MEMORIES OF YASS MISSIONST AUGUSTINE'S PARISH

YASS. N.S.W.

SESQUICENTENARY 1838-1988Rev. Brian Maher

MEMORIES OF YASS MISSIONST AUGUSTINE'S PARISH

YASS

NEW SOUTH WALES

SESQUICENTENARY 1838-1988

REV. BRIAN MAHER

St Augustine's Parish Sesquicentenary Committee1988

© Rev Brian Maher 1988

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication

Maher, Brian.Memories of Yass Mission.

Bibliography.ISBN 0 949807 59 1

1. St Augustine's Church (Yass, N.S.W.).2. Catholic Church — New South Wales — Yass — History.3. Yass (N.S.W.) — Church history.

I. St Augustine's Church (Yass, N.S.W.). Sesquicentenary Committee.II. Title.

282'.9447

FRONT COVER: Photograph by Brother Don Gallagher C.F.C. from an original painting of Yass settlement in 1858by E. Grube.

PUBLISHER: St Augustine's Parish Sesquicentenary Committee, Meehan Street, Yass, N.S.W.

Printed and manufactured in Australia by the Catholic Education Office Printing Section, Canberra, A.C.T.

Catholic PresbyteryP.O. Box 28

1 August 1988 Bungendore, N.S.W. 2621

I have undertaken the task of preparing this summary of the old Yass Mission in deference to an old friend fromCollege days, Father Philip Buckley P.P. He achieved, with the cooperation of parishioners, a fine work of restorationon the old and beautiful church and presbytery of St Augustine. In preparing the text, both time and money werelimiting factors, so that the main focus is upon the old Church, while the considerable achievements of Catholiceducation in Yass are only sketchily given. I was mindful that much of this work is already available in the Mt CarmelCollege Centenary History. A more detailed treatment of some issues relating to the Yass Mission will hopefullyappear in a forthcoming diocesan history, while other details are already available in the 1861 pamphlet "Rise andProgress of the Yass Mission" by Dr Morgan O'Connor.

The 27-28 August 1988 marks the Sesquicentenary of the foundation of Yass Mission as much as the foundationstone ceremony of a church. The "mission" was a cooperative effort of people, bishop and clergy. The "church" beingfounded at Yass in 1838 was a people, the "people of God" and not stones and mortar.

I would like therefore to acknowledge the assistance of many persons, but especially the sesqui centenary commit-tee, typists Sandra Davis and Maureen Collins, printer Drew McLean, the Sisters of Mercy Yass and parish staffPauline Abbey and Mary Nicholas for their hospitality over a period of years. A great debt is owed to RussellWhitehurst for his excellent research and reading in the old Yass newspapers and other sources, generously sharedwith us. The ready assistance of the local Historical Society through the courtesy of Adrian and Dorothy Roche hasbeen appreciated. I owe thanks also for personal assistance given by Brother Don Gallagher of St Edmund's Collegefor some photography, and to Suzanne Ridley of Bungendore for editorial guidance and encouragement in prepara-tion and presentation of the text.

Finally I wish to express my deep appreciation to my brother priests, Revs Dermot O'Hurley, Philip Buckley andWilliam Crahan for their friendship, hospitality and encouragement.

Rev. BRIAN MAHER

5

6

ARCHBISHOP'S HOUSE,

G.P.O. BOX 89,

CANBERRA, A.C.T. 2601

Tel.: (062) 48 6411

11 July 1988

Only fifty years after the arrival of the firstwhite settlers in Australia, the Yass Mission was estab-lished and St. Augustine's Church was built. In the150 years since then, the Yass parish has been a vitalcentre of Catholic life and pastoral outreach.

Some of the Priests and the people they servedin and beyond Yass deserve to be household names in thehistory of Catholicism in Australia and especially inthe Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.

"Memories of Yass Mission" will recall thosesignificant figures. May it also remind us of the greatnumber of lesser known parishioners who have nurturedand handed on the Faith. As we thank God for each oneof them may we grow in our determination to live livesworthy of our Catholic faith and the men and women whogave so much to build what we now enjoy.

+ Francis P. CarrollArchbishop of Canberra and Goulburn

8

CONTENTSPage

SYNOPSIS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 11

BEGINNINGS

SETTLEMENT OF YASS ................................................................................................................................................. 13CATHOLIC ORIGINS IN YASS:

Father Therry ........................................................................................................................................................... 14Bishop Polding ...................................................................................................................................................... 14Frs Brennan and Fitzpatrick .............................................................................................................................. 15Catholic Cemetery ................................................................................................................................................. 16

THE YASS MISSION

INTRODUCTION:The Yass Mission Territory ................................................................................................................................. 18Parish of Yass ........................................................................................................................................................... 19Parish Churches ...................................................................................................................................................... 19Father Charles Lovat ............................................................................................................................................. 20St Augustine's Presbytery ................................................................................................................................... 21

ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH — RISE 1838 .............................................................................................................. 23ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH — PROGRESS 1860 .................................................................................................. 23

Church Blessing 9th September 1860 ........................................................................................................... 24The Pastoral Letter ............................................................................................................................................... 24Architectural Details ............................................................................................................................................. 24

DEPARTURE OF REVS McALROY & BERMINGHAM ........................................................................................... 25DR MORGAN O'CONNOR—"RISE AND PROGRESS OF YASS MISSION" .................................................. 25ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH — COMPLETION 1888 ........................................................................................... 27

The old church windows ..................................................................................................................................... 27THE NEW CHURCH — OPENING 1956 .................................................................................................................. 28

EDUCATION

ST AUGUSTINE'S SCHOOL — EARLY LAY TEACHERS ................................................................................... 30ACADEMY FOR YOUNG LADIES ................................................................................................................................. 31THE ABORIGINAL SCHOOL ........................................................................................................................................ 31SISTERS OF MERCY ...................................................................................................................................................... 32THE CONVENT OF MOUNT CARMEL ....................................................................................................................... 32.

MATTERS OF INTEREST

FATHER LOVAT'S BELL ................................................................................................................................................. 34YASS CHURCH LANDS .................................................................................................................................................... 35THE GRUBE PRINTING ................................................................................................................................................. 36REV. PATRICK HARTIGAN ("JOHN O'BRIEN") .................................................................................................... 37

CLERGY AND PEOPLE

REV. CHARLES LOVAT .................................................................................................................................................... 39REV. PATRICK MAGENNIS .......................................................................................................................................... 39REV. MICHAEL McALROY ............................................................................................................................................. 40REV. PATRICK BERMINGHAM ................................................................................................................................... 40DEAN JAMES HANLY ...................................................................................................................................................... 41REV. RICHARD DUIGAN ................................................................................................................................................. 41DEAN PATRICK O'KEEFFE .......................................................................................................................................... 42REV. JOHN FRANCIS LEONARD ................................................................................................................................. 42REV. GUILFORD YOUNG D.D........................................................................................................................................ 43REV. MICHAEL CASEY .................................................................................................................................................... 43REV. DANIEL GREENE .................................................................................................................................................... 43REV. DERMOT O'HURLEY ............................................................................................................................................. 43REV. PHILIP BUCKLEY ................................................................................................................................................. 44REV. WILLIAM CRAHAN ................................................................................................................................................. 44HENRY & CORNELIUS O'BRIEN ................................................................................................................................. 45DR. MORGAN O'CONNOR ............................................................................................................................................ 46OTHER EARLY PARISHIONERS ................................................................................................................................. 47PRIESTS WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE PARISH OF YASS ............................................................................... 51PARISH PERSONNEL 1988 .......................................................................................................................................... 53BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................................................ 55

9

Yass Hierarchy in the early 1950s — the Dinner Club Executive Eris Pollard, Murray Crowe, Mick Darmody, JackJulian, Bishop Young, Mick Nash, Kevin Meagher, Lloyd Parker, Dick Connolly.

SYNOPSISST. AUGUSTINE'S PARISH, YASS

The Parish of Yass was developed under two phases of ecclesiastical governance.

A. Sydney Diocese from 1838 and Sydney Archdiocese from 1843 under Bishop/Archbishop John BedePolding.

B. Goulburn Diocese 1867-1948Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese 1948-1988

BISHOPS:William Lanigan 1867-1900John Gallagher 1900-1923John Barry 1924-1938Terence McGuire 1938-1948

ARCHBISHOPS:Terence McGuire 1948-1953Eris O'Brien 1953-1967Thomas Cahill 1967-1978Edward Clancy 1978-1982Francis Carroll 1983-

PASTORS OF YASS:John Therry 1833 (from Sydney)John Therry 1835 (from Campbelltown)John Fitzpatrick 1838Michael Brennan 1838Charles Lovat 1839Patrick Magennis 1848Michael McAlroy 1857Patrick Bermingham 1857James Hanly 1761Richard Duigan 1868William O'Brien 1868Hugh Finnegan 1870Patrick O'Keeffe 1871John F. Leonard 1906Guilford Young 1948Michael Casey 1954Daniel Greene 1969Dermot O'Hurley 1970Philip Buckley 1979William Crahan 1988

CHURCHES:YASS St Augustine's (old) 27 August 1838 (foundation)

St Augustine's (new) 11 April 1954 (foundation)29 April 1956 (opening)

CONVENT:YASS Mount Carmel 16 July 1876 (foundation)

3 February 1878 (opening)

Archbishop John Bede Polding O.S.B. Sydney 1835-1877). Founder of the Yass Mission 1838.12

BEGINNINGSSETTLEMENT OF YASSIn 1821, the famed explorer Hamilton Hume in thecompany of his brother John Kennedy Hume, hisbrother-in-law George Barber and W. H. Broughtonreached Yass Plains. Then in 1824 Hamilton Hume andWilliam Hovell traversed the same district on theiroverland trip to Port Phillip (later called Melbourne),which route is approximated by today's HumeHighway.

Settlers soon began to arrive as squatters and later theyapplied for land grants or grazing leases. Among theearliest known names were Hume, Barber, Broughton,Shelley, Rose, Manton, Dutton, Terry and Riley, none ofwhom were Catholics. Of particular interest to theCatholic community, however, were brothers Henryand Cornelius O'Brien, they being the only Catholiccitizens of substantial wealth and social standing.Henry carried the name "Black Henry" or "SugarO'Brien", the latter possibly being a reference to his

role in bringing supplies, including much neededsugar, from India when still a young man. Nearly allother Catholics were convict assigned servants oremancipists. Cornelius married into the Broughtonfamily in 1822, so the O'Brien presence in that earlyband of settlers led by Hume from Campbelltown was tobe expected.

The village site which grew naturally for a few years onthe Yass River was officially surveyed in 1834 andgazetted on 4th March 1837. The village became a fron-tier town in the development of the Southern Slopesand Riverina districts. Yass was the administrativecentre for County King which was delineated in 1829.On the 'great southern' or 'Port Phillip' road at Bown-ing Hill about ten miles from Yass, a plough markacross the road marked the limits of official settlementand government protection. Beyond that point no landcould be granted, no police supervision was supplied.As settlers spilled over these limits, the government

St Augustine's Church and Presbytery (Sketch by Dr Morgan O'Connor 1861).13

granted grazing licences for temporary occupancy anda minimal supervision by means of Crown Lands com-missioners. In 1839, Henry Cosby was appointed Com-missioner for Lachlan District and Henry Bingham,Commissioner for Murrumbidgee district, and bothofficials were located at Yass.

An intersting landscape of the Yass village in 1858 hassurvived. It is the work of J. E. Grube and a portion ofthat painting in enlargement can give some impressionof the appearance of the town, its buildings andstreets.

CATHOLIC ORIGINS IN YASS(a) Father Therry The first public presence of theCatholic church was the missionary journey of Rev.John Joseph Therry in 1833. His diary reveals visits to"Collingwood" the home of John Kennedy Hume(whose wife and children were Catholics), to "Douro"the home of Henry O'Brien and to the cottage of Kiley,an emancipated settler close to Yass. Father Therry alsorecords visits to the Davis and Manton families who,although not Catholic households, probably hadCatholic Irish domestic servants and labourers. Thatportion of his diary reads:

Rev. John Joseph Therry.

Wednesday 7 August: Proceeded from Mr Reddal'sstation to Mr Hume, celebrated Mass and went on toMr O'Brien's.

Thursday 8 August: Visited Mr Davis, proceeded fromYass Plains to Mr Keily's.

Friday 9 August: Left Mr Keily's arrived at Yass Plains,called to Mr O'Brien's, then to Mr Manton's then to thehouse of Mr Davis.

Saturday 9 August: Left Mr Davis, proceeded to MrHume's celebrated Mass and baptised his child, aboutto go to Goulburn Plains.

The pastoral visits by Father Therry in 1834 and 1835were brief and it cannot be certainly stated that hevisited Yass district. His presence in the Goulburn areais certain and the Yass Catholics requiringadministrations could have travelled to Goulburn. Animportant development came in September 1835 whenFather Therry was appointed Pastor of Campbelltownby the newly arrived Bishop Polding. Yass was part ofhis district, and it is reasonable to claim John JosephTherry as the first pastor of Yass. He visited Yass on apastoral tour in October, November 1836 and again inMarch 1837, when he passed through Bowning toGoorama near Boorowa. Another extensive journey inJune—July 1837 took him through Yass, and betweenJanuary—March 1838, it is probable that Yass was in theitinerary of a lengthy country visit. In March 1838 hewas unexpectedly transferred to Hobart. His officialcontact with Yass ends at this point, but his influencedid not immediately cease, as will be made clearbelow.

(b) Bishop Polding: In 1837 Bishop Polding applied tothe Government for a grant of land for church pur-poses, and an old map shows lots 2, 3, 4 and 5 of section17 fronting Meehan Street "dedicated to the RomanCatholic Church for purposes of school, presbytery andchurch. Collections toward building a church hadbeen made as early as January 1837 when over 200pounds were collected from 80 landholders. A letterfrom the Colonial Secretary to the Surveyor-Generaldated 10 August 1837 stated:

Dr Polding having stated in his letter of the 16ultimo that a subscription had been raised forbuilding a Roman Catholic Chapel at Yass, Iam directed by His Excellency, the Governorto request that you will communicate with MrHenry O'Brien on the subject, and fix uponand report on the site.

On 31 March 1838 a site in Meehan Street containingtwo acres for church, presbytery and school was fixedupon and surveyed by assistant Surveyor ThomasTownshend. However, the brothers Henry and Cor-nelius O'Brien in co-operation with Father Therry had

14

decided to select their own site for a church. This waspossibly in or closer to the private village of O'ConnellTown owned by the O'Brien family, but no certainty ispossible on this point. The Bishop was upset becauseof these arrangements which would have negated hisapproach to government for a grant. He removedFather Therry to Hobart and made an urgent trip toYass as soon as possible to lay a church foundation onthe site granted by government. The newspaper TheAustralian of 21 September 1838 carried this report:

The Rt Rev the Catholic Bishop is now in thedistrict. His Lordship arrived at Yass on the 24ultimo, accompanied by three other clergy-men. On the following Sunday, the Bishopofficiated here and on Monday blessed and laidthe foundation stone of a new church at Yass,the first this of its kind ever performed in thispart of the Queen's dominion. The two Revgentlemen are now stationed in their districtsfrom whose labours the best results can beexpected. The Bishop has proceeded towardsthe Murrumbidgee visiting almost everystation edifying and instructing all whoapproach him.

Bishop Polding blessed the foundation stone of theproposed church on 27 August 1838, the eve of StAugustine's of Hippo' feastday, and the actual day of StMonica, mother of Augustine. However, it would be aserious misinterpretation to assume that buildingthen began. A foundation stone ceremony in Catholiccircles of the time more often was a declarationof intent, an opportunity for fund raising and anannouncement of the chosen site.

(c) Fathers Brennan and Fitzpatrick: The Bishop lefttwo priests in the Yass district after this event to begina pastoral ministry. While it is generally thought thatFather Brennan attended to Yass district and FatherFitzpatrick to Goulburn district, there is enoughevidence to suggest that they alternated their visita-tion tours. Unfortunately, register entries for FatherBrennan's ministry have not been found but familyrecords recall the visitation of Father Brennan in theTumut area in late 1838 where he performedmarriage ceremonies. The earliest entry of ministra-tion by Father Fitzpatrick in the Goulburn registerdates to April 1839. Both of these priests returned toSydney in late 1839, after nearly a twelve month post-ing, and there is little evidence that they advanced thebuilding of the proposed church.

Rev. Michael Brennan. Pastor 1838-39.

Rev. John Fitzpatrick. Pastor 1838-39.

'5

A note written by Dean O'Keeffe on 8 June 1881 in hisledger said however:

Fathers Brennan and Fitzpatrick were the firsttwo priests sent by the Archbishop Dr Poldingto take charge of the Southern District, calledthen the New Country extending from Goul-burn to Port Phillip. They resided at Yass.Father Fitzpatrick superintended the erectionof the Yass Presbytery and a small portion ofthe present church. The Very Reverend DrFitzpatrick V.G. Melbourne — same priestabove mentioned paid a visit to Yass, the sceneof his early labours — 8th December 1880.Feast of the Immaculate Conception and cele-brated Mass. He told me that it was about 42years from his visit. The Presbytery was builtunder his supervision. He seemed as if he cameto see the old place before his death.

(d) Catholic Cemetery: On his return journey fromJugiong, Bishop Polding consecrated a Catholiccemetery ground on 11 September 1838. This was thenexclusively intended for Catholic purposes only. TheAnglican community were using their own church-ground for their burials at this time. Such occasionswere usually solemn liturgical occasions when anappropriate sermon was given on the 'last things'. Itslocation was at a considerable distance beyondRossi Street.

Parish buildings taken across Dutton Street c1890.

16

St Augustine's Church (Meehan Street entrance). Note the gas lamp.

17

INTRODUCTION

Bishop Polding, a Benedictine monk, had a very clearvision of a church organisation administered from hiscentral monastery in St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney.He termed the new districts to which clergy wereappointed as Missions, because they did not yet existas fully established canonical entities called parishes.Even in England and America, the name "mission" wasstandard nomenclature. It seems reasonable thereforeto assign the establishment of Yass Mission to 27August 1838, the day of the formal foundation stoneceremony. Even though Fathers Brennan and Fitz-patrick were regularly on the move, it is almost certainthat they worked out of Yass as a base, and wereprobably accommodated by the O'Brien brothers.

The third clergyman present on that foundation daywas Charles Lovat, an English priest recently arrived inthe colony. He returned with the Bishop to Sydneythen, but was to become soon the practical founder ofthe Yass Mission. Tradition has recalled that on thefoundation day, Fathers Lovat and Brennan had to per-suade some Aborigines to vacate the allotted site onwhich they had camped. This Father Lovat managed todo by giving some clergy apparel to Jacky King atribal leader.

The Yass Mission Territory

Many allusions have been made in sundry sources tothe interesting fact that Melbourne (Port Phillip) wasat one time in Yass parish. However, this is somewhatan overstatement. Port Phillip settlement began in1835, but in 1836 there were still only a few score ofCatholics there in a total of 224 inhabitants. In 1838 aCatholic layman Jeremiah Coffey did a survey andclaimed to have found about 500 Catholics. A devoutFrenchman Peter Bodecin offered his cottage forprayer gatherings in Collins Street. By Easter Sunday31 March, the assembled Catholics took up a collec-tion for arranging a more suitable place of worship, andon 15 May 1839 a priest Patrick Geoghegan sentby Bishop Polding arrived at Port Phillip, just ninemonths after founding of Yass Mission. Nor is thereevidence that the Yass priests ever considered thatPort Phillip was their responsibility. Nonetheless, theterritory of Yass Mission was a huge area extending tothe Murray River, embracing the new squattingdistricts of Lachlan and Murrumbidgee, as well as thesettled districts of Yass and Goulburn.

The census of 1840 for Yass district gave a total of 1281persons of whom 477 were Catholics. The cessation ofconvict transportation to N.S.W. in that year meantthat the grazing proprietors were eager to secureimmigrant labourers to replace the convicts. A largeinflux of Catholic Irish families began to arrive in theSouthern districs from about 1838 to 1843 and these,

Rev. Patrick Megennis. Pastor 1849-1857.

with the emancipated convicts, ticket-of-leave menand some prisoners still serving time as assigned farmlabourers and shepherds formed the bulk of theCatholic community, mostly poor and often of limitededucation. The majority of the Irish immigrants wereassisted 'bounty' immigrants, from the province ofMunster and in particular from Counties Tipperary andClare. The spilled out beyond Yass to Boorowa,Binalong, Gundagai, Tumut, Wagga Wagga andAlbury. In 1839 Albury consisted of Brown's Shantyand about seven tents belonging to nomads (seeAndrews — History of Albury). There is no evidencethat the Revs Brennan or Fitzpatrick penetrated any-where near to Albury, let alone to Port Phillip. It wouldhave been much easier for priests from Sydney orHobart to approach to Port Phillip by ship than forclergy from Yass to reach it overland. The traditionlinking Yass Mission to Melbourne may have been mis-takenly compounded by some entries in the churchregisters being wrongly interpreted. Thus, for `Galong'the village about 30 kms from Yass, the entry is in a fewcases entered as Geelong, and for `Coolac' nearGundagai, there are variant spellings such as Colac orCulack. Since Geelong and Colac were Victoriansettlements inexperienced readers of the registerscould and have grossly overextended the itinerary ofthe clergy. A quick reference to the chronologicalsequence of adjacent entries readily demonstrates thatGalong and Coolac were intended. It is true however,that Father Lovat made a foray into the territorybeyond the Murray once in 1845 as far asWangaratta.

18

Church of St Augustine — interior 1920s

The Parish of Yass

When Yass was included in the new diocese ofGoulburn from June 1867 the then pastor Dean JamesHanly returned to Sydney much to Bishop Lanigan'sannoyance. The Bishop appointed Richard Duigan andWilliam O'Brien as pastors of Yass Mission. The term"parochial district" or "rectorate" came into regularusage although 'Mission' was still in regular parlance.The Bishop made Yass a 'mensal' parish which gave tothe Bishop only and not the Rector of the parish theright to decide upon the disposition of parish financesand income. However this arrangement terminatedat least by 1887, when Dean Patrick O'Keeffe wasappointed the first Irremovable Pastor of Yass. Thisdecision was possible following the National Synod ofBishops under Cardinal Moran, which decided uponthe erection of certain irremovable rectorates. Hence-forth, the Yass pastor was rightly a 'parish priest' withappropriate pastoral authority. Although the originalYass Mission was much diminished in size, the closersettlement required more detailed attention to begiven to rural districts. The 1903 Almanac ofGoulburn diocese lists the villages of Ginninderra,Gundaroo, Bowning, Bookham and Limestone Creekin Yass Parish.

Parish Churches

Before the building of district churches, Mass andsacraments were regularly celebrated in private homesby the travelling clergy. Such occasions were valuablesocial occasions as well as being spiritual events.These gatherings were called 'station Masses'. Often

the priests made several such visits each year to collectEaster and Christmas Dues. As the population con-solidated, it seemed proper to provide small churchesfor the convenience of the rural districts and theregular monthly or quarterly Mass at these churchesreplaced the 'station Masses' in many areas. For Yassparish, these district churches were at:

"Limestone": St Patrick's was built about 1890 on anacre given by local grazier Hannan with rubble stonefrom the old Limestone Inn, owned by the McInerneyfamily. Serving a cluster of Irish small farmers alongthe Burrowa Road, it fell into disuse in the 1930s andwas deconsecrated by Bishop Young about 1950. Thebuilding was purchased by W.B. Grogan to renovate"Grogansworth". The acre was sold about 1982.

Bowning: A stone church dedicated to St Columba,was founded by Dr John Gallagher, Bishop of Goulburnin October 1909 and opened in 1910.

Ginninderra: A stone rubble church which originatedas a denominational school in 1872, with occasionaluse for Mass. In 1885, after the school ceased to func-tion, it became a monthly Mass church under thepatronage of St Francis Xavier. It is now within theA.C.T. but is in private ownership as an art-craft galleryafter being a residence. It ceased to be used as a churchin 1910 when the new church at Hall village wasopened, close by, under the same patronage.

Gundaroo: A stone rubble church was inaugurated on9 March 1879, with a foundation stone laid by BishopLanigan. The opening ceremony was on 13 November1881, and the church was put under the patronage ofSt Joseph.

19

Bookham: A stone church founded in 1910 andopened in June 1911. By this date, it had come underthe care of the newly established (1909) parish ofBinalong. Patron is St Columba.

Burrinjuck: Temporary wooden and iron churcheswere arranged at the work sites of Upper and LowerBurrinjuck between 1910-1950 approximately.

Aboriginal Reserve: "Hollywood". This was a govern-ment reservation from about 1930-1950 outside Yass.There was a 'mission' church hall provided by thegovernment in which Mass was regularly celebratedand religious instruction given.

Wee Jasper: A concrete block church "Our Lady of theRosary" was opened on 19 September 1954, supervisedby Father Patterson who had the concrete blocks madeon the riverside.

The 1903 Almanac for Goulburn diocese lists somehomes where station Masses were still celebrated.Bookham (Julian's); Tanmangaroo (Grogan's); Coolalie(English's); Good Hope (Duffy's); Taemas (Mr Colli-son's); Jeir (McAuliffe's): Yass River (Leary's);Gundaroo (Blewitt's).

Father Charles Lovat:

In November 1839, Charles Lovat was assigned toreplace Fathers Brennan and Fitzpatrick on what onesource referred to as 'Argyle Mission'. County Argyle inSouthern N.S.W. was centred upon Goulburn. It isquite evident, however that he was intended to resideat Yass, and that a newly ordained priest MichaelMcGrath was soon to arrive at Goulburn. Thishappened by February 1840. It is interesting to notehowever that, Lovat signed his registers until mid 1840as 'pastor of Goulburn and Yass'. At Yass, he continuedthe practice of his two clerical predecessors by celeb-rating Mass in the original Court House on Sundayswhen he was not absent on his pastoral visitations. Thechurch of St Augustine had not yet risen.

A most valuable document was preserved for posterityby Father William Ullathorne OSB, when Ullathornewrote to the government, defending the Catholicchaplains. It was a portion of Charles Lovat's diarydetailing his itinerary in those first months of hisarrival at Yass Mission. The summer of 1839-40 wassaid to have been the hottest on record in the colony,and the grazing industry was in ruins from droughtand financial crisis. The O'Brien family at "Douro"introducted the practice of 'boiling down' unsaleableanimals for tallow, and the practice spread throughoutthe colony. Father Lovat arrived at Yass when moralein the community reached an all-time low point. Thediary reads for January: - 1840

1st Yarralumla; 2nd Queanbeyan 10 miles; 3rdBungadore 20 miles and Goulburn 40 miles;5th Macquirks in Georgiana, 40 miles fromGoulburn, about 20 persons attend; 7th BindaVale 12 miles further; 8th-9th Macquirks; 10to Hogan's, to Richlands, at least 25 miles atHogan's, 12 at Richlands, 30 or 40 attend;12th Goulburn, 40 miles from Richlands; 19thGunning 30 miles from Goulburn; 20th Yass30, miles Gunning; 21st Galong, Ryan's E, 30miles from Yass; 24th Burrowa Plains, etc 60miles journey to and fro; 26th Galong, 25 to 35persons attend; 27th Mrs Russell's; 10 milesfrom Galong 12 persons attend; 28th Fitz-gerald's 8 or 10 miles from Russells; 29thJugiong, 25 miles from Fitzgerald's; 30thGobaralong, on the Murrumbidgee, 12 milesfrom Jugiong, 15 to 20 persons attend; 31stKilamacat 15 or 16 miles up the Toomal(Tumut) about 12 persons attend.

A study of this diary report caused Father Hartigan("John O'Brien") to say in his "Men of 38" aboutCharles Lovat:

In the four months of scorching droughtparched summer he covered 1811 miles onhorseback or at the rate of 5433 miles a year.The Ancient Order of the Boundary — Ridersbandy-legged from the saddle, and seasonedby the same agency would without debatehand over the Diploma of Toughness to thisProfessor who before his initiation had riddennothing harder or rougher than a Chair ofTheology.

Bishop Young at the Aboriginal Mission

20 Station, Yass.

Rear of Presbytery (perhaps 1900).

St Augustine's Presbytery

The priests' residence at Yass has recently receivedrecognition as the oldest inhabited building in thetown, and as one of the earliest masonry structures stillsurviving in N.S.W. It has been splendidly restored bythe assistance of the Heritage Council of N.S.W. withfinancial grants supplementing parish contributions.The supervising architect was Ric Butt of Yass, thework being completed in 1985.

When one observer first saw the building in 1840 hedescribed it as "barely habitable". Uncertainty prevailsas to its exact foundation date, but the Yass Couriernewspaper of 19 May 1891 reported that the first Pres-bytery was erected in 1839. This report must be treatedcautiously. If it is true, then it must have been erectedor at least begun by Revs Michael Brennan and JohnFitzpatrick. The next report on it is in the SydneyChronicle in March 1844 where the priests' house atYass is described at "very pretty". Whether theseextremes of description apply to the same dwellingcannot be absolutely asserted. If the Yass Courierreport is not accurate, then the Presbytery foundationmust be attributed to Rev Charles Lovat, sometimebetween 1840-1842.

The present building was originally a four roomedtraditional cottage with a separate kitchen facility tothe rear. The original roof was of wooden shingles.Some extensions may have been roughly added in therear, but a very fine extension was made on the northend about 1882. The cedar joinery and fireplacedesigns match the work of the original cottage and thewhole extension is excellently made. In parish records,there is a note of a bazaar expenditure list of 4 August1881 including "Mr Blackett, Architect, Plans 9pounds 2 shillings". This explains the high quality ofthe extension, for Blackett, who died in 1883, wasperhaps the finest architect in the colony. He wasinterested in the "Anglo-Catholic" movement inarchitecture and was seemingly on good terms withCatholic clients. The Yass plans may not be his per-sonal work, but from his office. The wooden roofshingles were probably replaced in this renovation andextension of 1882, with slate being used on the mainfront roof and corrugated iron on the rear roof. A sym-pathetic bull-nosed verandah with cast iron posts wasadded to the front.

The original cottage and the major extension were bult 21

Rev. Dr Michael McAlroy. Pastor 1857-1861. (Sketch by Dr Morgan O'Connor).22

of stone rubble. Later extensions at the rear were ofinferior quality and the dating of these is uncertain. Inthe modern renovations, an old cellar was uncoveredcontaining a collection of interesting glass bottles.The presbytery building was vacated by the priest in1875 to house the newly arrived group of Sisters ofMercy there until their Convent was opened in 1878.Aside from that occupancy, the original four roomsused by Father Charles Lovat are still in use by theParish Priest of the day, as they were also used by hisnear successors Magennis, McAlroy, Bermingham andO'Keeffe last century.

ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH - RISE 1838

In early 1840, Fr Lovat is supposed to have preparedplans for the church building and forwarded them toSydney for approval by the Archbishop or his VicarGeneral. The plans were lost in the mail in transit toSydney which resulted in further delay. Uncertaintyprevails as to the exact date when building began, butone source claims that the building was used for Massin an incomplete state in 1841. A newspaper report(15th November 1842) called for tenders to complete StAugustine's. Perhaps this was for roofing or interiorfinishing. The orientation of the church is closely EastWest according to ancient Christian tradition whichputs it out of alignment with its Meehan Street fron-tage. Dr Lang, the celebrated Presbyterian ministerreported during his 1843 tour that St Augustine's was"the only church in the Murrumbidgee district". Thissuggests that it was completed and in use by then.Archbishop Polding, not long returned from Europe,came to bless the new church on 14th February 1844.In March 1844 the Sydney Chronicle reported that"there is a good RC chapel in the principal street andthe priests' house is very pretty". The church in itsoriginal condition was of stone rubble. The sanctuarymay have been added at a later date. This church inFather Lovat's time was smaller than the edifice weknow now but received the verdict of "chaste and taste-ful" from one observer. No photograph or plan of FatherLovat s St Augustine's Church in its original state hassurvived, except for the Grube painting. The YassCourier of 3rd march 1860 said:

St Augustine's Catholic Chapel. Beside theenlargement of the building we learn that ahandsome tower or spire, some sixty or seventyfeet high, is to be erected, and if such is thecase, what was formerly a chaste and tastefullittle church will become without exception,the most imposing edifice for public worship intown, the site upon which it is erected beingpossibly the finest in Yass for such a build-ing.

ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH - PROGRESS 1860

When Revs Michael McAlroy and Patrick Berminghamarrived at Yass on 12th May 1857, the church wasapproaching some fifteen years plus of age. The con-gregation was expanding, so the two priests embarkedon an ambitious extension. In the words of Dr MorganO'Connor, a parishioner who had arrived about thistime:

it has been thoroughly renovated and enlargedby an addition of thirty seven feet. A very mas-sive and beautiful tower and a spire, as also achancel, have been likewise added. St Augus-tine's is now in height twenty feet, in widthtwenty six, inside measurement, and in lengthincluding chancel, ninety feet. It is build ofstone and stuccoed on the outside and theinside. The ceiling is of polished cedar and thesanctuary is very richly and chastely decorated.There is a very powerful and sweetly tonedharmonium on the gallery, which is of polishedcedar. Indeed all the interior fixtures, includ-ing seats, have been most tastefully got up, andno expense has been spared to make St Augus-tine's what it is — the most beautiful churchoutside the Metropolis.

Rev. Dr Patrick Bermingham. 1857-1861 Pastor.(Sketch by Dr Morgan O'Connor). 23

Church Blessing. 9th September 1860

The extensions and improvements were solemnlyopened by Rev Michael McAlroy in company with RevMichael Kavanagh and Rev Patrick Bermingham. Thelatter preached the occasional sermon on "The Sup-remacy of St Peter continued in the Popes". Theestimated costs of the completed project were 2,500pounds. The opening ceremony was something of ananti-climax because torrential rains in the precedingweek had prevented the attendance of ArchbishopPolding and Abbot Gregory from St Mary's CathedralSydney. His Grace the Archbishop had proceeded earlyin the week to Campbelltown but the roads and creekswere impassable, and the Archbishop advised by tele-gram that he had to return to Sydney. A second tele-gram on Saturday night directed that the ceremony beconducted as planned for Sunday 9th September. Afurther downpour dampened early proceedings, but afine crown assembled from great distances further outas far as Reedy Creek, Binalong, Gunning, Burrowa andWagga Wagga. At 1 lam the clergy and servers enteredthe main door, the building was blessed by sprinkling ofwater

The fine tones of the harmonium then burstapon those present, accompanied by the voicesof a most excellent, effective and numerouschoir. Shortly afterwards, High Mass was cele-brated followed by an eloquent and impressivesermon, delivered by the Rev Father Berm-ingham.

The Pastoral Letter

A pastoral letter intended to be read by the Archbishop,had been forwarded by post when it became apparentthat his path was blocked by flooded roads. However,the mails did not get through, so the letter was passedon arrival for publication in the Yass Courier, where itappeared in full on 12th September, addressed "To theFaithful of the town and neighbourhood of Yassassembled at the opening of St Augustine's Church".The letter displays all the simplicity and spiritual powerwhich characterised his pastoral letters.

to be covered with galvanised iron (Y.C. 4th July 1860).The spire was only temporary, it being the intention toreplace it with a stone spire. The building work wasdone by Messrs Kenna and Hawton.

The choral singing was provided by the young ladies ofSt Augustine's school, with teacher, Miss Moon on theharmonium. They performed a Mozart 'Kyrie', theSchubert 'Ave Maria' and the 'Ave Verum'. Father Ber-mingham, before preaching, expressed regret at theabsence of the Archbishop and his Vicar General FatherGregory. He then expressed some thoughts which arepuzzling in the light of the usual viewpoint about thepatronal name of the church.

