Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Hamilton – exterior
[photograph by John Maidment (April 2012)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA 2025 (last updated February 2025)
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Hamilton – exterior
[photograph by John Maidment (April 2012)]
Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA 2025 (last updated February 2025)
The Good Shepherd congregation was founded in 1938. The present church was designed by architects Walter & Auty, of Warrnambool.1 The foundation stone was laid on 17 March 1957 and the building opened on 14 September 1958. It is constructed in cream brick, with tower and lofty nave and generous windows. It can be compared with work of major church architect Louis R.Williams and indeed compares favourably with contemporary European work, particularly in the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
The façades facing west and to the north are filled with ceramic panels. The nave is well lit by large windows with clear glass. The layout of the building is traditional - nave with west gallery, aisles and clerestory, transepts and all focussing on the lofty sanctuary - but reinterpreted in a modern idiom. The furnishings, in Australian oak, including the broad altar, pulpit, pews and organ case /screens (employing cross motifs) are all architect designed. This is a very significant church design of the 1950s period and of importance as an outstanding modernist work by regional architects.2
Alan Sumner (1911-1994) was commissioned (1958?) to fill the limited spaces reserved for stained glass. There are stylised images, notably the crucifixion in west wall, complemented by scenes from Christ's life above the table in the east wall.3
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Hamilton – organ
[photograph by John Maidment (April 2012)]
The organ was donated and built by Hill, Norman & Beard (Australia) Pty Ltd in 1957-58. It is located to the right of the altar and with an open display pipe façade, one of the first in Victoria in this genre, comparable with the firm's contemporary work at St John's Anglican Church, Camberwell. This instrument dates from immediately after the overseas visit of the firm's managing director William A.F. Brodie where he was inspired by the classical style instruments that he saw in Europe and presumably the United States. This is among the best examples of the work of this firm of the period. The Pedal Posaune, of wood, was added in 2019 by Wakeley Pipe Organs Pty Ltd and uses pipework from the 1972 Fincham organ previously in St Francis' Church, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne with the substitution of full-length resonators in the bass. The combination action was upgraded earlier on by Australian Pipe Organs Pty Ltd.
| GREAT Lieblich Bourdon Open Diapason Gedeckt Dulciana Principal Flute Nazard Fifteenth Swell Sub Octave to Great Swell to Great Swell Octave to Great |
16 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 |
A A A A |
| SWELL Geigen Principal Rohr Flöte Salicional Gemshorn Mixture 15.19.22 Trompette Tremulant Sub Octave Unison Off Octave |
8 8 8 4 3 rks 8 |
|
| PEDAL Subbass Lieblich Bourdon Quint Flute Octave Flute Posaune Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Swell Octave to Pedal |
16 16 10-2/3 8 4 16 |
B A A B B |
Great & Pedal combinations coupled
Compass: 61/30
Electro-pneumatic action
Detached stopkey console
Adjustable thumb & toe pistons
Balanced swell pedal4
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Hamilton – console
[photograph by John Maidment (April 2012)]
1 William John Taggart Walter became an ARAIA in 1946. His partner, Bruce Auty, was a graduate in architecture of the University of Melbourne (B. Arch) and became an ARAIA in 1951. The practice thrived in Warrnambool on the immediate post-war years and designed many commercial buildings.
2 Notes prepared for a tour of Hamilton churches and organs 28 April 2012, prepared by John Maidment and Bronwyn Hughes
3 Ibid
4 Organ details noted by John Maidment 1966, 2012, 2019 with the help of Jeremy Smith