St Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Church Street, Wagga Wagga

First organ, B. 1908 George Smith, 1m., 6 sp. st., tub. pn.
Present organ, B. 1961 Geo. Fincham & Sons incorporating
some pipework from previous organ. 2m., 4 rks. + mixture ext., el. pn.




Photo: Trevor Bunning (Oct. 2008)



Image of the first organ courtesy of John Henwood

 

Details of the first organ are given in an article by John Henwood in OHTA News January, 2004, pp.6-7 ‘Erosion of the Heritage: a Case Study of Organs in the Riverina and North-East Victoria’:



ST ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WAGGA WAGGA

This is the story of a George Smith organ which suffered a loss of identity and rebirth as an extension organ in which only the pipes were used: a fate quite a few instruments experienced last century.

At St Andrew’s, Wagga in 1961, it was George Fincham & Sons Pty Ltd who used this one-manual and pedal instrument for pipes and created an extension organ of two manuals.

George A. Smith, the NSW organbuilder, constructed the St Andrew’s instrument, which was dedicated on 13 August 1908. The press reported: ‘The instrument has been prepared for two manuals to be completed at a later date. It has tubular pneumatic action to the basses and the pedal organ. The following stops have been installed: Open Diapason 8ft, Lieblich Gedacht 8ft, Principal 4ft, Viol D’Orchestra 8ft, Double Diapason 16ft, Pedal Bourdon 16ft. Couplers: Pedal to Keys, Octave Coupler, Tremulant.’ (Information supplied by Graeme Rushworth)

A contemporary photograph of the instrument that survives shows it placed to the left of the front of the building. It had a post and rail case that contained elaborately decorated pipes.

Creation of this extension organ resulted in another loss in the pipe organ heritage in the Riverina.

 

The Fincham organ is behind the wooden screen at the very front of the church and the console is to the left of this photo.

Two photos above: Bruce Duncan (Oct. 2008)












Photos above: Trevor Bunning (Oct 2009)