For on this day we are met in this beautifulstructure, to thank God on the completion of atemple erected under the patronage of thatgreat saint who in 596, sent by Pope Gregorywith a message of peace to Angles and Saxons,entered the royal presence (as history tells us),with saintly companions, "carrying for theirbanner a silver cross and an image of ourSaviour painted on a board, and singinglitanies as they walked, and making humbleprayer for themselves and the souls to whomthey came". The Ethelbert, the very same, Iinherited through million confessors andmartyrs the teaching of blessed Patrick,announce to you after receiving sacred Ordersand mission from the living Peter, Pius 9th —in a church situated in a land more than tenthousand miles distant from the scene of hissufferings and triumphs, of his labours andhis success.

The unmistakeable point of these remarks is thatFather Bermingham attributes the patronage of StAugustine's church Yass to Augustine of Canterburyand not to Augustine of Hippo on whose feast day eve27th August in 1838 the Bishop Polding had performedthe foundation stone ceremony. Did Father Ber-mingham take 'poetic licence' only for the sake of apreaching point, or was he reflecting the true intentionof Bishop Polding in 1838? The absent Archbishopcould not correct him.

Architectural Details

A further report in the Yass Courier of Saturday 15thSeptember develops the description of the church andthe opening ceremony. (The previous report had giventhe estimate that the building, including chancel wasin length 85 feet, 25 feet wide, and 20 feet high. Thetower was 12 feet square and the inside height of thechurch 50 feet; with stucco wall on cut stone. The ceil-ing and gallery were of polished cedar as also the seat-ing. On the "Epistle side" was a statue of the Virgin andChild. On the "Gospel side" a pulpit. The spire was said24

DEPARTURE OF REVS McALROY ANDBERMINGHAM

The Yass Courier of 9th January 1861 announced theimminent departure of Rev Patrick Bermingham forEurope for the benefit of his health. There werehowever other motivations behind the scene.

We have been informed that while at home FrBermingham will probably exert his influence tohave the important ecclesiastical district of Yasserected into a bishopric, a step that would, we areconfident, afford the utmost gratification to theCatholic community residing there. There can beno doubt that the liberality and energy of theCatholics spread over the whole of this very largedistrict, entitled them to favourable considera-tion at Rome, and we should not be surprised athearing that any endeavours that may be made byFr Bermingham towards elevating Yass, in anesslesiastical point of view, had been crownedwith success.

The next disappointing news for Yass community wasthe transfer of Fr McAlroy to Goulburn. The YassCourier of 22nd June 1861 reported that:

The Rev Mr Hanley and the Rev Mr O'Neil havebeen appointed by Archbishop Polding to theecclesiastical district of Yass, vice the Rev MrBermingham who has proceeded to Europe, andthe Rev Mr McAlroy appointed to Goulburn in theplace of Rev Mr D'Arcy who has proceeded toQueanbeyan.

The two priests McAlroy and Bermingham had arrivedtogether in 1855 from Carlow, Ireland to Melbourneand had together been appointed to Yass in May 1857.In a whirlwind ministry of nearly four years they servednot only the town base of the Yass Mission but alsosupervised an unprecedented expansion in the countrydistricts of that mission.

DR MORGAN O'CONNOR "THE RISE ANDPROGRESS OF THE YASS MISSION"

A pamphlet bearing this title (Rise and Progress etc.)was published in 1861 by a medical practitioner at Yass,Dr Morgan O'Connor. The pamphlet was printed at the"Chronicle" office Goulburn by printers Vernon andMellin. The pamphlet is in part a eulogistic account ofthe ministry of the Revs McAlroy and Bermingham inthe Yass Mission, being published on 12th May 1861,four years to the day since they arrived at Yass. In a pre-face Dr O'Connor also generously acknowledged theearlier pastors and Archbishop Polding, providing use-ful summaries of the Yass Mission history andchurches. Of major interest in the pamphlet is the sub-scription list of each of the eight churches built orrenovated by the two missioners. These churcheswere:

St Augustine, Yass (blessed)9th September 1860

Ss Francis Xavier and Joseph, Gunning18th March 1860

St John the Evangelist, Jugiong23rd December 1860

St Patrick, Gundagai 8th December 1859Ss Peter and Paul, Binalong June 1861St Patrick, Burrowa 1860Immaculate Conception, Tumut

11th December 1859St Michael, Wagga 4th December 1859

This marked development of church ministry was pro-mpted by the great surge in population which followedthe gold rushes of 1851 and later; as well as therevolutionary land settlement legislation allowing"free selection" in 1861. The lists of subscribers to thefinancial appeals for these churches gives an excellentinsight into the structure of the communities and theirrelative levels of prosperity, their location and distribu-tion. Another interesting aspect of this valuablepamphlet is the collection of pencil sketches of theclergy and church buildings supplied by Dr O'Connor'sown hand.(Readers of the pamphlet "Rise and Progress etc"should note on page 21 that the author has erred in giv-ing 1859 as the year of the solemn opening/blessing ofextensions. The correct entry, based on newspaperaccounts is 9th September 1860.)

25

Bishop Lanigan (Bishop of Goulburn diocese 1867-1900).26

The building of these mission churches was madeunder the supervision of Father McAlroy, who hadsome knowledge of architectural practice. The moneywas raised largely through the eloquence of FatherBermingham. They were simple in design, and mostlybuilt of rubble stone. In addition to the Yass church,now serving as the Convent chapel, only the Jugiongchurch remains in use, while the Tumut structureserves as a hall. When Dr Morgan O'Connor publishedhis pamphlet in 1861, he described the Yass Missionthus:

The ecclesiastical district of Yass is, in its extremelength, at least four hundred miles, extendingfrom the dividing mountainous range, five mileson the Goulburn side of Gunning, to the junctionof the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers; and ingreatest width is one hundred and sixty miles, andthe area may be put down, in lowest numbers attwenty-four thousand square miles. TheCatholics are in number at least five thousand,scattered over hill and vale, along the banks ofrivers, and amidst vast wastes on sparsely pop-ulated plains. Many hundreds, in addition to thesettled inhabitants, lead a nomadic life wanderingfrom goldfield to goldfield, and exposed to thethousand perils and temptations of very eventfulcareers.One priest is always in the saddle. No matterwhether an almost tropical sun pours down itsfiercest rays, or rain descends in torrents, render-ing creeks either utterly impassable or dangerousto man and beast. The priests ministering for thelast four years in this district have ridden everyday, on an average, at least twenty-four or perhapsthirty miles.Parishes which developed from the original YassMission were:Albury 1854 St PatrickBurrowa 1864 St PatrickTumut 1864 Immaculate ConceptionWagga 1871 St MichaelYoung 1871 St MaryGundagai 1874 St PatrickCootamundra 1880 St ColumbaGunning 1880 St Francis XavierTemora 1881 Sacred HeartBinalong 1910 St Patrick

ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH — COMPLETION 1888

The old church underwent another development dur-ing the pastorate of Dean Patrick O'Keeffe. During1888 the walls of the church were raised several feetand the shingle roof replaced with slate: A vestry,chancel and convent chapel were added. At this timesome new stained glass windows and

were

marble altarpurchased in Europe by Dean O'Keeffe ere installed.

In 1890 the Dean also arranged for an extension of thechurch tower by 14 feet, but there is uncertaintywhether this involved changes to the spire and if so, towhat extent or in which materials. The planned stonespire never eventuated. During these 1888 renovations,the Sunday Mass was celebrated in the girl's school.

The new main altar of Sicilian marble made in Cork cityby Daly and Co. to the order of Dean O'Keeffe cost 116pounds. The improvements were solemnly blessed andopened on Sunday, 20th January 1889 by BishopLanigan with a congregation of 600. The PassionistFather's conducted a Mission to mark the occasion.

The Old Church Windows

The source of the stained glass windows and their dateof fitting is uncertain, but they are still in good condi-tion and worthy of interest. The major window behindthe altar is a memorial to Henry O'Brien, given by hisAnglican wife and widow Elizabeth Sadlier. The otherwindows are dedicated to families or individuals byname Coen, Dawes, Grogan, Kearns, Moore, Murray andRoche. Further details on some of these families can befound in another chapter, for they represent most of theold pioneers of the district. Henry O'Brien is also com-memorated in St Clement's Anglican church by a fine

Most Rev. Guilford Young D.D. Pastor1949-1954.

27

window. These windows were probably of Europeanorigin selected by Fr O'Keeffe on the occasion of the1888 renovations.

Sacred Heart School St Margaret MaryAlocoque

Patrick & Mary Roche Ss Peter & PaulSociety of Prayer Ss Dominic & FrancisWilliam & Mary Dawes St Thomas & Our LordJeremiah & J. Bede Ss Clare & Theresa

MurrayRev John Paul Roche Ss Bartholomew &

John BaptistRev Dean O'Keeffe Ss Ambrose & JeromePatrick Maurice & AnnunciationAnastasia Moore

William & Jane Grogan Ss John Apostle &Stephen

Paul & Margaret Ss Cecelia & CatherineKearns of Alexandria

Ss Patrick & BridgetMichael & Margaret Ss Joseph & Mary

CoenElizabeth (Sadlier) CrucifixionO'Brien for HenryO'Brien

THE NEW CHURCH OF ST AUGUSTINE — OPENING1956

The Sisters, on taking over the old church in 1956 for aconvent chapel, took down the spire and gallery whichwere considered unsafe. The slates were cleaned andturned. A parquetry floor was laid and a new oak galleryadded. The old gallery had been installed at the expenseof Cornelius O'Brien in 1860.

The township and congregation at Yass grew to such apoint by 1950 that the old and original St Augustine'sproved inadequate to the congregation. A decision wasmade to build a new church, bearing the same pat-ronage. The beautiful old church became the conventchapel, and was refitted with side choir stalls for theSisters. Following the liturgical changes of the SecondVatican Council, the sanctuary was re-arranged, choirstalls removed and various other appointments altered.The chapel still has regular use for the parish andschool purposes as well as serving for a convent chapel.The most obvious change from the early days is theabsence of the old cedar pews. The old windows anddecorations are substantially the same.

The foundation stone was laid on 11th April 1954 onthe site of Dr Morgan O'Connor's old home in MeehanStreet, opposite the old church and convent. Thisfoundation stone was blessed by Archbishop ErisO'Brien, but the church was opened on 29th April 1956by the former parish priest of Yass, Dr Guilford Young,the Archbishop of Hobart. The appearance of this large

new brick church is crisp and modern, but it isdesigned in traditional Spanish style. The architectwas John Fowell of Sydney, and there are importantworks of art by sculptor Tom Bass and a mural by hiswife Lenore Bass. The parish priest, Bishop Young con-sulted with Tom and Lenore Bass about these works.The crucifix on the exterior was to suggest the anguishof modern day humankind. The sculpture of St Paulnear the sanctuary was to be suggestive of mysticalpower in the everyday workers' life such as St Paul inhis sailmaking. The mural panels by Lenore Bass pre-sented the variety of saints in all their richness ofcharacter and life assembled about Christ. The reredoscrucifix, also by Tom Bass, suggested not the anguishof the facade crucifix, but the purity and perfection ofChrist's sacrificial offering. The new church wasachieved to a considerable extent by the bequest ofJohn Bede Grogan of Illalong, and it was dedicated as aWar Memorial church.

Placing of new spire 1987.

28

EDUCATION

ST AUGUSTINE'S SCHOOL: EARLY LAY TEACHERS

This school which is attributed to the initiative of thescholarly former Jesuit, Father Charles Lovat, had abeginning in 1847. An interesting newspaper clippingof an article (undated) contributed by the 'native', hasreference to a Mr Dunn who wrote recollections on"The church on the Murray".

I was born at Yass and baptised at Yass in theyear 1841. Dean Lovat married my parents atYass. I was the eldest of a family of 17. I was analtar boy to Dean Lovat. St Augustine'sChurch, Presbytery and grounds bore theappearance of being some time in use when DrGoold arrived at Yass in 1848, going toMelbourne. I attended Lacey's school in orabout 1845 in a slab building in Quail Street.St Augustine's school was opened about 1847and its first teachers, the McKenzie family,were drowned in the Gundagai flood of1852.

