The formation of a Lutheran congregation at Castlemaine in Victoria, Australia (1861 – 1940)
The history of the Lutheran congregation in Castlemaine is strongly linked to the history of the Bendigo congregation. In 1856 a congregation of Lutherans was formed in Bendigo in communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Victoria.
The beginnings of the Lutheran congregation in Castlemaine must have dated to a similar time, as in 1861 a Lutheran Church was constructed in Castlemaine at the corner of Hargraves and Parker Street. A notice in the Mount Alexander Mail, on 19th July 1861, recorded the laying of the foundation stone for the building.
Today no sign of the original church building remains, with residential dwellings located in the area where it once stood. It is understood that the building was destroyed by fire in 1919. The Castlemaine Art Museum records the existence of a photo of the church in its archives, and I have requested a digital copy of the photo. Considering the time period, it is likely that the building was a fairly modest one.
A news article, from the Mount Alexander Mail, dated 29th May 1875, indicates a manse was located at the same site. The original dwelling, although altered and fully renovated, still exists today at 99 Hargreaves St.
In 1862 Pastor Friedrich Munzel arrived in Australia and took up the role of Pastor for Castlemaine, Maldon and Yandoit. In the same year Pastor Munzel, who resided in Castlemaine, was requested to include Bendigo into his sphere of labour.
He preached every second week in Bendigo. It was recorded that because he was not living in Bendigo, Pastor Munzel was unable to make as much an impression on them as would a Pastor who was living amongst them. It appears that the Bendigonians were a tough crowd.
In 1864 (2 years from his arrival) a serious dissension between Pastor Munzel and the employed schoolteacher at Bendigo caused a storm and eventually lead to a split in the Bendigo congregation. With these events having taken a toll on his heath, Pastor Munzel resigned in 1868, completing a term of 6 years.
The congregations of Bendigo, Castlemaine and Maldon sent a call to Germany for a new minister, and the call was accepted by Pastor Friedrich Leypoldt, who took charge in 1869, and commenced work to heal the rifts. In those days a good many of the members were gold miners, living in tents, scattered over the hills, flats and back gullies, and it was often no easy matter to find their dwellings.
Pastor Leypoldt conducted services once a month in Castlemaine.
An article in the Mount Alexander Mail, on 11th June 1907, gave notice for a general meeting of the congregation to be held on the 12th of June at the German Lutheran Church in Barker St.
I have not been able to identify where this Church building, in Barker St, was located. One has to wonder if this was a typo error and meant to refer to Parker St.
Outbreak of World War I (1914 – 1918).
1914 saw the outbreak of World War I.
German Lutherans in Australia faced intense anti-German sentiment, leading to the closure of Lutheran schools, the banning of the German language in services and publications, and widespread social prejudice. German Lutherans, many of whom were Australian born, were subjected to harassment and negative attitudes from their fellow citizens.
In 1922, 4 years after the end of the war, Pastor Leypoldt moved to Sandringham and interestingly, the LCA archives (Sept 2023) record Castlemaine ceasing to be a preaching place in 1922. This is despite the fact that Pastor Leypoldt apparently travelled back to deliver services once a month in Castlemaine until 1928 and in Bendigo until 1930. This was an incredible term of service, spanning 61 years and demonstrated incredible dedication to his flock.
In 1929 the Victorian Synod asked Pastor Prove, of Grovedale, to take over from Pastor Leypoldt.
There was a steady decline in attendances during this period, however, it was noted that during the 1930’s some members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia (ELCA) moved to Bendigo.
During this extended period of vacancy, Pastor Prove visited the area on a monthly basis up until 1937 (a substantial period of 7 years).
In 1936 the Home Mission Board issued a number of calls for a pastor to move to the area. This was successful in 1937 when Pastor Peter Strelan arrived and commenced services in Bendigo and Echuca. At various times he also conducted services at neighbouring regional locations including Castlemaine, Maldon and Maryborough.
The outbreak of World War II (1939 – 1945)
Following the outbreak of war for a second time, German Lutherans in Australia faced a continuation of intense anti-German sentiment. Some Lutheran pastors and members were arrested and interned by the Australian government as enemy aliens.
LCA records show that one of the locations served by Pastor Strelan included the Tatura Internment Camp (spanning a period of 1941-1946).
