Chatswood Church of Christ

From SOJ February/March 1989:

The organ in this church was built in 1950 by Whitehouse Bros of Brisbane. It possessed 2 manuals, 10 speaking stops and tubular-pneumatic action. Tonal modifications were made in 1965 and in 1976. In 1982 the original building was demolished and a contract awarded to Pitchford & Garside to rebuild and enlarge the organ for the new church building using electro-pneumatic action. New pipes were obtained from George Fincham & Sons and some second hand ranks were purchased from St Mary's Catholic Church in North Sydney.

From lecture notes provided by Dr Kelvin Hastie for the 2007 OHTA Conference in Brisbane:

The pipe organ was the result of one man's vision - Mr Philip Verco. After World War II, Philip Verco, together with Athol Cust, collected from the congregation the amount required to build the organ. The firm of Whitehouse Bros., Queensland was selected to build the instrument and the inaugural recital was given on November 19th, 1950. The organ was a 2 manual, 11 rank instrument with tubular pneumatic action sited in the north-western corner of the building at the front of the church [MQ].

GREAT
Open Diapason
Hohl Flute
Dulciana
Flute

SWELL
Violin Diapason
Gedact
Salicional
Vox Celeste
Principal
Oboe
Tremulant

PEDAL
Bourdon

8
8
8
4

8
8
8
8
4
8

16

COUPLERS
Swell Super
Swell Sub
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Great
Great to Pedal
Swell Super to Great
Swell Sub to Great
Great Super

Pistons: 3 to Swell, 2 to Great

Total number of Pipes: 628

The organ remained in this condition until 1965 when the Flute and Principal exchanged positions on the manuals. In 1976 the Vox Celeste was replaced by a Twelfth, the Hohl Flute by a Stopped Diapason, and a Bass Flute added to the Pedal. With the demolition of the original building (1982), Pitchford & Garside were approached to rebuild the organ in the new chapel being built on the same site. The rebuilt instrument became a 2 manual, 15 rank organ sited on the liturgical eastern side of the building [MQ]. The action was changed to electro-pneumatic. New and second-hand pipes were added to the existing pipework to give greater flexibility.

The new pipes are: Quartane Mixture 12.15 and Fifteenth 2' from G.S. Fincham & Sons, Melbourne.
Second-hand pipes are: Stopped Flute 8' and Harmonic Flute 4' from St Mary's Catholic Church, North Sydney.

All original and second-hand metal pipework, with the exception of the new ranks, is by Palmer, England.

The specification of the rebuilt organ is:

GREAT
Open Diapason
Stopped Flute
Dulciana
Principal
Harmonic Flute
Fifteenth

SWELL
Gedact
Salicional
Principal
Rohr Flute
Nazard
Quartane 12.15
Oboe
Tremulant

PEDAL
Bourdon
Open Diapason
Bass Flute
Quint
Choral Bass
Octave Flute

COUPLERS
Swell Super
Swell Sub
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Great
Swell Super to Grcat
Swell Sub to Great
Swell Octave to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal

8
8
8
4
4
2

8
8
4
4
2-2/3
II
8

16
8
8
5-1/3
4
4

former Great 12th added 1976

former Flute 4'

A
B - former Swell Violin Diapason
A
A
B - former Swell Violin Diapason
A

Great and Pedal Pistons coupled

Compass: 61/30

Electro-pneumatic action

3 pistons to each division