The slab school was erected by Father Lovat behindQuail's Hotel (Rossi Street). The stone school waslocated within the church grounds. Some reconstruc-tion of the list of teachers would include:

1845- Lacey1847- McKenzie family (drowned in Gun-

dagai flood)Gilchrist

1956-March 1858 Thomas Moore (transferred toAlbury)

1858-1862 O'Reilly (teacher of classics)1861-Jan 1868 Edmund Flannery (became Inspec-

tor in Council of Education)1868-June 1869 Michael Duhigg (from National

School, North Yass)1869-Nov 1874 Mr and Mrs Shannon (from Bur-

rowa)

1874-June 1876 Luke Tierney (from Araluen)

In July 1869 Mrs Shannon opened a day school foryoung ladies, and by September 1869 she is recorded asMistress of St Augustine's Girls School in place of MrMcAuliffe. A new girls' school was planned by Mr Gor-don of Albury with dimensions of 30' x 18', and by Sep-tember 1870 it was being built on the corner ofMeehan and Dutton Streets, opposite Dr MorganO'Connor's house in Meehan Street. In 1873 St Augus-tine's was classified as a certified denominational

Dean O'Keeffe and school pupils c1880 outsidethe old school. (This building was used later asthe Aborigine school, then demolished in 1975for the erection of the new high school).

30

Bishop Young with Sisters of Mercy at theAboriginal Reserve.

school with 62 boys and 56 girls. In 1874 the schoolboard was composed by Rev Patrick O'Keeffe, RobertMcJannett, Thomas Comins, Dr Blake, Inspector ofPolice Martin Brennan and Patrick Sheekey. On 26thNovember 1874 Mr Shannon resigned to return toBurrowa, being replaced by an experienced teacherLuke Tierney, who in turn went on to Young. Thedeparture of these teachers was probably acceleratedby the arrival from Rochfortbridge, of a group of Sistersof Mercy in December 1875. The development ofeducation by the Sisters of Mercy at Yass has beentraced in their centenary book (Mount Carmel Cen-tenary 1875-1975).

ACADEMY FOR YOUNG LADIES

Between 1857 and 1861 Father McAlroy had estab-lished a separate school for girls under the care of theMiss Moon's, separate from the denominationalschool. When he was removed to Goulburn about May1861, Father McAlroy took the pupils and teachers ofthis academy with him and set them up in three cot-tages in Bourke Street Goulburn until space becameavailable in the new Mercy Sisters convent for boar-ders. This group became the foundation of our Lady ofMercy College, Goulburn.

THE ABORIGINAL SCHOOL

Tradition has recorded that Father Lovat developedfriendly relationships with the local native people andhis register entries record the baptism and marriages ofsome of these people. When the Sisters of Mercy werefirst received at Yass on 29th December 1875 a group ofAborigines assembled in the church grounds and afterthe Bishops's address, an Aboriginal woman, dressed inwhite, stepped out to welcome the "sacred ladies" onbehalf of her people. The Sisters began to visit theblack people in their homes and to instruct theirchildren. In the early 1880s a government directiverestricted Aboriginal children from attending schoolwith white children, so Dean O'Keeffe opened aseparate school for them in the church grounds, andone of the Sisters taught them. Sr M. Alocoque did thiswork for a time. In later years, this school was con-ducted in the old St Augustine's Boys' School.

The government later built homes for the Aborigines ata reserve called "Hollywood" on the town perimeter.There a church hall was made available from about the1930s and Mass was regularly celebrated there. TheSisters of Mercy, including Sr Loretto and MotherXavier, carried on the teaching work. Bishop Youngmade regular visitations to this black community,when he was parish priest. In 1952 the EducationDepartment closed the 'mission school' at Hollywoodand the children began to attend town schools, includ-ing the Catholic schools, where requested.

31

SISTERS OF MERCY

A fuller account of the Sisters' presence at Yass can befound in the Mount Carmel Centenary 1875-1975book. The pioneer group of Sisters arrived from CountyWestmeath (Rochfortbridge convent). The partyarrived at Yass on 29th December 1875 having beenmet miles away by a cavalcade of horsemen and car-riages. The Sisters had been recruited by Rev MichaelMcAlroy in 1874 on a visit to his home country. He hadsheltered in the Convent from a storm, and the Sisters,on hearing his account of the Yass mission, volun-teered to serve there. After Bishop Lanigan ofGoulburn had negotiated by letter with Bishop Nultyof Meath, who interviewed the Sisters to ensure theywere well informed and free volunteers, the Sisterswere released for their new posting and they leftRochfortbridge on 21st August 1875, to sail by the"Gainsborough", which reached Sydney in 1875. AfterBishop Lanigan settled them into overnight accom-modation in Sydney, they proceeded to Goulburn bytrain where they stayed with their fellow Sisters ofMercy, who had been established there since 1859.

The pioneer group consisted of Mother Paul Fielding,Sr Alocoque McLaughlin, Sr Bernard Grennan and SrCatherine Murphy. Four postulants also travelled withthe party. Mass was available on board ship, as fivepriests also travelled. Rev Tom Long, a priest ofGoulburn diocese was in this group.

THE CONVENT OF MOUNT CARMEL

The Convent foundation stone was lain on 16th July1876, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Sincetheir arrival the Sisters had been housed in the Pres-bytery, vacated by Father O'Keeffe. Bishop Laniganwas present and the Rev George Dillon of Camdenpreached. The Convent was opened and solemnlyblessed on 3rd February 1878 before a crowd of nearly1000 people. Bishop Lanigan (Goulburn) and BishopQuinn (Bathurst) were present, and the sermonpreached by Rev Pere Le Menant Des Chesnois. Clergyattending included Patrick Dunne (Gundagai), HughMoses Finnegan (Young), Thomas Long (Burrowa),Pierce Burke and Athanasius O'Dwyer (Goulburn).

The Convent frontage on Meehan Street occupied 72feet and the building was of bluestone rubble work, inwell defined courses.

Sisters of Mercy Convent, Rochfortbridge,County Westmeath.

32

MATTERS OF INTEREST

New Church of St Augustine (opened 1956).33

FATHER LOVAT'S BELL

The 'Yass Courier' of 2nd May 1868 recorded the erec-tion of a 'new' bell in the church 'turret'. This eventwas the culmination of an idea conceived by RevMichael McAlroy as a tribute to the English priestCharles Lovat who was, practically speaking, the firstpermanent priest at Yass. McAlroy, who by 1868 wasVicar General of the new Goulburn diocese (establishedon 9th June 1867), was about to take up an appoint-ment as pastor of Albury and had left Yass in 1861.When McAlroy erected a tower in 1859 on the old StAugustine's church built by Lovat, he initiated theidea of a bell, but the completion of the project was leftto his successor Dean Hanly. McAlroy had begun asubscription list for the bell but when delivery wasfinally arranged, there was still an outstanding amountto be paid. A sharp correspondence ensued from StMary's Cathedral office to Dr McAlroy requestingsettlement despite the fact that McAlroy had left Yassseven years before. Another report in the Y.C. of 27thJune 1866 notes the collection of 70 pounds which wasraised for a tablet at St Augustine's for the late DeanLovat. This may indicate that the idea of the bell as amemorial to Fr Lovat may have been proposed at a latertime.

The Y.C. of 25th January 1868 records the delivery toYass of a large bell weighing 22 cwt. It had been cartedfrom Sydney on a bullock dray for a charge of thirtyshillings by Mr Davis. This report definitely states thatthe bell was a memorial subscribed for in memory of FrLovat. A further report in the Y.C. of 19th February1868 states:

On the 8th proximo, being the second Sunday inLent the Rt Rev Dr Lanigan will consecrate thememorial bell at St Augustine's, upon whichoccasion nearly all if not all of the priests of thediocese will be present. Our readers will recollectthat the bell was subscribed for in memory of thelate Dean Lovat.

There is no report of any such ceremony on the 8thMarch, and it is somewhat puzzling that a gathering ofclergy on a Lenten Sunday in those times of difficulttransport was even considered. The Y.C. of 18th April1868 announced that the erection of the bell wasimminent, and then in Y.C. of 2nd May 1868 that it wasplaced in the turret.

The bell, measuring 4ft high, and 3ft 8 1/2in across, wascast in the foundry of 'J. Murphy Dublin 1867'. It bearsa Latin inscription:

In memoriam Ad Rev Caroli Lovat, Dec qui ab hacluce migravit die 20 Junii AD 1858.

It has been passed down in tradition that Fr McAlroyhad the privilege of being the first to ring out theAngelus on the bell which was audible at Bowning.

The Y.C. of 20th June 1868 says:As considerable curiosity has arisen as to the dis-tance the sound of the Dean Lovat Memorial Bellcan be heard on a calm day, we may state that onSunday last it was heard as far off as nine and ahalf miles. Our informant describes the sound asloud as that of a bullock bell.

A further degree of confusion as to the planning of theblessing ceremony, followed upon the erection of thebell. The proposed date of 8th March produced nothingof note. The Y.C. of 16th May 1868 then forecast that itwould take place when Bishop Lanigan passedthrough Yass on the way to open the new Albury con-vent. Again on 5th August, the 'Courier', reporting thereturn of Bishops Lanigan and Quinn from Albury toYass, expressed the hope that the blessing ceremonywould be conducted before their departure. Howeverthe issue of 8th August announced that the event waspostponed 'for the present'. The Bishop was again inYass on 12th September 1868, on his way to lay a foun-dation stone at Murrumburrah, but there was no men-tion of the Lovat bell. The reason for the delay is notknown, but perhaps it may have been connected withthe finalising of subscriptions and the liquidation ofthe outstanding debt. By this time, Fr Richard Duiganwas pastor of the Yass Mission, and he incurred heavydebts during his pastorate. The Bishop too haddeclared Yass to be a 'mensal parish' which made theBishop responsible for its finances. The fact of aceremony of blessing and a certain date remainsundetermined.

The later story of the bell remains somewhat uncer-tain, but it has been said that the bell was crackedwhen it was rung too vigorously at the end of the FirstWorld War to celebrate the victory. Another report saysthat by 1908, the swinging of the bell began to affectthe stability of the tower. Because of the possiblestructural dangers, the ringing arrangement waschanged so that the tongue was swung instead of thebell. This caused an ineffective dull sound and finallycaused the crack in the bell. Whatever the truth of thematter, the final result was that the bell ceased to be ofinterest or value. When the Sisters of Mercy took overthe old church in 1956 as their chapel, they had thespire removed, following advice that it was unsafe andat this time, the bell had already been removed. It lay atthe foot of the old tower for a considerable time. Whenthe new tower was erected in Meehan Street outsidethe new church in 1956, the bell was sent for repairsand erected about 1960 under the instructions of FrJoseph Staunton the assistant priest of the time, whosecured the services of some cranemen working on anearby site. The repairs which had been performedhowever proved ineffective, and the ringing sound wasnot pleasing. Although separated from its original

34

housing in the tower of old St Augustine's, it could, ifrecasted, perhaps serve again to draw the people toprayer and serve as a worthy memorial to a priest ofwhom "John O'Brien" said that no man ever left a morefragrant memory behind him. John O'Briencontinued:

Twelve years after he had left the district DrMorgan O'Connor wrote of him, "The name ofthis holy priest is still remembered and revered inthe hearts of the people, and is ever associated bythem with all that is saintly and good". Theyspoke of him as the gentle Fr Lovat, the scholarlyFr Lovat, the saintly Fr Lovat. A splendid tributeto a minister of God — gentlemanliness,scholarship, sanctity bestowed by popularacclaim; ("Men of '38" page 35).

Father Patrick Hartigan (`John O'Brien') grew up as aboy in Yass. He recalled that in his boyhood, somethirty years after its erection in the church tower, oldtimers would pause at their work when the deep notesresounded and say: "Bless yourself; there's FrLovat's Bell".

