Preserve a Sacred Place of Remembrance for Future Generations

We, the undersigned, respectfully call upon the Receiver, the Anglican Diocese of North Queensland and the Supreme Court of Queensland to take all reasonable steps to preserve the War Memorial Church of St Matthew and prevent its sale, demolition or permanent loss.

St Matthew's is not simply a church building.

It is a sacred place of worship, a war memorial dedicated to honouring those who served our nation, a place of remembrance for generations of families, and an important part of the cultural, spiritual and historical heritage of North Queensland.

For many decades, St Matthew's has been a place where people have gathered to worship, commemorate military service, celebrate life's milestones and remember loved ones.

The church is also home to a columbarium where loved ones have been laid to rest and memorialised. Many families entrusted St Matthew's as a place of permanent remembrance and continue to visit the site to honour the memory of parents, spouses, children, relatives and friends.

Any sale, demolition or redevelopment of St Matthew's would directly affect these families and the sacred place where their loved ones are remembered.

We acknowledge that difficult financial decisions may be required. However, we believe that before a historic war memorial church and sacred memorial site is sold or permanently lost, every reasonable opportunity should be given to preserve it for future generations.

Once St Matthew's is sold and demolished, its heritage, significance and role within the community can never be restored.

Accordingly, we respectfully request that:

• The sale of St Matthew's be halted.
• Every reasonable alternative to the sale be investigated and considered.
• Protect the columbarium and respect the wishes of families with loved ones memorialised at St Matthew's.
• The heritage, war memorial and community significance of St Matthew's be given substantial weight in any decision affecting its future.
• The interests of parishioners, veterans, descendants, families with loved ones memorialised at the site and the broader community be properly considered.
• Sufficient time be provided for preservation proposals and alternative solutions to be developed and assessed.
• St Matthew's be preserved as a place of worship, remembrance and community heritage wherever reasonably possible.

This petition represents the voices of people who believe that the War Memorial Church of St Matthew is an irreplaceable part of our shared history and deserves every reasonable opportunity to be preserved.

We respectfully ask decision makers to protect St Matthew's for current and future generations.

Do you have a personal connection to St Matthew's?

We invite you to share your story at https://savestmatthews.com/our-stories/ Stories from parishioners, veterans, families with loved ones in the Columbarium, former clergy, community members and supporters help demonstrate the significance of St Matthew's to current and future generations.