VIABLE PLAN TO SAVE HOLY TRINITY CHURCH

(Australian Register of The National Estate,
Place identification number 11197;
Australian Heritage Places Inventory, Identifier 2592;
Listed on Top 10 Most-At-Risk Heritage Places in Australia
by National Trust of Australia, November 2007)
Prepared by Holy Trinity Church Charitable Trust
(5 November 2007)

VIABLE PLAN TO SAVE HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
This plan is respectfully submitted by the Holy Trinity Church Charitable Trust to Rt. Rev. John Harrower, Anglican Bishop of Tasmania, to the Registrar and to the Property Committee of Holy Trinity-Bay West parish; to provide a means to preserve the Heritage listed church and its treasured fittings and furnishings including the War memorials and bells, while relieving the Diocese of any ongoing responsibility for maintenance and preservation costs and honouring the intentions of people who have given money and property to sustain Holy Trinity since the 1840s.
We note the Bishop’s statement on 27 September 2007 “We would love to see the building preserved in some way… it would be wonderful if it could be preserved for Christian worship and fellowship…”ABC News/Stateline. This plan provides the means.

1. CHARITABLE TRUST
We advise that the Holy Trinity Charitable Trust has been established, as a public, not for profit, tax exempt body to gain ownership of Holy Trinity Church and the adjoining Parish Centre, along with all fittings and movable objects of Holy Trinity and St. Margaret’s (the latter objects to be re-located to Holy Trinity), with the Trust to undertake fund raising for repair and preservation of Holy Trinity and to make it available for worship and community purposes including bell ringing of the oldest set of bells in the southern hemisphere.

2. TRUSTEES
Four initial Trustees have been appointed with one each to be invited from the Tasmanian Heritage Council, the National Trust, the RSL and major donors, making a total of eight, provided that the Trust achieves Objective 1 above. All trustees are honorary.
3. PROPERTY TRANSFERS
The Diocese to transfer ownership of Holy Trinity Church and the Parish Centre,with all fittings and movable objects of Holy Trinity and St. Margaret’s, to the Trust by 31 May 2008 for token consideration of one peppercorn.

4. RELIEF
The Trust relieves the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania forever after 31 May 2008 of any further responsibility for the maintenance or preservation of Holy Trinity and the Parish Centre.

5. STAMP DUTY
The Diocese and the Trust will seek relief from Tasmanian government stamp duty on all property transfers.

6. FITTINGS SECURITY
The Diocese shall ensure that all fittings and movable objects are kept safe in Holy Trinity and those from St. Margaret’s are relocated to Holy Trinity with the approval of Tasmanian Heritage Council.

7. OCCUPANCY
The Trust shall have sole occupancy of all properties transferred to it from the date of transfer.

8. CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
This Plan being funded by Hobart City Council shall be given to the Charitable Trust.

9. HARM MINIMISATION
The Diocese shall ensure that all permits, statutory approvals, general and public liability insurances and health and safety requirements pertaining to the properties are kept unimpaired until properties are transferred to the Trust.

10. HERITAGE AND PLANNING
The Diocese and the Trust shall liaise with Heritage Council, National Trust and Hobart City Council to meet heritage and planning obligations.

11. RECORDS
The Diocese shall make available to the Charitable Trust copies of financial and operational records pertaining to the properties transferred to assist its work of restoration and property management.

12. SCHOLARSHIP
As an expression of goodwill towards the Diocese, if the above requests of the Diocese are fulfilled, the Charitable Trust undertakes to fund a scholarship to be called The Holy Trinity Scholarship, of $5,000 per year (CPI adjusted), for ten years, for a person from Tasmania, aged under thirty years, studying for the Anglican priesthood at a mainland institution and pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Theology, the selection to be undertaken jointly by the Diocese and the Trust, total payment $50,000 (CPI adjusted).

SIGNED ON BEHALF OF THE HOLY TRINITY CHURCH CHARITABLE TRUST

NAME Paul Fenton Christian Garland Margaret Andrews Donna Haigh Peter Schott

SIGNATURE

DATED: