According to Canon Ernest Coghill, ‘The varsity for the primary 59 years of this Church’s existence, was its spine and its mainstay.’ The window carries the inscription ‘Old pupils of Elmfield House, Southwell 1846-1905.’ The sooner date, 1846, was the date the church was consecrated. In Kelly’s Directory for 1908, Miss Gaster is proven as living at Westgate, Southwell, and Elmfield House had develop into the residence of Dr. Henry Handford M.D. The foreword to the up to date historical past of the church, by the Bishop of Southwell, the Rt. When the household moved to Southwell, the Minster was the only church there and its providers have been wholly Choral. When in 1870 Catherine Heathcote provided Samuel £700 raised by her as a present to build Te Aute College he mentioned: “I will take it (on mortgage) and I’ll give a average fee of curiosity on it; but there is another important thing to be taken in hand. That (is) the Hukarere School for the women.” By 1872 he had paid again the entire of this £700 and with Mrs Heathcote’s consent the money was used to construct Hukarere School on a site given by Bishop Williams not removed from his personal Napier home.
He naturally came to Southwell to stay with his great-aunt Catherine Heathcote, met and fell in love with Alice Gaster and married her in Holy Trinity Church in 1881. They returned to New Zealand and had 5 children, (four sons and one daughter), all of whom had been given the second title of Gaster. Heathcote, who was previously organist was buried. Woe to the man, who seems upon the law as a easy record of occasions expressed in unusual language, for, if actually that is all it incorporates, we will frame a law much more worthy of admiration. Mr Ivistern Plumptre additionally has obtained an immense sum of cash for us, £200 since August, apart from bigger sums earlier than, which is a certain proof of the esteem & respect of his friends or they w’d not have committed a lot to him & but the individuals right here communicate in a slighting manner of him: nevertheless the reason being that he serves a distinct master from them for certainly the offence of the Cross has not ceased. The purpose of the assembly was to contemplate the state of our funds &c when these expensive friends promised to provide us £150 in addition to their previous donations making in all upwards of £300 which they’ve given besides all they’ve obtained.
A grant of $10,000 NZ was obtained from the Turanga Trust in Napier and the mission took two years to complete. The deceased lady was eighty four years of age and had lived most of her life in Southwell where she was drastically beloved, and as much as the final had maintained her faculties. In the words of a leaflet circulated to all the inhabitants of Southwell on 3rd April 1839, it was admitted “That the Choral Service shouldn’t be suited to the taste, nor to the understanding of the vast majority of the folks, who are usually not qualified to appreciate its merits, and that even those that want it could be benefited by sometimes listening to the service read in the standard manner.” The leaflet proposed that because the inhabitants of Southwell was growing and that a big quantity were unprovided for in the means for Public Worship, the erection “of a Chapel in some central state of affairs in the direction of Westhorpe” ought to be thought of. While this might not be an enormous problem from a practical standpoint, it does serve as an excellent instance of bone-headedness and a whole lack of understanding of how to maintain things safe. He cares not what trouble he takes for us & yet our neighbours is not going to stretch out their little fingers to assist us, & would even be glad to listen to if the church have been tumbling down again.
The interment takes place at the moment (Wednesday) at four O’clock at the Collegiate Church, during which her late husband, Mr. Geo. Some feedback on this theme have been despatched to the authors of the commemorative booklet – maybe Catherine’s vastly necessary position within the genesis of the church, not just its bricks and mortar however in its spirit and character, will obtain extra adequate recognition in future editions. Catherine’s obituary in the native paper says of her ‘She was mainly instrumental in Holy Trinity Church being built, and has been its chief supporter ever since, from which place she can be drastically missed.’ The private imprint of the strongly evangelical convictions of each Catherine and her brother-in-law imbued in the spirit of faith of Holy Trinity may hardly be extra marked. There may be another window in Holy Trinity to the reminiscence of Emma and Sarah Gaster and when Emma died, on twelfth August 1912, aged 73, she is described within the burial register as of Westgate, so it could also be supposed, maybe, that Sarah and Emma ran the college jointly and then lived together in retirement. As a charitable person there was not perhaps her equal. There will be little doubt that Catherine would have unhesitatingly borne any additional prices over the £50 bequeathed by John Marsh to Henry and William, out of her personal bequest.