YASS CHURCH LANDS

On the maps of Yass, lots 2, 3, 4 and 5 of section 17 aremarked "dedicated to the Roman Catholic Church forpurposes of school presbytery and church". These lotsamounting to two acres were the lots granted in res-ponse to the application made by Bishop Polding in1838 and upon which Father Lovat built his Churchand Presbytery of St Augustine. This grant was in con-formity with the provisions of the 1836 Church andSchools legislation introduced by Governor RichardBourke. A newspaper par (not named, but dated10.3.1860) noted that the recent parliamentary returnslisted among other grants of land authorised forreligious purposes although deeds of grants had notbeen prepared, 2 acres at Yass for RC church residenceand burial ground. When the deeds were finallyacquired is not certain.

In 1846 further allotments were purchased by andgazetted in the names of the Trustees of the RomanCatholic Church. These trustees were William H. Dut-ton, Cornelius O'Brien and Henry O'Brien. These lotsincluded all the Comur Street frontage of section 17,the remainder of the Meehan Street frontage and somein Dutton Street. The prices paid for these two roodslots ranged from six to fourteen pounds, they beinglots 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of section 17. The legal position ofthe Catholic Church with respect to land ownership in

Hartigan Family home, De Mestre Street

35

the colony of NSW had not yet been fully solved. Priorto 1829, the year of Catholic Emancipation in GreatBritain, including Ireland, the church had no legalstanding as a corporate body, and it became customaryfor local lay trustees to purchase and hold land for thechurch. Legislation and legal practice did not catch upfor some years to the new situation in which thechurch found itself free and recognised as a legal entitywithin the community.

A problem arose in 1870 when the need for capital torepair the Boys School of St Augustine was met by adecision to sell some of the purchased lots on theComur Street frontage. Prior to this year and since1841 the lots had been unused and were simply anuntidy paddock in front of the church and presbytery.The Grube painting of Yass shows quite plainly thelarge vacant space between the church and ComurStreet. It was discovered that all the trustees were nowdeceased and that the last survivor of them, WilliamDutton had named his Anglican rector, the RevLillingston as his executor. The disposal of Catholicproperty was in the hands of the Church of Englandrector!! Under the prevailing law, the Rev Lillingstonwas the only person who could claim the deeds. TheYass Courier 2.12.1870 published the dilemma, statingthe value of the Comur Street frontage to be 12 pounds15 shillings per foot. In the Yass Courier of 10.3.1871 anotice of application to the NSW parliament was madeby Rt Rev William Lanigan, Bishop of Goulburn , RevPatrick Dunne and Dr Morgan O'Connor to be appoin-ted trustees of the lots 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, so that theycould sell lots 8, 9 and 10 and use proceeds towardsbuilding the RC school and teacher's residence in Yass.The land was to be put up for sale by McCarthy Son andDonovan, agents of Pitt Street, Sydney. The YassCourier of 7th April 1871 reported that localparliamentarian Fitzpatrick MP had referred to theYass RC Church Land Bill before Parliament and sug-gested that it be referred to a committee. Again on 5thMay 1871 it was reported that information was submit-ted to support the Yass RC Church Land Bill, and theoutcome was that the Rev Archdeacon Lillingston wasable to shed his responsibility gladly to the new trus-tees. The Yass Courier of 30th June 1871 reported thepurchase of a lot in Comur Street and Meehan Streetby the Commercial Bank from the trustees of the RCchurch, the lot being 66 foot frontage and 132 feetdeep. Further transactions followed as a means offinancing parish developments, thus: 1878-79 — 66feet sold to government for a Post Office site; August1882 — 40 feet sold to E. Howard, adjoining PostOffice; September 1882 — 30 feet sold to Mr Casper ofGoulburn adjoining Howard; October 1882 — 45 feetsold to Mr Herefort, adjoining Mr Casper. The last threesales were negotiated by Dean O'Keeffe for 8 pounds afoot. When this price is compared to the original

purchase price for the 2 roods lots at six to fourteenpounds, the wisdom of the purchases is apparent. Itwas at this time of the first sale to the Bank that theornamental iron gates, with side gates and stone pillarswere erected on the Meehan Street frontage (YassCourier 31.10.1871). Father Duigan had been buriedclose inside the Meehan Street boundary just over ayear before and the gates may have been intended toformalise the grave surroundings.

THE GRUBE PAINTING OF YASS

This historically interesting painting executed in 1858shows the town of Yass as it was then. The painting isheld by the National Library of Australia on permanentloan from the Hall Committee of St Augustine'sParish. This arrangement began in early 1969 whenthe large oil painting was taken to the NLA by MrsScott of the Bank of NSW Yass to enquire about restor-ing the painting so that it might be hung in the ParishHall. However, after discussions revealed that theCommittee were in no financial position to carry outsuch work, it was proposed that the NLA might, afterrestoring the painting at its expense, keep it on perma-nent loan, while making it available for display in Yassas periodically required at the discretion of the owners,St Augustine's Parish. This the NLA agreed to do, asthe National Librarian agreed by letter 18th August1869. The picture was withdrawn for display at Yassduring the centenary celebrations 1973 after being res-tored by NLA conservators. It has again been releasedfor the parish sesqui-centenary celebrations May-August 1988.

The oil painting of dimensions 5 foot by 2 foot andframed in a sturdy timber frame, was executed by J. E.Grube a Sydney artist in 1858 and hung in the longroom of the White Horse Inn (Yass Courier 27.3.1858).A later report there (3.7.1858) indicates that the paint-ing was to be raffled on 30.7.1858 with 30 tickets to besold at one pound each. On 7.8.1858 in the YassCourier, an advertisement under Grube's name solicitswork such as house painting, ornamental and signwriting, and coach painting. The artist J. E. Grube wasconvicted in January 1860 with forgery of a promissorynote of value one hundred pounds. Grube, a Germanborn man though protesting his innocence vigorously,was sent to prison for two years.

36

REV PATRICK HARTIGAN ('John O'Brien')

Patrick Hartigan was a native son of Yass and a formerpupil of the parish school. He achieved national fameas the author of a collection of poems "Around theBoree Log" under the pen-name "John O'Brien". Laterworks included "The Parish of St Mel's" a posthumouscollection of verse; "On Darlinghurst Hill" a history ofthe Sacred Heart parish at Darlinghurst; and a series ofchurch history studies published as "The Men of 38"but formerly appearing in the Australian CatholicRecord under the Latin title "In Diebus Illis". Abiography of Patrick Hartigan " 'John O'Brien' and theBoree Log" by his nephew Rev Frank Mecham waspublished in 1981.

His writings reveal a deep affection for his old hometown. To him a huge debt is owed for rescuing fromobscurity the names and deeds of the early clergy whoserved the colony of NSW especially the south west, anarea now covered by the Catholic dioceses of Canberraand Goulburn and Wagga Wagga. Alongside his formalwritings there should also be remembered hisexhilarating sermons and addresses on matters histori-cal which did so much to give the Catholic peoplepride and interest in their beginnings as a colonialchurch.

Patrick Hartigan was born on 13th October 1878 toPatrick Hartigan and Mary Townsell who lived in asimple cottage in De Mestre Street, Yass. There werenine children in the family. They all attended the con-vent school in Yass. He wrote this beautiful tribute tohis teachers (Our Cathedral Chimes 6th September1942):

I am the only priest living who knew everymember of the little band who came fromRochfortbridge. I am the oldest priest living whowas trained in their schools . . . I have alwaysbelieved that I owe my priesthood to the prayersthey said for me, supplemented in secret by thoseof a little Irish Mother who takes her long lastsleep afar. I recall that when forty years ago, withthe road before me, I came to say my first publicMass in the Old Mother Church, I wore a set ofvestments that were given me by my old teacherswhose eyes were bright with joy to see me where Istood.

In 1892 Sister Bernard Grennan of the Yass Conventwrote to the President of the recently opened ManlySeminary recommending her pupil (Mecham, p27):

There is a very good smart little boy in Yass who isgoing to some College to complete his studies.His name is Hartigan, etc.

Rev. Patrick Hartigan ("John O'Brien").

From Manly College he proceeded to St Patrick'sCollege Goulburn in 1895 when Bishop JohnGallagher became President there. He returned toManly in 1898 proceeding to ordination on 18thJanuary 1903 in Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral,Goulburn. He was appointed to Albury parish until1910 when he was appointed Inspector of Catholicschools in the diocese of Goulburn. In 1916 he wasposted to Berrigan as Parish Priest and to Narranderrain 1917. Here he spent the greater part of his priestlylife until 1944 when he took up a chaplaincy at theConvent of the Sacred Heart, Rose Bay, to continue hiswriting and historical research. Patrick Hartigan diedon 27th December 1952 at Lewisham Hospital.

37

Bishop John Barry (Bishop of Goulburn Diocese 1924-1938)38

CLERGY AND PEOPLE

REV CHARLES LOVAT (Pastor of Yass 1839-1849)

A detailed study of this famed pioneer priest is avail-able in the magazine "Footprints" in 7 parts (Novem-ber 1980 to May 1982) under the title "Shepherd ofShepherds" by Peggy Jones.

Charles Lovat was born on 6 July 1799 at Preston, Lan-cashire, the son of Edward Lovat, a steward on theTownley Estate, Handbridge House, Burnley. CharlesLovat received his later education at the Jesuitnovitiate and he later proceeded to Rome where he wasordained a Jesuit priest on 13th July 1824 at theLateran Basilica. He returned to England in 1825 andwas a teacher and librarian at Stonyhurst. On 10 May1836 he was released from the Jesuit order andnegotiated at that time with Dr Ullathorne the VicarGeneral from Sydney to join the Sydney Mission inNSW. The reasons for his decision are obscure but itmay have been for his health as he was 'always verydelicate' according to one report. He came withexcellent testimonials to Sydney on the 4th December1837 on the ship "Hindoo". There he was appointedPresident of St Mary's College seminary. Bishop Pold-ing called Fr Lovat to accompany him on some mis-sionary tours to the interior of the colony and hebecame known for a valuable ministry about Bathurst.He was with Bishop Polding in August 1838 when thefoundation stone of St Augustine's Yass was laid.

In November 1839 Charles Lovat was appointed to the`Argyle Mission' and signed himself as Pastor ofGoulburn and Yass while resident at the latter place.There he completed the 4 roomed presbytery begun byFathers Fitzpatrick and Brennan. He began also in1847 a parish school in a slab dwelling behind QuailsHotel on the church lands. His ministry had taken himas far as Albury and earlier he had made circuits aroundQueanbeyan and even into Northern Victoria in 1845perhaps for an emergency and unofficially. In failinghealth he was transferred in July 1849 to Liverpool. Hecarried the title of Dean since 1847. He went toDarlinghurst in March 1858 where he died in St Vin-cents Hospital on 20th June 1858. He was buried in theold Devonshire Street cemetery but reinterred in 1901at Rookwood, Sydney.

Fr Lovat was the inspiration behind the building of theoriginal portion of old St Augustine's Church between1840-1844. The only pictorial illustration of the oldchurch in its surroundings as Fr Lovat knew them is

given by the painting by Grube in 1858 which isfeatured on the cover of this book.

A tribute made by a Yass parishioner Michael Conlonto Fr Lovat is recorded in the Freeman's Journal of10th February 1883. He said of Lovat:

He spent three weeks out of every four in thesaddle journeying from near Goulburn to the Vic-torian border from Kiandra to the Lachlanwherever a white man was to be found, campingin gunyahs as primitive as those of the blacks andhaving the roughest of food.

A like tribute was made by Dr Morgan O'Connor whoended by claiming of Lovat:

The name of this holy priest is still rememberedand revered in the hearts of the people and is everassociated by them with all that is saintly andgood.

REV PATRICK MAGENNIS (Pastor of Yass 1849-1857)

Father Magennis succeeded Charles Lovat as Pastor inJuly 1849. He was born in Waterford city about 1812the son of John Magennis and Ann (Foley) of thatplace. His father John was a hemp rope and flaxmanufacturer of moderate means. Patrick Magennisarrived at Sydney on 31st December 1838 on the ship"Francis Spaight" as a student of Holy Orders. He wasin the company of Vicar General Dr William Ullathorneand other priests recruited by Dr Ullathorne includingFr Geoghegan who was soon to be the pioneer pastor ofPort Phillip.

