31st Annual Conference

Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and the Victorian Goldfields Region, Victoria

Monday 29th September - Saturday 4th October, 2008

The 2008 OHTA annual conference took place in Victoria, based in Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and the Victorian Goldfields. The theme of the conference was the technical documentation of significant pipe organs and how this information can be used to facilitate accurate restoration and reconstruction.

The keynote speaker was Paul Peeters, from Gothenburg, Sweden, the president of the International Association for Organ Documentation. A number of other papers followed the documentation topic.

Major recitals took place given by James Tibbles (Auckland), Peter Jewkes (Sydney) and Elmo Cosentini (Vienna). All the organs being visited were comprehensively demonstrated in shorter recitals. There were visits to notable organs by the local builders Anderson, Fincham, Fuller, Hill, Norman & Beard, Lemke and Stone, and the overseas builders Bishop, Hamlin, Hill, Merklin, Randebrock, Willis, Wurlitzer - and anon.

Please click here to download brochure

Four one-hour solo organ concerts took place, as follows:

Monday 29 September, 11.00 am, at St Mary’s Star-of-the-Sea Church, corner Howard & Victoria Streets, West Melbourne. James Tibbles, a leading player from Auckland, New Zealand, played works by Franck, Gigout and Widor on the 1898-1900 George Fincham organ.

Monday 29 September, 5.00 pm, at Christ Church, Acland Street, St Kilda. Sam Allchurch, leading young organist, was to play works by Buxtehude, Bach, Reger, Messiaen, Howells and Elgar on the 1859 Hill & Son organ, just restored. [This recital was cancelled as the organ's restoration was not yet complete and the recital was replaced with a talk about the organ's restoration.]

Wednesday 1 October, at 9.00 am, at the Memorial Hall, Scotch College, Morrison Street, Hawthorn. Peter Jewkes, leading Sydney organist and gifted organbuilder, played works by Karg-Elert, Saint-Saëns, Whitlock, Hollins, Wolstenholme and Dubois on the 1930 Hill, Norman & Beard organ.

Friday 3 October, at 5.00 pm, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, corner Mackenzie & Wattle Streets, Bendigo. Elmo Cosentini, leading organist from Austria, played works by Pierné, Vierne, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Haydn on the 1906 Bishop & Son organ and the smaller organs in the transept and nave.

Members of the public were most welcome to attend these recitals.

Itinerary

Please click on the brown links below for specifications, histories
and photos of the selected churches and organs.

