50 girls and 40 boys in regular attendance. Sotham left in 1880 to take up a role in Waikouaiti and was in turn replaced by Rev. Frederick Charles Platts. The Rev. Platts came to the church from Sandridge, Victoria, Australia and was at work in Port Chalmers by May 1880. His family of five arrived on the Arawata on 30 June 1880. One of the Rev. Platts' children was Daisy Platts-Mills, who would go on to become one of the first female doctors in New Zealand. On 1 December 1880, there was a fundraising event at the Foresters' Hall in Port Chalmers in order to raise money for a parsonage. "The Hall presented a very pretty appearance, being tastefully decorated with flags, ferns and flowers; while nine tables were spread with an abundance of good things; supplied by the ladies of the congregation. Indeed, each one seemed to vie with the other in the supply and decoration of the tables, so that in addition to a feast of creature comforts, there was a floral feast." The Bishop of Dunedin spoke at the evening and suggested that the main reason for the high turnover of ministers at the church was the lack of a parsonage. He urged the congregation to put aside any "petty feelings" and donate to this worthy cause. Fundraising for the parsonage was evidently successful, for by November 1881 the parsonage had been built on land adjoining the church at a cost of £950. "It is a solid, wooden two-storey structure of shapely proportions and exterior having a frontage of nearly 40 feet. The design is by Mr Allardyce, and the builders are Messrs Kermode and Murray. The house contains 12 rooms in all, and no pains have apparently been spared to have them equipped with all the adjuncts of domestic comfort." The congregation's struggle to repay its debts incurred by its various construction projects eventually compelled them to sell the parsonage. Rev. Platts remained the church's minister until shortly before his death on 28 May 1900, after 20 years of service. Adding to the financial burden of its various building projects on the site, the roof of the church began to leak, causing ongoing maintenance expenses. This was eventually resolved in 1906, when the Reverend Tewsley provided funds to re-roof the church and restore the chancel, among other improvements. The re-roofing with Marseilles tiles was undertaken in