After short periods of study and service as a cleric inSydney he was ordained deacon on 18th October 1840.He had studied for some time in 1839 at St Mary'sSeminary under Fr Charles Lovat. From December1841 to April 1842 he assisted Fr Geoghegan atMelbourne where the name of Patrick Magennisfeatures frequently as the celebrant of baptism in theearly register there. After priestly ordination at Sydneyin September 1843 he served at Maitland and New-castle until his transfer on 20th July 1849 to Yasswhere he served continuously until May 1857 when hemoved to Berrima. In 1861 he was replaced at Berrimaby Rev William Lanigan and moved to St Bedes parishAppin. There he died suddenly in 1866 and was buriedin the churchyard close by the church door.

39

On leaving Yass he was given a testimonial of 146pounds by the people of Yass, Jugiong, Burrowa,Bogolong and Binalong. Various anecdotes concern-ing his ministry have been handed down, eg, themeetings for friendly company and sacramentalabsolution arranged at central venues between FathersMagennis (Maitland), Rigney (Port Macquarie) andHanly (Brisbane). Patrick Magennis is considered to bethe first priest to have celebrated Mass in the littlesettlement of Wagga Wagga. He narrowly escaped thedisaster of the 1852 Murrumbidgee flood at Gundagai.He also began arrangements to build churches atBurrowa and Tumut but did not see themcompleted.

His departure from Yass was hastened according to theclerical historian "John O'Brien" by an incident atBurrowa which brought some disciplinary actionagainst him by Archbishop Polding. The difficultycentred upon an incident in which Magennis offendedsome Burrowa parishioners who sought his atten-dance upon a man injured in a boxing match. FrMagennis was angered by their non-attendance atMass in favour of fisticuffs behind the pub. He had nosympathy for the injured man and told the Burrowasupporters so in very plain terms. "John O'Brien" wroteof Magennis:

He was a big strong man with hair as black as coaland plenty of it. He had a bright wit which couldalso bite and a hot temper which sometimes car-ried him away.

The generous testimonial indicates however that hehad some loyal supporters on his side.

Fr Patrick Magennis had with him in the colony anolder sister. She was residing with him at Berrimawhen the newly arrived Sisters of Mercy passedthrough there to Goulburn in 1859. She became thesecond postulant to join that Goulburn community inabout 1861 as Sister Patrick giving long devoted ser-vice to the community.

His widowed brother Joseph Magennis born 1820 camealso to the colony about 1852 and remarried soon after.The marriages were to:

(1) Bridget Cody—in Ireland. She died perhapsin childbirth in Ireland. Their baby daughterdied aboard ship according to one familytradition.

(2) Ellen Sheahan of Jugiong in 1852. The issueof the second marriage were Ann, born 1852,married 1874 to Lawrence Roche. Patrick J.,born 1854, married 1897 to Ann ElizabethHall.

Joseph Magennis died unexpectantly aged 35 or 36 on27th December 1856. His widow Ellen (Sheahan)remarried to Richard Julian of Bookham or"Bogolong". The son Patrick J. Magennis became awell known grazier at "Bloomfield" Yass and sometimeafter 1910 he settled on Jeir Station. The move wasoccasioned by the land resumptions and developmentslinked with building the Burrinjuck Dam.

REV. MICHAEL McALROY (Pastor of Yass1857-1861)

Since the vital role played by Father McAlroy at Yass issketched in earlier pages, remarks here are confined tothe basic points of his biography. He was born atBrackler County Westmeath near Tullamore on 4thJuly 1821 son of John McAlroy and — — Ulyer. Hestudied at Navan and Maynooth being ordained in1849 for the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. Afterworking at Carlow Cathedral he responded to BishopGoold's invitation to come to Melbourne which hereached on 13th February 1855. After a few months atGeelong and Gippsland he fell out of favour with theBishop and so in the company of Patrick Berminghamhe transferred to Sydney archdiocese. They received aposting together at Yass in May 1857. In June 1861 hemoved to Goulburn and was considered a likelyappointment as Bishop for the new diocese to be erec-ted at Goulburn. However this post went to RevWilliam Lanigan and McAlroy went to Albury as VicarGeneral to Bishop Lanigan in July 1868. At Albury heestablished the Sisters of Mercy. Father McAlroy diedafter a protracted illness on 14th July 1880 aged 59. Hewas revered by friends from Goulburn to Albury beingremembered as the pioneer builder of 20 or morechurches and convents. He was especially respected bythe Sisters of Mercy at Yass, Goulburn and Albury andby the Presentation Sisters at Wagga, being involvedin their foundations and developments. His burialplace is behind the main altar in St Patrick'sChurch Albury.

REV. PATRICK BERMINGHAM (Pastor of Yass1857-1861)

Although officially junior in the seniority list byordination to Fr McAlroy he was so closely linked withhim that they may well be considered co-pastors. Bornat Kings County Ireland in 1828 educated at Carlowand ordained in 1852 he first taught at Carlow Collegebefore coming to Melbourne with Michael McAlroyand then to Yass in June 1857. He returned to Romeand Ireland in January 1861. After a long absence hereturned to Wagga in 1874 as Pastor accompanyingthe newly arrived Presentation Sisters. He left Aus-tralia in early 1883 in bad health and died at Londonon 9th September 1883 being buried in KensallGreen cemetery.

40

Rev. Patrick Bermingham

Dean James Hanly. Pastor 1861-67.

DEAN JAMES HANLY (Pastor of Yass 1861-1867)

Born in 1815 at Moorestown County Tipperary JamesHanly was studying at St John's College Waterfordwhen Bishop Polding made a recruiting visit andurged Hanly to come to Sydney. He accompaniedPolding to Sydney on the ship "Templar" arriving 9thMarch 1843. He was ordained in September 1843 as adiocesan priest and first served at Moreton Bay convictsettlement where he began the building of old StStephen's church in 1847. He took up an appointmentat Yass on 20th June 1861 replacing Michael McAlroywho moved to Goulburn. The church had only recentlybeen expanded and the parish was flourishing. JamesHanly was favoured by Archbishop Polding as a can-didate for Bishop of the proposed new diocese ofGoulburn. Indeed the Archbishop favoured the choiceof Yass as the new See because of its splendid church.Hanly was appointed Dean to the chagrin of otherclergy who considered him too well disposed to theBendictine Archbishop and insufficiently nationalisticin the Irish cause. Hanly suffered much and declinedthe episcopal appointment. When William Lanigan theparish priest of Berrima accepted the appointment as

Bishop in June 1867 Dean Hanly revealed his inten-tion to return to Sydney which he did in late 1867where he became pastor at Penrith and later at Manly.Finally he became chaplain at Rosebank Convent FiveDock. He died at the Five Dock Presbytery on 3rd Feb-ruary 1895 aged 80.

REV. RICHARD DUIGAN (Pastor of Yass1868-1870)

Richard Joseph Duigan was born at Kinnegad CountyMeath in about 1837-38. His father was a physicianSamuel Duigan and his mother Anne Vaughan. Heattended Mr Hogan's school in Mullingar before pro-ceeding to All Hallows College in 1854 from which hewas ordained priest for Sydney archdiocese in 1862. Heserved at Sydney first then at Deniliquin about 1866before arriving at Yass in 1868 (February). Here he wasassisted by Rev William O'Brien. Since they were bothrelatively junior clergy it is very likely that BishopLanigan arranged Yass to be a mensal parish from thattime giving himself the pastoral oversight. FatherDuigan died on 26th June 1870 and was buried close tothe church door of St Augustine's although his tomband headstone are now enclosed in a corner of the con-

41

Dean Patrick O'Keeffe. Pastor 1871-1906.

Rev. John F. Leonard. Pastor 1906-1948.

vent grotto somewhat out of sight. An interestingpamphlet has survived giving the eloquent and sen-timental sermon preached at his Month's Mind by FrGeorge Dillon a priest friend from Sydney. Thispamphlet was compiled and published by DoctorMorgan O'Connor's daughter who was a journalist. Hisperiod of administration was marked by financial con-fusion which brought some episcopal disapproval ofhim.

DEAN PATRICK O'KEEFFE O.S.F. (Pastor of Yass1871-1906)

Born at Trim County Meath in 1837 he joined theFranciscan Friars in 1859 receiving the name JohnCapistran. Though he studied in Rome he was forcedto return to Ireland by ill-health being ordained inIreland in 1864. He was superior of friaries at Athloneand Carrick-on-Suir. He was recruited at Waterford byBishop Lanigan who was on a visit to Ireland at thetime of the First Vatican Council in Rome 1869-70.Patrick O'Keeffe came to Goulburn diocese in 1870probably only intending to stay for a limited period buthe was formally incardinated to the diocese in 1879.However he retained some legal and spiritual link tothe Franciscans for he had to send a copy of his will in1888 to their minister-general. After short periods atBurrowa, Deniliquin and other places he went to Yasswhere he was appointed pastor in 1871 and Dean in1882. When the Sisters of Mercy came in 1875 to Yasshe vacated his presbytery for them until their conventwas built in December 1877. His name became widelyknown when he opened a school for Aborigines whohad been rejected from the public school in 1882. Heexercised great zeal but also wisdom in the cause ofCatholic education. As pastor of Yass for nearly 35years he left his mark upon the people. His districtincluded the areas of Gundaroo and Ginninderra partsof which are now within the Australian CapitalTerritory. He took leave in 1906 for a trip home toIreland but did not return probably because of failinghealth. Dean O'Keeffe died during a visit to Romeabout Christmas 1915.

RT REV. (MONSIGNOR) JOHN FRANCISLEONARD (Pastor of Yass 1906-1948)

For over forty years John F. Leonard shepherded thefaithful of Yass. He was born 17th March 1872 inCounty Cavan Ireland son of Terence Leonard andMary Whitney and educated at Mr Duffy's schoolMoyne. He was ordained from All Hallows CollegeDublin for Goulburn diocese on 24th June 1896. Hethen served at Goulburn Cathedral for some yearsbefore his appointment to Yass in 1906. FatherLeonard presided over a parish much smaller than hispredecessors had done but which had as many regularcommitments because so many small district churches

42

were needed. He provided churches and regular Massat the Burrinjuck worksites and supervised thedevelopment of new churches at Hall and Bowning. Hemade regular trips to Gundaroo, Ginninderra, Hall,Limestone, Bowning and Burrinjuck for many years.Monsignor John Leonard died on 17th June 1948 andwas buried in Yass cemetery. The major developmentsduring his pastorate were in the expansion of theCatholic schools (Sacred Heart Girls School and StAugustine's Boys School as well as Mr CarmelCollege).

MOST REV. GUILFORD YOUNG D.D.(Pastor of Yass 1948-1954)

Guilford Young was born at Sandgate Brisbane on 10thNovember 1916 the son of a shearer Arthur Young andMary Ellen Young. His father who was not a Catholicreared his family at Longreach Queensland but laterthe young lad Guilford was schooled by the ChristianBrothers at Rockhampton. He began priestly studiesfor Rockhampton diocese at Springwood NSW andthen proceeded to Propaganda College Rome. He wasordained priest on 3rd June 1939 at the LateranBasilica. After appointments at Rockhampton Banyoseminary and the Apostolic Delegation at North Syd-ney he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop to ArchbishopMcGuire of Canberra and Goulburn on 15th July 1948and became pastor of Yass. He was then aged 31 andthe youngest Bishop in the church. He became Apos-tolic Administrator of the Archdiocese on 8th August1953 when Archbishop McGuire retired and AuxiliaryBishop to the new Archbishop Eris O'Brien on 16thNovember 1953 until his transfer as Co-adjutorArchbishop at Hobart on 1st December 1954. At Yassalso he gave considerable thought and ministerialattention to the aborigines of the district. Yass wasofen the focus in those days for large gatherings of laityand youth under his leadership. He was particularlyvigilant and outspoken on issues of educational jus-tice for Catholic schools. His departure from thediocese was keenly felt by clergy and laity. ArchbishopYound died at Melbourne in hospital on 16th March1988 and was buried at Hobart.

