An
Afternoon With The Living Legends
Of Canberra Baptists
The ‘Waldock Get Together’, held on the afternoon of Thursday 26
September 2002, brought together those whose first contact with Canberra Baptist
was during the years of Dr A. J. Waldock’s ministry (1929-1948). A display of
photographs and memorabilia helped jog the memories, but for most of the folk
present, the afternoon was a time to renew acquaintances and talk about the old
times. And there was certainly plenty of talk!
 
A Much Loved Minister
The warmth of feeling for the late Dr Waldock, among those
who attended the gathering, was evident.
Eleanor Stirling described him as “the very essence of
grace”. Reg Joyce said he was an excellent speaker with a great command of
English; “he had a soft voice and a slow delivery, but what he said was
wonderful”. Beryl Quartel referred to his work teaching scripture at Telopea
Park School, where she was a pupil, and she also mentioned his great sense of
humour.
Frank Yeend (Beryl’s brother) was at Canberra Baptist
from its opening in 1929 until the war years. He returned to Canberra after the
war for a short period and then went to Melbourne. Frank said that although
there was a significant difference in their ages, he regarded Dr Waldock as a
great personal friend. He was the sort of person who could relate to people from
the youngest to the oldest. Frank added that when he was away in the Air Force
during the war, Dr Waldock wrote to him regularly.
After Dr Waldock retired he lived at Myuna Flats in Braddon
and Dave Dunlop was one of those who used to pick him up and bring him to church
on Sundays. Dave referred to Dr Waldock’s close and friendly relations with
other Ministers in Canberra at the time.
Dr
Waldock was a pipe smoker and Tom Stirling recalled visiting him in his
declining years when he was in Canberra Hospital. He showed Tom twelve packages,
each of which contained a pipe sent to him from well-wishers.
Time Limits
 There were many great yarns told, but one that particularly interested me was
Dave Dunlop’s explanation of why the church services always commenced at
11.00am sharp and finished right on 12.00 noon.
In the 1930s and 1940s very few people had cars. Those who
did have a car drove to church, and some picked up other Baptists in their area.
Some lived nearby and walked. Some rode their pushbikes. Others had to rely on
public transport.
There was a special bus that delivered people to church in the Canberra South
area and it arrived at Canberra Baptist at 11.01, just as the service commenced.
The benediction was given just as the Kingston Powerhouse whistle sounded 12.00
noon. The bus left Kingston depot on the whistle and arrived at the church at
12.02 pm. The bus conductor always went into the foyer of the church to ensure
that all of his passengers had vacated the church. Apparently this added service
was due to the fact that the Church’s Sunday School Superintendent (Mr W. H.
Knight) was also in charge of Canberra’s Transport System.
 Another story on the “timing” theme was told by Frank
Yeend about his mother, who, it seems, regularly arrived at church 10 minutes
late, where she was generally greeted by the Secretary, Mr Herbie Ransom, and
reminded of her lateness. One Sunday Frank’s father put all the clocks in the
house forward one hour and Mrs Yeend arrived at church just as Herbie Ransom was
opening up the church. The incident appears to have led to some ongoing friction
in the Yeend household.
Two “Waldock” Deacons
The two surviving deacons from the Waldock era were present
at the gathering. They were
Jack Welch and Reg Joyce. In fact, at page 19 of the
fifty-year history (Fifty Capital Years 1979 – mentioned in the
previous article,) there is a photograph of Dr Waldock and his 1946 team of
deacons. Reg is the first from the left in the back row and Jack is fourth from
the left in the same row. (This photo is also on our Church’s website, www.canbap.org
)
Reg was also the Church Treasurer from 1958 to 1970 and,
during the same period, Dave Dunlop was the Church Secretary, having taken over
the job following the death of the church’s first Secretary, Mr Herbert
Ransom.
Names From The Past
With the assistance of Jack Welch, Merilyn prepared a list
of surnames of families from the Waldock years. As she went through the list,
stories emerged from people in all parts of the room as those present remembered
past friends and acquaintances, many of whom had since passed on.
The Impetus For The Establishment Of Morling Lodge
Some of us are aware of the background to the establishment
of Morling Lodge, but perhaps that story, which we were reminded of at the
gathering, is a fitting postscript to this brief summary of this gathering of
those who took part in the establishment of the Canberra Baptist Church back in
the years when the country went through a depression and then a World War.
Dr Waldock died on 1 May 1961 in his 88th year.
His wife had died as a result of a tragic accident on 26 September 1946 and
their two children, Nellie and John, also both died before Dr Waldock. He was
the last of his line and spent his declining years in the geriatric unit in
Canberra Hospital. Although special arrangements were made to try and ensure
that his accommodation was as comfortable as possible, many were saddened by the
fact that such a fine gentleman could not be more suitably housed.
Out of this sadness came the impetus for people, led by the
Rev Fred McMaster, to get together and establish Morling Lodge. Since the
Waldock years many of us are grateful that there is a place where those of our
relatives and friends who need special care can be suitably accommodated in
their declining years.
Bill Hughes
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