Church renovation ‘a labour of love’ for Gerry

JOB WELL DONE: The owner of the former Ormond prebsyterian church, Gerry admires his completed restoration work and hopes to develop it into a gallery or boutique wedding venue.

Ormond's former Presbyterian church is 126 years old this week but looks near new.

The building, reputed to be the third oldest church in the district, is resplendent and resolute, renovated and repainted in a colour similar to the original.

The building owner/restorer — an Ormond character known only as Gerry — has plans to use the church as a gallery or boutique wedding venue.

He was in Sweden five years ago and looking for a Gisborne property when his sister notified him of the former church listed on Trade Me.

His flight arrived in Wellington at 4am and he immediately drove to Gisborne on a day when the weather was “as miserable as hell” to see the property before tenders closed at 4pm.

Work on the church in Hall Road, Ormond, began two years later.

Its condition was “not too bad”.

About 10 kauri planks were replaced by timber from the nearby former Ormond Tavern.

A new entrance and veranda was built at the front of the building, replacing a side entrance.

Adjoining the church is the former Motu Community Hall which was added on to provide a venue for Sunday school.

The plan is to convert the hall into “a beautiful home”. Plans and consents are ready.

Landscaping finishes off the property.

Five years ago “there were no fences and bush and crap everywhere”, Gerry said.

The original real estate agent recently visited and “was blown away”.

The church was opened on October 27, 1895. Gerry originally intended to have it ready in time for the 125th anniversary last year and has at last completed his “labour of love”.

He describes himself not as a religious man but as a spiritual man, and has had the former church blessed by a kaumatua.

There was a lot of history in the church but not many of people were actually aware of the church.

“A lot of my mail goes to Hall Road in Gisborne.”