ST Peter’s Mornington is holding a Remembrance Day service Wednesday 11 November 2026 at 10.30am, to commemorate the soldiers listed on their honour board.
St Peter’s is the oldest church on the Mornington Peninsula having been opened on 19 May 1861.
It was designed by architect Leonard Terry and built in stages. Consecration of the church took place on 17 May 1877.
It is highly regarded for its traditional design, historical significance, and beautiful stained-glass windows some of which depict St Peter, the Resurrection and Ascension. Of particular note is the St George window, dedicated to soldiers from the First World War.
Understanding this heritage explains why our local Parish community felt such a profound duty to support Britain when war broke out.
“Our Honour Board commemorates our frontline soldiers, our community leaders, our essential workers, and individuals like Sister Valerie Zichy-Woinarski, who enlisted in 1914 and nursed the wounded through to the war’s conclusion,” said Helen Opie from St Peter’s Mornington.
“What our Honour Board reveals is not just the grand strategy of a global war, but the deeply personal threads of small-town mateship. These lads were not strangers thrown together by chance; they were close, local boys who shared the quiet life of Schnapper Point.”
It is in appreciation of these individuals’ bravery, courage and self-sacrifice that on Wednesday 11 November 2026 at 10.30am at St Peter’s Anglican Church Mornington, 3 Queen Street, Mornington, they are holding a special service to commemorate them.
“In honour of these past parishioners, we have created a book, available for perusal in the quiet of the Church, not only detailing their valued contributions to the war effort but the lives they lived and the contributions they and their families made to our community,” said Opie.
“Our beloved church is showing the ravages of time. It needs our care. Amongst other things, it needs a new slate roof, repair to the internal walls damaged by rising damp, and the restoration of its external brickwork which has been eroded by environmental pressures. To this end we are in the process of restoring our church beginning the last week of October replacing the slate roof.
“To acknowledge and honour those who have worshipped in this beautiful space since 1861 and those who will worship here in the future, we need your help in restoring St Peter’s to its former glory.”
St Peter’s Anglican Church is part of the Mornington Peninsula Shire Heritage Overlay and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Heritage Register. Donations through the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) are tax deductible.
First published in the Mornington News – 3 November 2026
