On 25 April 2021 a pair of boots were unveiled at the Riverstone War Memorial. The boots are now a permanent part of the Memorial, a legacy of the Cenotaph 100 commemorative events, held at the time of the centenary of the Memorial in 2019. The following posts from the Cenotaph 100 Facebook page capture the story of the boots and their unveiling.
18 April 2021
Looking forward to unveiling these replica Diggers boots from World War 1 on ANZAC Day this year (don’t worry, they’re not finished yet!). Couldn’t have done it without the generous support from the businesses of Riverstone’s Chamber of Commerce, and particularly
Blacktown City Council Mayor Tony Bleasdale, and the Riverstone RSL Sub-Branch. The idea? A permanent reminder and tribute to the countless people who stood on the platform and served their country, from the steadfast and remarkable community that is Riverstone. A massive thanks to James Downey for the boots, which sculptor Val Jelobinski of Sydney Sculpture Studio has replicated, down to the stitching and laces. 7 days and counting…
18 April 2021. Val Jelobinski of Sydney Sculpture Studio. Photo: Cenotaph 100 Facebook page.The newly unveiled boots on Anzac Day. Photo: Rosemary Phillis.
23 April 2021
Thanks to Kerry Rogers of Repurpose Australia for this free work, getting ready for Sunday’s unveiling. Kerry is one of our tenants in Riverstone Business Park, and made the Sydney Sprinter we see when we drive past our Olympic Stadium at Homebush. Very talented, all round good bloke.
25 April 2021
With great community pride and respect we bring you Riverstone’s Version of ANZAC Day 2021. Thank you to the Riverstone Chamber of Commerce Members, the Riverstone-Schofields-RSL-sub-Branch and Blacktown City Council for their generous donations
Today we mark another day of Riverstone’s Fighting Spirit and commemorate the courage of our local heroes, as we pay tribute to all those that left home here in Riverstone to serve not only our community but our country.
Lest We Forget
(The boots have been removed this morning and will be professionally installed on Monday)
April 2021 the boots after Anzac Day. Photo: Rosemary Phillis.
27 April
The boots are now in place and “on parade”. They serve as a permanent reminder of the human sacrifice that countless soldiers, sailors and airmen and women have made, and will continue to make, serving this special country. With each other, with their mates, for us. Tell your friends, and explain what they mean, so our Community stands guard over their legacy.
Lest We Forget.
A plaque was added to the boots in July 2021. Photo: Rosemary Phillis.
In 1974, Ebenezer Uniting Church, formerly Presbyterian, celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first Presbyterian Service of Holy Communion in Australia. The first communion was conducted in Ebenezer Church on Sunday 1 August 1824 by Rev. John Dunmore Lang. [i]
Although the Church was established in 1809, the first communion service is not reported to have been held until 1824. [ii]
Michael Groenewegen conducting the choir. Organist Joyce Nichols. Photos: Maisie and Jim Gillespie Collection
The choir of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at Riverstone were asked to perform at an outdoor service to celebrate the Sesquicentenary. The moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Australia attended (in colonial attire) and there was a congregation of well over 200. Commemorative communion tokens (made of copper alloy) were given to those in attendance.
The choir was conducted by Michael Groenewegen and musical accompaniment by organist, Joyce Nichols.
The choir and organist Joyce Nichols. Photos: Maisie and Jim Gillespie Collection
The service was televised live, by the ABC, as part of their “Divine Service” series (from 1956-1987). The presentation of “Divine Service” each week (on a Sunday) drew from a variety of denominations in every state and included a number of unusual services such as those from a winery in Tanunda, the Police Training Academy in Melbourne, the sesquicentenary celebrations at Ebenezer. [iii] It was a very big event for the community in those days.
We were very honoured and things went well. As a result, the ABC also did a radio broadcast of one of our own Church Services at St Andrew’s, Riverstone. This was in the old church, before the new extension, so setting up recording equipment in a small weatherboard building was a bit of a challenge at the time.
ABC Cameraman. Photo: Maisie and Jim Gillespie Collection.
Every now and then I come across newspaper clippings which highlight a significant event or milestone in the history of a building in the District.
On the south eastern corner of Oxford Street and Regent Street stands a building which has always operated as a church.
The land on which the building was constructed was purchased in 1964 from Fred Bliss for a price of £903. Construction commenced in 1965, and the Baptist church was officially opened on Saturday 26 February 1966. [1]
A Christian Community Primary School was established in early 1980. Classes were held in one side wing of the church.
