Residents of Oakdale gathered at the local library to share the history of the old church that now houses the library, through their photos.
“I was working one day and a customer came to me and said ‘oh I got married here. You know this used to be a church’, and I didn’t know that. I’m from the area. It came as a surprise and I decided to introduce this event at the library,” said Dianne Logan, the library assistant at the Oakdale Library and the manager of the event.
Frank Henson, local author, helped get in touch with the residents who shared the history of the church and Oakdale and contributed the photos for the exhibition.
St George’s church, which originated in 1932, was converted in to a library in 1960 after the church had been moved to its current location in Oakdale. People were invited to share their personal photos of various events like weddings, baptism, community shows etc. in a photo exhibition that was inaugurated by the Mayor of Poole, Councillor Carol Evans.
“Yeah, I got married here. I have brought my wedding invitations to share here,” said Mrs Rawlingn, an 80-year-old Kington Moordown resident.
“Oh I love this event. My whole family lives here in Oakdale. Recently I shifted back here and so did my daughters. My parents got married at the old church and I also got baptised here. Oakdale library and its history have a special place in my heart,” said Jane Roxby, a local resident and ex-library worker.
The Friday coffee mornings is suppose to be a regular event at the Oakdale library now, where like minded people can get together and share stories over a cup of coffee or tea.
“I’m from Oakdale. I’m a Poole girl. I think it is a perfect use of the building which other wise would have been redundant. I think the idea of tea and coffee mornings by the library is also good for the community. Traditional support networks like family and relatives may not be there anymore. So, events like these bring a community together and provides that support,” said Councillor Evans.
If you missed the event, head over to Oakdale Library and experience history of the place through local resident’s photos over a cup of coffee and biscuits, every Friday morning.
Main Image: Rachitaa Gupta
In the photo: Local author Frank Henson (Centre seat), Councillor Judy Butt (2nd Right, standing) and staff of Oakdale Library
