Hampton Uniting Church

EVEN MORE ABOUT US

 

Hampton UCA is a small suburban congregation formed from one of each of the three formational UCA denominations and consolidated onto one property at 17 Service Street, Hampton.  In 2014 we were joined by members from the Moorabbin-Highett congregation after its closure.  

Hampton itself is an increasingly upmarket and re-developing suburb.  Its bayside Beach Road environs have multi-million dollar price tags and the rest of the suburb’s pre- and post-WWII period style housing on mostly quarter-acre blocks is being expensively renovated or redeveloped.  Many blocks have been subdivided and quality strata-titled units have replaced the original single homes.  The Hampton Street strip shopping centre thrives with a café culture and many upmarket retail outlets in addition to the expected supermarket and speciality stores.  Several ‘Opportunity Shops’ operate in close proximity to each other, but reflecting the area’s socio-economic grouping, three of these are ‘upmarket’ style outlets.  Hampton Street itself is a designated high density development area, and multi-storey apartments of up to 8 stories high have been built and more are planned.  The church property is within this high density planning zone.  However, the local Bayside City Council has also recognised several heritage aspects of the suburb and the church is also specifically named in one such heritage overlay, which covers the entire site but is in place for the 1928 corner church rather than for the 1966 or 1992 halls associated with it.

 

Probably because of the pricing of the local housing stock, the population is mostly ‘comfortable middle class’.  The median/average age is 40 years of age, (3 years above the Australian average), median individual income is $748 per week and the median household income is $1901 per week.

 

Some Housing Commission homes in estates areas are still leased to lower income group tenants, but many were sold to the original post-WWII occupiers and are now in private hands and are being increasingly being redeveloped too.  There are about 1200 Department of Housing homes remaining in Bayside accommodating approximately 2000 residents and located mainly in Hampton East and Highett.  Across the area, 40.4% of homes are fully owned, 34.4% are in the process of being purchased by home loan mortgage and 23.2% are rented.  The median rental is $385 per week and the median mortgage repayment is $2500 per month. 

 

The local schools have excellent reputations.  Hampton Primary is thriving, as is the local Catholic Primary, St Mary’s.  A large proportion of the area’s children attend private schools, including the UCA-affiliated Haileybury and St Leonard’s Colleges which are both within the suburb.  Rev Kim Groot’s previous twin responsibilities as Minister at Hampton (0.6) and Chaplain at Haileybury (0.4) have strengthened ties and increased awareness of the congregation with the Haileybury community in particular.

 

Hampton does not have any significantly large ethnic groups:  Data from the recent census indicates that the country of birth for people not born in Australia is 6.8% England, 1.2% Italy, 1.1% USA, 0.9% China and 2.1% New Zealand.  82.8% of people speak English as their first language (other first languages include1.9% Greek, 1.8% Italian, 1% Russian, 1% Mandarin and 0.7% German). 

54.7% of people are married, 29.6% have never married while 7.7% are separated or divorced.  There are 532 widowed people. 

 

The congregation itself consists of mostly retired or elderly members, many of whom have been associated with one of the local foundation Hampton churches (Presbyterian, Congregational or Methodist) all their adult lives. 

 

The congregation is well known within its community.  Its excellent suite of buildings is well maintained and furnished and its halls are visited by several hundred people weekly.  Many community groups use the complex including an  AA group, two Kumon groups, five yoga classes, monthly Probus, CWA Craft Group and Garden Clubs, a Step into Life training group, two children’s drama and music groups, regular use as a Polling Place for State and Federal elections, and occasional individual hire.

 

The congregation has close ties to its community.  Hampton prides itself on its ‘village’ character and the churches are very much a part of the village.  There is interest in what is happening at the church and a positive sense of the church’s place in the community. 

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Please note the census data quoted above is from 2012.