History of the Friends of Tomerong Union Church
The establishment of the Friends of Tomerong Union church (FOTUC) came about following a meeting with the Trustees on 29 July 2001. The purpose of the meeting was to canvas a number of options with the Trustees in an effort to ensure that the Church buildings and grounds are preserved. Discussions at this meeting centered on the formation of a preservation group, a mission statement and the aims and objectives of such a group. It was agreed to call a public meeting to gauge the level of support for such a proposal.
Twenty-one members of the community attended a public meeting held on 12 August 2001 and proposed to form an incorporated association to be known as FOTUC. A caretaker committee was appointed until an AGM could be held.
At the meeting held on the 3 September 2001, the proposed rules of the incorporated association were adopted without amendments. Appropriate public liability insurance was acquired by the addition of the FOTUC to the existing policy taken out by the Trustees. The FOTUC became incorporated from 7 September 2001.
Fundraising began in earnest in late November when over 400 'begging letters' were posted giving residents, and those that have links to the Church or village, the opportunity to contribute financially to its maintenance. The operation was successful and coupled with garage and plant sales, heritage grants and a 'Tomerong All Stars Concert' the year saw over $11,000 raised with almost $7000 of this spent on replacing the roof's of the Church and Sunday School.
The second year of operation saw similar fundraising methods raise almost $10,000. Almost $3500 was spent on drainage and structural timber repairs.
In 2004 the front Sunday School windows were reglazed, the paint was removed from the outside of the building and five coats of paint were applied. The floor was oiled and a celebration was held to mark the reopening of the building. Later in 2004 and continuing into 2005 the external walls of the Church had a similar process conducted. All but one of the external Church walls were completed by August of 2005. In 2006 the vestry was completed and the final wall of the Church was finished. The Toilet Block was refurbished and the water tank was replaced. In Oct 06 work commenced in earnest on the inside of the Church. See the FOTUC News page for more information.