The first church in this area and the oldest church in the Snowy West Monaro was built at Round Plain in 1870.

Round Plain lies between Cooma and Adaminaby and services are still held here four times a year.

The parish was run from Cooma which eventually supported two ministers, one of whom had old Jindabyne, Berridale and Adaminaby as his ministry area.

The church in old Jindabyne was built in the old town and opened on the 7th November 1913, with the name St Andrew's.

Prior to that the church shared premises with the Anglican Church.

The old church was demolished when the dam was built as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

In 1964 a new church was built in the "New Town", and was opened by the then Moderator.

Although the first church was opened in 1913 it wasn't until 1985 that Jindabyne had a resident minister.

The first minister was Rev Ray Hughes and his wife Rosemary.

He was followed by the Rev Steve Larkin and his wife Glynn.

In 1993 Pastor Grahame Abrahams moved to Jindabyne with his wife, Fran, where he served until July 2002.

Lay preachers and elders within the congregation maintained a faithful witness during the interregnum.

In February, 2004, Pastor Matthew McBurney arrived from Taree with his family, to take up this ministry.

In late 2005 a garage and lean-to shed was completed for AMOS, the Op-Shop bus.

Because many local people live in Berridale, activities are planned to try and meet their needs

A sorting table and shelving now assist in the storage of clothing and the many donated items sold by the Op-Shop

Amongst other things, op-shop profits support two children in Timor Leste (East Timor)

A parish office, partly funded by a donation from Killara-Lindfield UCA at the request of Rev Ivor Bailey, was dedicated.

Support for our activities has also come from congregations in South West Rocks and Kenthurst.

To commemorate the pioneers of the Uniting Church in Jindabyne, a garden of memories was prepared and planted.

Roses, shrubs and trees have been donated and planted by families wishing to honour their forebears.

The garden has flourished to the extent that some of the flowers that decorate the church each Sunday come from the garden.

In May 2006 the 40 years that have passed since the new church was built were celebated.

A commemorative booklet detailing salient events over the 40 years is being prepared.

In May 2007, 120 native shrubs were planted against the fence near the church to make a contribution towards climate control.

Return to Home Page