Geelong Hungarian Seventh-day Adventist Church

Victoria saw hundreds of Hungarian families immigrate as part of the Post-war immigration to Australia. During 1969 to 1972, many Hungarian families began to emigrate from Hungary and settle in Geelong in search of employment. A small Hungarian Adventist group already existed in the Melbourne suburb of Auburn, headed by Franchiski Varga, and many of these Geelong families would drive to Melbourne to attend the services.^[1][3] These initial Hungarian families, who would otherwise gather in homes to worship, encountered language difficulties as they would worship together with Yugoslav families.^[2]

Rudolph Iro, a Hungarian trained as a pastor at Avondale College, was appointed to serve as the Geelong community's pastor by the Victorian Conference in 1973. Between 1973 and 1975 the Auburn and Geelong groups would combine and held services in Geelong. In 1974, land was acquired for a church, and by 1975, construction on the church began. Only three people were hired, a bricklayer, a carpenter and a plumber, with the rest of the construction work completed by unpaid laymen.^[1]

The church was completed in October 1975, but was not officially opened until the following year on February 28 1976. The opening ceremony, held at 3 pm, filled the church, and as the church had a seating capacity of 100 people, the service was relayed to the car park, where another several hundred gathered.^[2]

In 1981 a hall and entertainment facilities were erected.^[1]