutheran Society Socials, which were held on the first Saturday of every month by the South Australian Leaguers. Bands providing the music included The Hijoys, The Moonlight Ramblers, and The Country Stylers. About 200 people attended the social held on the 6th November 1965. [see photos Lutheran Society Social c1965]

Other Links

Click here to view a Bunyip article (13 Jan 2021) regarding Pastor Geoff Havelberg retiring after 35 years.

References

Memories of Lutheran Worship Education and Fellowship

Please email information@gawlerhistory.com with any information you have about Lutheran Worship Education and Fellowship, and we'll add your comments and information to this website.

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