Bid to retain chapel altar

A public meeting has been called in Oamaru next week in a bid to seek retention of the marble altar in the Teschemakers chapel.

The meeting, which will be chaired by Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton, will be held at the North Otago Club, on the corner of Tees and Itchen Sts, on Friday, August 13, at 6pm.

The aim was to have a "show of strength" to persuade the Dominican Sisters to postpone the removal to allow an alternative plan.

Sr Elizabeth Mackie has been invited to attend the meeting, organiser Nathalie Brown said yesterday.

Since the Otago Daily Times reported last Saturday that the altar was to be removed this month and installed in the Holy Name Church in Dunedin, Ms Brown has been seeking support for its retention.

People have been calling her and stopping her in the street to offer their support.

It had been suggested by some that if the Dominican Sisters insisted on removing it, then it must go to St Patrick's Basilica in Oamaru, she said.

In an email to the Otago Daily Times from Australia, Christian Van Dulst, whose mother, sisters, cousins and aunt attended boarding school at Teschemakers, said the plan to remove the altar from such a beautiful chapel was "appalling".

Japanese company Nikken Seil owns the property, including the chapel, and has it on the market. The chapel's contents are owned by the Dominican Sisters.

The chapel "belonged" to the people of North Otago and to the past pupils and their families who attended the school, Mrs Van Dulst said.

- sally.rae@odt.co.nz

 

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