St George's Greek Orthodox Church

With the commencement of the Balkan Wars in 1912 and 1913 that involved Greece many sought refuge from the unrest in places such as North America and Australia. This was to be a pattern that occurred at various times in the twentieth century. The interwar era saw another wave of Greek immigration to Queensland due to the outbreak of war between Greece and Turkey in 1921.  At a meeting of the Greek Association of Queensland in 1921 it was decided that a Greek Community centre was required due to the increase in Brisbane’s Greek population and shortly after a property was purchased in Charlotte Street for this purpose. Consequently, the Greek community were able to hold regular Greek Orthodox Church services at various venues with a permanent priest and also establish a Greek school. 

In 1929 Queensland’s first Greek Orthodox Church, St. George’s, was opened in Charlotte Street. By the 1930s the Greek community had its own newspaper, The Queensland Messenger, and a second Greek community group, the Kytherian Association, a reflection of the success and growth of the community in Brisbane. 

Greek immigration numbers in Queensland dropped as a result of the Second World War and it was not until the cessation of the war did it increase again. By the 1950s the Greek community had outgrown the Charlotte Street church and it was deemed necessary for a new, larger centre of worship be built. A large portion of the Greek community resided in the South Brisbane/West End area and this was also where the first Greek Community Centre had been established on Russell Street. It seemed appropriate to build the new church in this vicinity. In 1956 a portion of land was purchased on the corner of Edmondstone and Besant Streets, South Brisbane, for the purpose of erecting a new church. 

The church was designed by prominent Brisbane architect R. M. Wilson. Ronald Martin Wilson was a Brisbane born architect and son of eminent Federation period architect A. B. Wilson. Ronald became chief architectural assistant at his father’s firm in 1908 after completing his tertiary education studying Engineering at the University of Queensland. After working for the British Ministry of Munitions during the First World War, he studied Town Planning in London and returned to Brisbane in 1919. He established a firm with his father in 1920 and continued the business subsequent to his father’s retirement in 1928. His work includes the Cliffside Flats at Kangaroo Point, Birt & Co. Wharves at Newstead, and the St. Lucia and Ithaca Presbyterian Churches. 

In 1956 the plans for the new Greek Orthodox Church were approved by the Archdiocese in Sydney as well as the Brisbane City Council. The ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone was held on 4 May 1958 and attended by several high profile Greek citizens, Government Officials as well as parishioners. With the completion of the church in April 1960, Archbishop Ezekiel officiated the consecration of the church. 

St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church, South Brisbane has played a central role in many of Brisbane’s Greek residents’ lives since it opened. Within the Church grounds a war memorial has been erected in memory of members of the Hellenic community in Brisbane who lost their lives fighting for and with the Allied Forces. Erected by the Hellenic sub-branch of the R.S.L South East District it was unveiled in 1995 by the then Honourable Con Sciacca M.P, Minister for Veteran Affairs and Wing Commander, and Alex Freeleagus, Honorary Consul General of Greece in Queensland and esteemed RAAF war veteran. The plaque reads: “The Memorial Commemorates the Sacrifice of all Those of Hellenic Heritage who Served the Allied Cause in Defence of Democracy.”  The memorial is a reminder of the sacrifices made by many of the Greek community for Australia.

St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in South Brisbane retains its importance for Brisbane’s Greek community. As a centre for worship, community and social activity the church plays a continuing role in the lives of many of Brisbane’s residents. The church is situated opposite Musgrave Park and dominates the Edmondstone Street streetscape and as such is a local landmark.

1. DERM Cultural Heritage Citation, “Saint Theodores Greek Orthodox Church”, CHIMS

2. Greek Orthodox Community of St. George, www.gocstgeorge.com.au

3. “Wilson, Ronald Martin”, Australian Dictionary of Biography

4. Historic Titles, Department of Environment and Resource Management

5. Queensland Post Office Directories

6. Brisbane City Council New Building Register

7. The Brisbane Courier, Friday 19 October 1928, p16

8. The Courier Mail, Saturday 27 March 1943, p4

9. The Brisbane Courier, Monday 24 December 1928, p15

10. R. M. Wilson, Building Specifications, Greek Community of St. George ‘Erection of a brick church at the corner of Edmond stone & Besants Sts, South Brisbane, 1958, Fryer Library Collection, University of Queensland

11. R, M. Wilson, Electrical Installation, Church of the Greek Orthodox Community of St. George, South Brisbane, 1957, Fryer Library Collection, University of Queensland