The Baptists purchased the block next door, as well as the block behind, at 60 Robinson Street and the school moved into demountables. [2]
In 1986, the Baptists purchased 5 acres on the corner of Regent Street and McCulloch Street and the school and church moved to the new site in 1987. [3]
In 1987, the church building was sold to the present owners, the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. [4]
Baptist Church Building – Unidentified newspaper clipping. c1985.
[1] The History of RIVERSTONE/SCHOFIELDS BAPTIST CHURCH 1964-1985, Pastor Bill Pearson.
Eric was born in Riverstone on 13 June 1938, the son of Ivy (nee Parkes) and Hector Magennis. He attended Riverstone Public School from 1946 to 1951 and completed his secondary education at Richmond Rural School.
He was a talented sportsman, training and learning to box at Aub Gillespie’s gym, showing a lot of promise as a Rugby League player and like many other youngsters of the day, he bought himself a motor bike.
He joined the Riverstone Motor Bike club and attended their meetings on a property at Annangrove. Members made their own tracks through the bush, over jumps and crossing dry creek beds. It was while riding his bike around these bush tracks, that he came off in an unfortunate accident that left him a paraplegic.
In those days there were no stretchers available to immobilise the patient, so Eric was picked up and placed on a blanket in the back of a ute and taken to Parramatta Hospital. Robert Shepherd sat in the back of the ute with Eric, trying to keep him as comfortable as possible. He spent three months in the hospital and then several months rehabilitation at Mount Wilga, learning to use the wheelchair.
Eric did not allow this setback to dampen his enthusiasm for sport and he learnt how to play basketball from his wheelchair. He enjoyed being a spectator at the other sporting events and loved going to the Harold Park trots to watch Legal Raider, owned by his father, winning several races there.
Later he joined the Riverstone Bowling Club and took up the game of bowls. It was a game he loved and enjoyed playing with both the disabled and able-bodied men in their social games and in their Pennant teams.
Later he was to excel at wheelchair sports – winning Gold medals at the 1972 Paralympic Games in Munich, the 1976 Games in Tokyo, and the 1984 Games held in England.
Eric also represented Australia at the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics in archery.
He also won medals at the Commonwealth Paralympic Games and at the FESPIC games (Far East and South Pacific). During the 1990s he represented Australia in a series of Bowls Test matches against New Zealand and South Africa.
He represented NSW in the Australian National Paraplegic Games held bi-annually from 1962 through to 1972. In 1979 Eric was a member of the team from Riverstone that finished runners-up in the NSW state fours championship.
Eric dressed in his Australian Paralympic uniform. Photo: Eric Magennis.
Eric has given much back to the game that allowed him the opportunities to travel the world – he became a Level 2 coach for the Australian Bowls Council. He travelled to other Bowling Clubs coaching newcomers – both able and disabled. Just to prove how multi-talented he is, Eric has also coached several Riverstone Ladies Netball teams.
Windsor and Richmond Gazette 20 April 1977.
In the 1980s he owned and managed his wheel-chair manufacture and repair business at Wagga Wagga.
In the 1990s he went on a tour around Australia with a mate, over-nighting in cabins and caravan parks. This trip caused his mother much concern, but he assured her everything was OK and he would return safe and sound, which he duly did.
These days Eric lives in a care facility at Chatham, a suburb of Taree on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.
The following entry on Eric was extracted from Wikipedia on 24 July 2021 and provides a summary of some of his major sporting achievements.
Eric Magennis (born 1937/1938) [1] is an Australian Paralympic lawn bowls player and archer. He first represented Australia in lawn bowls at the 1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Edinburgh, where he won a pairs gold medal. [1] At the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics, he participated in archery and became the first Australian to win a gold medal in the lawn bowls Men’s Singles event.[1][2] He won two further Paralympic gold medals, one with Bruce Thwaite at the 1976 Toronto Games in the Men’s Pairs wheelchair event[3] and the other with Roy Fowler at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games in the Men’s Pairs paraplegic event.[2][4] He retired from international competition in 1986, having won 78 out of the 85 games which he played over his 16-year career.[1]
He also participated in able-bodied competition, notably as part of a team that reached the final of the 1979 New South Wales State Fours Championship.[1] He is affectionately nicknamed “Wheels” in the bowling community.[1] As of 1991, he was working as a lawn bowls coach in the Sydney suburb of Riverstone and throughout New South Wales.[1] He also competed in national championships in archery, weightlifting, table tennis and pistol and rifle shooting.[1]