The transition to English services (1910 – 1945)
German continued to be the language of many Lutheran homes for up to three or four generations. Similarly, German was the language of the Lutheran Church in its worship and its business. In the early 1900s, moves were made to introduce English, and this was hastened by the outbreak of World War I. There was a transition period in the 1920s and 1930s, and after World War II, only English was used.
A New Beginning (from 1952)
The LCA archives (Sept 2023) record Castlemaine as an Evangelical Lutheran Church preaching place from 1952 to the present day.
With the world wars behind them, by 1952, Lutheran services at Castlemaine had presumably become a regular feature on the calendar.
Pastor Strelan accepted a call to Unley, SA, in 1953 having served for a not inconsiderable 16 years.
Over the next 71 years (spanning from 1954 – 2025) a total of 13 different Pastors would faithfully serve the members of Castlemaine and its surrounding districts.
One notable Pastor was Stanley Mibus who served from 1954 – 1958 (4 years) and then missed the place so much he returned in 1961 for another 5 year stint. I guess there is just something special about this area.
Castlemaine’s membership during the 1960’s varied from the mid 30’s to the mid 40’s, but the average worship attendance was below 10. This was a time of significant immigration from the UK and Europe, with the government easing racial restrictions in 1966.
In 1967 the then serving Pastor, Pastor Harms reported “because of several transfers from the Castlemaine area, the attendances at the services there (two a month) have dropped back to less than half a dozen per service”.
The Chewton Era (~1978 – 2004)
Pastor Paul Stolz arrived in 1977 and around this time (perhaps 1978) worship services commenced at St Johns Anglican Church, 18 Fryers Rd, Chewton.
An unloved feature of the church property was the corrugated iron toilet structure, inhabited by spiders. After making do for 26 years, this shortcoming eventually led to the decision to find an alternative place of worship. The final service at Chewton is recorded as being held on the 18th of January 2004.
Castlemaine membership during the 1970’s hovered around the mid 30’s but declined in the 1980’s and 1990’s, dropping back to the mid 20’s. Average attendance was okay at around 15.
The Recent Era (2004 – 2025)
In 2004 worship services commenced at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 252 Barker St, Castlemaine. The first worship service there is recorded as being held on the 1st of February 2004 and would have been conducted by Pastor Greg Lockwood.
This information was read by Craig Linke at the final Lutheran worship service in Castlemaine on Sunday the 5th of October 2025.
Records
Baptised membership at Castlemaine –
- 1963 – 33
- 1965 – 46
- 1978 – 35
- 1986 – 23
- 1983 – 23
- 1991 – 25
Average attendance at Castlemaine –
- 1967 – 4
- 1969 – 6
- 1975 – 20
- 1992 – 14
Figures obtained from the statistics held at Bendigo Church (2025).
Places of Worship and time spans
- Bendigo 1856* – 1868*; Bendigo Christ 1869 – 1928 (UELC); Bendigo Bethlehem 1937 -present (ELCA)
- Castlemaine 1861* – ?; 1952 – 2025 (ELCA)
- Curran 1950 – 1957
- Deniliquin 1955 – 1995
- Echuca 1937 – 1999
- Maldon 1937 – 1943
- Maryborough 1937 – 1947
- Numurkah 1937 – 1953
- Rushworth Immigration Centre 1950 – 1958
- Seymour/Puckapunyal 2001 – 2010*
- Tatura Internment Camp 1941 – 1946
Ministers who served Castlemaine
- F Munzel 1862 – 1868 (6 years)
- F Leypoldt 1869 – moved to Sandringham in 1922 but returned once a month until 1928 (59 years at Castlemaine and 61 years at Bendigo).
- PG Strelan 1937 – 1953 (16 years).
- SG Mibus 1954 – 1958 (4 years).
- GE Zweck 1958 – 1960 (2 years).
- SG Mibus 1961 – 1966 (5 years).
- TP Harms 1967 – 1976 (9 years).
- PN Stolz 1977 – 1984 (7 years).
- CG Schmidt 1985 -1992 (7 years).
- RK Turnbull 1993 – 1994 (1 year).
- GM Schier 1994 (1 year).
- GJ Noll 1995 – 1999 (4 years).
- GJ Lockwood 2000 – 2004 (4 years).
- FA Pearce 2004 – 2009 (5 years).
- NJC Glover 2011 – 2014 (3 years).
- HJ Beard 2016 – 2021 (5 years).
- CG Simpkin 2022 – present
From the Index of Lutheran Parishes in Australia and New Zealand – Sept 20,2023
(copyright – Lutheran Archives). *Dates not included in the published Index.