Monday 29 September
	St Mary Star-of-the-Sea Catholic Church George Fincham, 1898-1900 3 manuals, 38 speaking stops, tubular-pneumatic action Restored 1992-1993 South Island Organ Company, Timaru, New Zealand This is the largest indigenously built organ to survive intact
	Presbyterian Church, St Kilda Fincham & Hobday 1892; reb 1955 George Fincham & Sons. 3 manuals, 31 speaking stops, 10 couplers, electro-pneumatic action
	Sacred Heart Catholic Church, St Kilda George Fincham & Son 1910 2 manuals, 11 speaking stops, 3 couplers, tubular pneumatic action.
	Christ Church Anglican Church, St Kilda Hill & Son 1859, reb. Meadway & Slatterie 1916 3 manuals, 26 speaking stops, tubular-pneumatic action
Tuesday 30 September
	St Patrick's Catholic Church, Mentone Frederick W. Nicholson, Bradford, 1862; built for Independent Church, Prahran, Victoria Rebuilt & installed 1999 Pipe Organ Reconstructions with second duplicate case and new console 2 manuals, 24 speaking stops, 5 couplers, electro-pneumatic action
	St Peter’s Lutheran, Frankston, 84 Karingal Drive (shared building). B c1885 Daniel Lemke for Immanuel Lutheran Church, Light Pass, SA; res & inst 1963 Davis & Laurie St Peter's Anglican Church, Murrumbeena; inst 1971 St Peter's Lutheran Church, Derna Crescent, Frankston, Laurie Pipe Organs. Inst. present loc 2002 Laurie Pipe Organs. 1 manuals, 4 speaking stops, no pedals, foot-blown, tracker action, Man: 8.4.4.2.
	St John-the-Evangelist Anglican Church, Flinders Unknown builder (poss. William Anderson 1874) inst present loc. 2005 from Elsternwick Baptist Church 1 manual, 9 speaking stops, 1 coupler, mechanical action
	St John's Anglican Church, Sorrento Builder unknown 1 manual, 8 speaking stops, 1 coupler, mechanical action Rest.1964 Davis & Laurie, 1980 R.J. Heatley
	St George-the-Martyr's Anglican Church, Queenscliff George Fincham 1871, from St Philip's, then St Saviour's, Collingwood, then St George's, Bentleigh 1 manual, 6 speaking stops, 1 coupler, mechanical action Rest. 1999 Australian Pipe Organs
Wednesday 1 October
	Scotch College, Assembly Hall, Hawthorn Organ removed from Assembly Hall (Scots Church), Sydney. Hill, Norman & Beard 1929-30. Restored South Island Organ Co. and Peter D G Jewkes (Sydney) 2004. 3 manuals, 50 speaking stops, 18 couplers, electro-pneumatic action
	Presbyterian Church, Hawthorn Fincham & Hobday 1892, reb. & enl. 1923 Frederick Taylor Res. 2001 - 2004 Wakeley Pipe Organs Pty Ltd 3 manuals, 26 speaking stops, tubular pneumatic action
	Sacre Coeur Convent Chapel, Glen Iris Merklin & Cie, Paris & Lyon 1889, built for St Joseph's Convent, Marseilles, France and installed at Glen Iris in 1905 by George Fincham & Son. 2 manuals, 10 speaking stops, tracker action, reversed console.
	Uniting (Methodist) Church, Box Hill Henry Willis 1877, London; inst.W.L. Roberts 1929 from "Findon", Kew . Res. 1969 Hill, Norman & Beard, and later by John Parker, Melbourne. 2 manuals, 17 speaking stops, 3 couplers, mechanical action
	The Avenue Uniting Church, Blackburn William Stone 1879 for Congregational Church, St Kilda; res & inst present loc 1973 members of congregation 2 manuals, 13 speaking stops, 3 couplers, mechanical action
Thursday 2 October
	Uniting (Methodist) Church, Daylesford First organ, see: Clunes. Wesley College; Second organ, see: Clunes. St Paul's Anglican Church. Present organ, B 1888 William Anderson; ren 1979-80 Leighton Turner. 2 manuals, 14 speaking stops, 3 couplers, tracker action
	Christ Church Anglican Church, Daylesford George Fincham 1871; renovated 1979 Leighton Turner. 2 manual, 12 speaking stops, 3 couplers, tracker action
	St Pauls' Anglican Church, Clunes The organ was built by Hamlin & Son, 8 Brook Street, Euston Road, London, around 1866. 2 manuals, 11 speaking stops, mechanical action
	St Michael and All Angels Anglican Church, Talbot B 1868 George Fincham for Christ Church, Warrnambool; inst 1891 Congregational Church, Warrnambool; inst Congregational (later Uniting) Church, Hughesdale 1940. Oboe later replaced by Gamba at unknown date. Sold to St Michael and All Angels Anglican Church, Talbot 2007. Inst. Australian Pipe Organs 2008 1m, 8spst, 1c, tr. Man: 8 .8 divided.8.8.4.4.2. Ped: 16 perm on.
	St John’s Anglican Church, Dunolly B. 1879 George Fincham, renovated 1979 Leighton Turner 2 manuals, 9 speaking stops, 3 couplers, tracker action
Friday 3 October
	Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo 1. Bishop & Son, London, 1904. Rebuilt 1986-87 Australian Pipe Organs. 4 manuals, 51 speaking stops.
	2. Unknown builder, possibly F. Nicholson 1860s 1 man, 6 speaking stops, pedal pulldowns, mechanical action Restored South Island Organ Co. 2004 Currently housed in Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral, Bendigo until Wesley College, Clunes Campus (form. Clunes Wesleyan Church) has been restored.
	3. Positiv organ: B Aug.Laukhuff, Weikersheim, Germany; inst 1982 Bellsham Pipe Organs. 1 manual, 4 speaking stops, no pedals, tracker action.
Saturday 4 October
	Uniting Church, Long Gully Alfred Fuller, Kew, 1882 2 manuals, 15 speaking stops, mechanical action Restored 1982 S.J. Laurie [SC]
	St Kilian's Catholic Church, Bendigo R.A. Randebrock., of Paderborn, Germany, 1872 2 manuals, 25 speaking stops, mechanical action Restored Bellsham Pipe Organs, of Perth, 1981-2
	'Brightwell' residence of Howard Terrill, Heathcote (1) Alfred Fuller 1897 (possibly incorporating pipework and casework from organ at St John's Anglican Church, Heidelberg); inst 1900 Methodist Church, Mackenzie Street, Bendigo. Rem 1999 & inst present loc 1999 Wakeley Pipe Organs. 2 manuals, 9 speaking stops, 3 couplers, tracker action.
	(2) Wurlitzer Company 1928, North Tonawanda, NY (model H) for Kings Cross Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW; inst 1930s Savoy Theatre, Hurstville, NSW; inst 1958 Congregational Church, Burwood. Ren & inst present loc 2002-3 Wakeley Pipe Organs. 2 manuals, 12 ranks extension, electro-pneumatic action.