Banana Farmer Saves 10 Years to Build Chapel for Workers

After 10 years of patient saving, Francis Inderbitzin watched her dream take shape on a hilltop overlooking her family's banana farm in remote Lakeland, Queensland.

The small town of 300 people had no church, and the Tongan workers who had become essential to the Inderbitzin farm were holding Sunday services in a banana packing shed. Mrs. Inderbitzin knew they deserved better.

"A large part of Tongan culture is religion," she said. "I just felt there was no spiritual atmosphere there, and I was hoping we could build a little chapel eventually."

That dream became St. Mary Queen of Peace Chapel, now the only church in Lakeland. The Swiss-inspired building sits atop Mount McLean, with stained glass windows casting golden light across vintage pews salvaged from a decommissioned church in Cairns.

Stewart Tautuaa, who has worked for the family for 15 years, says the chapel has transformed Sunday mornings. "It's just amazing we have a proper chapel to worship every Sunday. When you think about Jesus Christ, you feel like you have another power for the following week."

The Inderbitzins' 130-strong Tongan workforce arrived through the federal government's PALM scheme, which brings workers from Pacific countries to fill labor gaps in Australian agriculture. The family credits these workers with enabling their farm's expansion since 2010.

Peter Inderbitzin junior organized the construction and says his family wanted to honor that commitment. "It's quite a commitment to leave your family and be away for months and months at a time, so we appreciate that very much."

The Ripple Effect

The chapel's impact reaches beyond Sunday services. Workers climb the hill during the week to pray and find quiet moments of reflection. Elizabeth Napaa, who has worked for the family since 2010, put her son through university to PhD level with her wages and now leads the singing that fills the chapel each week.

The Inderbitzens paid for 95 percent of the chapel's costs, with a construction company donating concrete and a local couple funding the pew restoration. When 200 people attended the blessing ceremony last year, it became clear the chapel had created something rare: a space where faith, gratitude, and community meet.

Mrs. Inderbitzin attends most Sundays, moved by the Tongan hymns even though she doesn't understand the words. Her husband Peter says the chapel exceeded all expectations, becoming a genuine spiritual anchor for workers far from home.

One chapel, built with a decade of savings and an abundance of respect, now stands as proof that seeing the people who power your success means honoring what powers them.