Fr James Hodson said the fair would be held in the front car park of the gutted church from 10am.

He said there would be all the usual crafts, jams, cakes, books and toys. There will also be face painting and a barbecue in operation.

The parish holds one fair in spring and another in autumn.

“It helps pay the bills,” Fr James said.

“We would really love everyone to come along and show their support.”

Fr James said plans for rebuilding the church were moving ahead, with the establishment of an oversight committee which will work with architects to push the rebuilding effort forward. 

“It’s a tremendously exciting time,” he said. “We will be holding meetings with the parish over the next month to get their input on how they would like the church to look.

“We also want to look at the kind of things we are able to do for the wider community in South Bathurst.”

Fr James said there were around 1500 Anglicans in South Bathurst and about 50-60 regulars at St Barnabas.

“If there’s an upside to all this, it’s that it has served as a catalyst for looking at all sorts of new ideas,” Fr James said.

He said once the parish determines the direction it would like the rebuilding work to go in, the architects will instructed.

Fr James hopes this will happen by mid-February. 

“This is a really exciting time for us. There is so much possibility,” he said.