Islanders keep the faith
pp. 28-30 · Read in the full issue
faith in Australia
Far from their Polynesian home, Australia’s Tongan residents maintain links tradition and their strong commitment to religion in their own church. Photojournalist Matthew McKee spent a series of weekends at the Free Church of Tonga the Sydney suburb of Canterbury to chronicle the life, the colour and the sense of community that unites these ‘island expatriates’.
WITH the rapid growth of the Tongan population of Austra lia, especially in Sydney, the Free Church of Tonga has also flourished. A number of church build ings are shared with other denomina tions throughout Sydney such as the Uniting Church, but the Tongans now have a centre of their own.
The Church at Canterbury, a south western suburb of Sydney, was bought from the Anglican Church in 1987 for $300,000. It has a congregation numbering about 400 and is growing rapidly. There are plenty of children running round the Church and that is not something you see around the average church in Sydney these days.
Figures from the official census of Australian residents show that in 1976 there were 893 residents bom in Tonga.
In 1981 the figure had grown to 2616, and in there were 4477 official Tongan
born residents in Australia. Actual numbers may be much higher, because many children have been born to Ton gan parents in Australia and the num ber of illegal residents is unknown.
There are separate congregations that meet in other areas of Sydney, each with its own choir, and these choirs perform in turn, singing hymns at the central service at Canterbury.
The wedding of Otolese Teaupa and Taniela Tui was the first held in this church. Some of the photographs here are from that service.
The Thanksgiving Service (Misinale) is held on a Saturday. It is a light hearted affair: as can be seen on Page 28, Sione Ha’unga is trying to concen trate on conducting his choir while Lata Taukei’aho, who is standing be hind with angels’ wings, and Ana Fele mi do their best to distract him and to ‘hijack’ the choir.
Clockwise from top left: Tomasi Palu conducts the Marrickville choir. Kava, before church. Below: Preachers and ministers gather before service. Bride and groom resplendent in wedding clothes. Christening of baby Sione Tupou. Tongan girls begin to fidget in church. Former Anglican Church, now owned by the Free Church of Tonga.
Tongan women wearing the ceremonial version of the Ta’ovala, called ngafing afi, during a wedding. The Rev Filipe Mahe, the head minister of the church in Australia, taking Sunday School. The Rev Fakapelea Afu preaching during Sunday service the service starts at 11am and finishes around 1.30 pm.
Clockwise from top left: Sasaia Kaloni Kaivelata and sons relax in the hall be fore Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving service is marked by hijinks. Women preparing the wedding feast. George Sigg, ‘papa lagi’ 11-year-old plays with Siupeli Kaivelata, age 2 at Thanksgiving. Chil dren helping to cover the Thanksgiving feast tables to keep the flies away it was a 37 degree October heatwave in Sydney that day. Eseta Palu and her doll. Younger children socialise outside under supervision of older children while the adults are still in church or preparing the feast.