The Church was built without any foundations, the first course of bricks being laid in the dirt about 450mm below the ground surface. (This compares with up to 2 metres for the foundations for the new hall constructed in 2009/2010.) The walls are always cracked, the width of the cracks depending on the season. As the reactive soil dries out in summer, the cracks open up and close again with the rains of winter. This problem has existed for many years as around 1907, Mr Weller, the local blacksmith, installed iron bars free of charge to brace the walls. These are believed to be the two bars that run east-west along the length of the building on each side and are finished with nuts at the top and bottom of a reverse "S". Each of these bars is in two sections which hook together in the centre. At some earlier date, a single bar was installed at each end that runs the width of the building and is also finished at each end with a nut through the centre of a large iron “S” that distributes the load.
Although eyesores to modern eyes, they were not out of keeping with the original building as the roof is tied together at each buttress with an iron bar (although the ends are concealed on the outside).
A second problem is that building is constructed of hand-made bricks. These are quite soft and some have crumbled. At some time during the early 20th century the south-west corner of the building was replaced by hard red machine bricks, in contrast to the orange-red colour of the remainder of the building.
In the absence of a Church Hall the congregation held its social functions in the public hall further up the hill. The gradual disintegration of that building saw the church in urgent need of alternative accommodation. In 1965 a decision was made to build a church hall that could also be used as a weekday kindergarten. In 1966 a former building display centre was transported in sections and re-erected alongside the church. The hall was used by the Church for Sunday School and by the Primary School for before and after school activities. (The weekday kindergarten moved to the CFA Emergency Operations Centre in 1989). As the hall was only intended to have a limited life when it was constructed as a building display centre, it rapidly deteriorated. In 2009/2010 a new hall was constructed at the rear of the vestry.
Corner buttress from the North showing the nuts terminating East-West reinforcing bars in a reverse "S"
Joins in the parallel reinforcing bars inside the Church
Corner buttress from the South showing the nut terminating a North-South reinforcing bar