REV. MICHAEL CASEY P.P. (Pastor 1955-1969)

Born in County Clare he was ordained priest from StPatrick's College Carlow on 15th June 1924 and had along period of service in the diocese of Goulburn beforebecoming pastor of Queanbeyan in 1936. He suc-ceeded Bishop Young at Yass in 1955 until his transferin 1969 to Gunning. After retirement from Gunning,Father Casey has lived in Dickson ACT and is thesenior priest of the archdiocese having 64 years inthe priesthood.

Rev. Michael Casey. Pastor 1955-1969

REV. DANIEL GREENE P.P.(Pastor of Yass1969-1970)

Father Greene though only briefly the pastor of Yass, iswell remembered and much loved as a colourfulcharacter. He was born at Doon in County Tipperaryand educated for the priesthood at St Patrick's CollegeThurles from which he was ordained on 14th June1925 for Goulburn diocese. He came to Yass in 1969but retired through ill-health in 1970 and died inIreland on 15th March 1977 in retirement there.

REV. DERMOT O'HURLEY P.P. (Pastor of Yass1970-1981)

Father Dermot O'Hurley was born on 6th July 1910 atKnocklong County Limerick, and educated at MungretCollege Limerick. He received his priestly education atthe Irish College Rome but ill health forced his returnto Ireland where he continued at St Patrick's CollegeThurles destined for Goulburn diocese. He wasordained at Thurles on 13th June 1937 and took upappointments at Goulburn, Weethalle, Lake Car-gelligo, Crookwell, Koorawatha and Jugiong. He ser-ved also as an Army Chaplain in the Second WorldWar.

Father Dermot worked as pastor of Yass until May 1981when he became Pastor Emeritus continuing an activeministry within the parish and an inspiration to allwho knew him both laity and clergy. His subtlehumour and gentle prayerfulness encouraged all and itwas a deep disappointment when declining healthrequired him to move to the retirement village atYoung in 1986. He had always been a great enthusiastfor horse racing and loved to see the MelbourneCup.

43

Mr Terry Sheahan M.L.A. and Rev Philip BuckleyP.P. (Presbytery restoration opening 1985).

REV. PHILIP BUCKLEY P.P. (Pastor at Yass1981-1988)

"Father Phil" was born at Nimmitabel NSW on 6thMay 1943 the youngest son of Jack Buckley andJosephine (Brogan). He received his early educationfrom the Sisters of St Joseph at Nimmitabel and thenproceedd to St Patrick's College Goulburn. His priestlystudies were made at Springwood and Manlyseminaries from 1960-1967 and he was ordained priestat Braddon ACT by Archbishop O'Brien on 22nd July1967. His various appointments have been at Young1968, hospital chaplain in Canberra residing at GarranFebruary 1973, Braddon 1976, as assistant priest andAdministrator at Boorowa May 1978, as AdministratorBungendore 1979 and assistant at Yass from November1979, becoming Pastor in May 1981.

REV. WILLIAM CRAHAN P.P.

Since February 1988, the Parish Priest has been FatherWilliam Crahan, born at Kilkinstown, Navan, CountyMeath. He was educated at St Patrick's College Navanand at St Finian's College Mullingar as was FatherMichael McAlroy and Father Pat Bermingham over ahundred years before. (Rochfortbridge, Ireland fromwhich the Sisters of Mercy came to Yass is also in theDiocese of Meath). Father Crahan studied for the priest-hood later at the Irish College and Lateran University inRome and was ordained Priest in February 1953 for theArchdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Since his arri-val in the archdiocese in 1954 he has served in manyparishes, coming to Yass from North Goulburn.

Rev. Michael McAlroy

HENRY AND CORNELIUS O'BRIEN

These brothers were significant figures in YassCatholic history. Unlike many of their fellow Catholicsthey were free settlers, educated and moderatelywealthy. These three marks enabled the O'Brienbrothers to have entry to the respectable levels ofsociety. They were sons of Henry O'Brien a farmer andCatherine Browne both being born at HolymountCounty Mayo about 1793 and 1796 respectively. Aftertheir father's early death they were brought up by theirmaternal uncle William Browne. He was a prosperousmerchant at Galway and Calcutta who establishedhimself on a good farm "Abbotsbury" near ProspectNSW in 1815. Later he set up Cornelius O'Brien asmanager of his lands at Illawarra. Meanwhile, follow-ing the exploratory trips of Hamilton Hume, HenryO'Brien settled at "Douro" by 1829, when he was ableto provide hospitality and guidance to Charles Sturt onhis journey of discovery. By 1833, it was reported thatHenry O'Brien had 12,000 sheep on pasture. By 1836he was joined by Cornelius, his brother who took upland at "Hardwicke" and "Bendenine". Henry whobuilt a 2-storey house upon "Douro" near Yass alsohad become very prosperous, was appointed a magis-trate and elected for a short term to Parliament. InAugust 1840 he auctioned land blocks on an estateadjacent to Yass village which he described as "O'Con-nell" a private town. This gradually has becomeabsorbed as a part of Yass Town.

Henry O'Brien had two marriages:(1) Henry O'Brien married Isabella McDonald(2) Henry O'Brien married Elizabeth Cruden

His only son Henry died at age of 20 in the ArmyCollege of Sandhurst after schooling at Eton. Cor-nelius married Rebecca Broughton of Campbelltownin 1822 and died without issue. Cornelius sold theoriginal dwelling known as Cooma Cottage toHamilton Hume, and finally settled at "Bendenine"where he died in 1869. He too was a J.P. and magistrateemploying a large number of Irish convict servants andIrish immigrants. Henry O'Brien died at "Douro" in1866. The O'Brien memory is perpetuated in finestained glass windows in St Augustine's Church andalso in St Clements Anglican Church where the wivesof both men worshipped. Though they left no descen-dants, the O'Brien brothers, as trustees and benefac-tors of St Augustine's parish, deserve a place in itshistory.

Rev. William Crahan P.P. 1988-45

Dr Morgan O'Connor, M.D., K.S.S.

DOCTOR MORGAN O'CONNOR M.D., K.S.S.

Dr O'Connor a medical practitioner at Yass left a valu-able record of early Catholic life in a pamphlet titled"Rise and Progress of the Yass Mission" which hepublished in 1861 and which was republished in fac-simile in 1984. Dr O'Connor was recognised in his dayas a scholar, author and lay leader. He was born in 1829at Mullingar County Westmeath and graduated inmedicine from the University of Louvain in 1851. Aftera short period of medical practice in London he arrivedat Sydney in early 1860. He came soon to Yass wherehe became a great supporter of Fathers McAlroy andBermingham not least by supporting them in forminga Literary Institute to provide reading, debate andstudy. Though Fr Bermingham departed for Ireland inearly 1861 on Dr Morgan O'Connor's medical adviceand Fr McAlroy was transferred to Goulburn in mid1861, Dr O'Connor pressed their claims for recognitionin his pamphlet listing the great achievemens oforganisation which they accomplished. Dr O'Connoralso provided the pencil sketches for the pamphlet. InDecember 1872 he moved to Wagga Wagga. His con-tribution to church life was recognised in the award ofthe Order of St Sylvester conferred by the Pope. Thisaward was ceremonially bestowed upon him in 1874 byFather Michael McAlroy at Albury. The ceremonialsword is kept at Mr Erin convent Wagga Wagga.Morgan O'Connor died on 12th August 1895 and wasburied at Wagga cemetery.

The issue of Dr Morgan and Mary O'Connor were:Agnes who married HoggJosephine not marriedMary not married

No descendants of Dr O'Connor are known in furtherissue. Josephine who worked as a journalist and Marywho was a piano teacher both left Wagga for Sydney. Arecently discovered item of interest is that DoctorO'Connor's brother Rev. John O'Connor worked forseveral years about 1870-72 as a priest at Yass andBurrowa. He returned to Ireland after receiving badinjuries in a buggy accident at Burrowa. This FatherO'Connor had earlier been in difficulty if not in dangerof life. A letter in the diocesan archives dated February1871 reveals that a meeting was held at Yass early in1871 to satisfy a group of parishioners who were ques-tioning whether church funds had been used to settlepersonal debts, probably the debts of the recentlydeceased Fr Duigan. Although there were documentsto settle the case, another medico of Yass Dr IsadoreBlake leader of the discontented faction attacked theBishop and Vicar General verbally. "After Fr O'Connorthe priest in charge declared the meeting closed DrBlake attacked him with his walking stick". "All thisbefore the eyes of the editor of the Yass Courier"! saysthe embarrassed Fr Dunne who was writing of the mat-ter to the Bishop.

The same writer Fr Patrick Dunne also wrote in shameof a confrontation between the Rev, O'Keeffe and (thesame) O'Connor not about the saving of souls butabout the few pounds which may be got at a certainstation between Burrowa and Binalong. O'Keeffearranged privately to say Mass at the station in ques-tion. O'Connor on hearing of it warned the people notto attend. "The boundaries" concluded the letterwriter P. Dunne "ought to be defined as soon aspossible (Dunne to McAlroy 7.3.1871).

46

OTHER EARLY PARISHIONERSA list of 80 subscribers to the Catholic Church BuildingFund (1837) at Yass has survived. While it can be safelyassumed that most are Catholics, at least 10 were not.Many of them were settled far beyond the limits of Yass,as for example, Ned Ryan and Roger Corcoran at Galongand Burrowa. The majority of the names were not toendure in the district and some of them would certainlybe lonely convict shepherds or emancipist labourerswho never married.

The donors of windows in St Augustine's Church repre-sent a group of families or individuals who becameestablished members of the Yass Mission. The namesare Coen, Dawes, Grogan, Kearns, Moore, Murray andRoche. Brief details of some are:

COEN: Michael Coen arrived in N.S.W. on the ship"Hotspur" on 5 December 1863, aged 20. He was theson of Timothy and Mary Coen of Clunemare nearTuam County Galway. He became a shopkeeper atDubbo, married and was widowed. He remarried toMargaret Trainor about 1878 or 1879 and moved toGoulburn, then Yass where he set up shopkeeping andbecame a local household word in the "AustralianStores". He was a town alderman and became Mayorthree times, introduced gas lighting to the town andpromoted the tram line to Yass Junction. His familywere:

John — Became Fr. Alphonsus, Passionist PriestTimothy — Orchestral musicianMichael J. — "King" shopkeeper, married Bess

O'DwyerJoseph — DoctorBarney — DoctorFrancis— BarristerEvangelista — Convent, Sisters of the Sacred

HeartTrix — Convent, Sisters of the Sacred HeartIna — Convent, Sisters of MercyMolly — Convent, Sisters of MercyAnn — Died age 5, from diptheriaKathleen — Not married

DAWES: This family of 'Good Hope' district outsideYass has connection to many of today's Yass residents.The children were:

John H. — Married Mary Ann DuffyCatherine — Married Frederick PatmoreWilliam — Married FranklinGeorge — Not marriedMary — Married Michael Duff

Rev. Dermot O'Hurley. Pastor 1970-1981.

GROGAN: William Grogan arrived in N.S.W. by the ship"Isabella" on 16 December 1823. He was the son ofBrian Grogan and Mary Madden of County Kildare,Ireland. William's wife Ann followed out in the ship"Caroline" 6 August 1833 with a son Bryan or Bernardaged 11. Seven more children were born from 1834.Bryan (Bernard) Grogan married 1841 to Sarah Caheryand in 1847 to Mary Jordan. A son of this first marriageWilliam J. Grogan married Jane O'Brien of Kilrush(County Clare) in 1863 and William J. and Jane Groganbecame the window donors. Grogan descendantsbecame numerous and successful in the district at"Grogansworth", "Limestone" and "Illalong".

KEARNS (KEARINS): Paul Kearins was born inIreland in 1821 and married Katherine Lennox,daughter of a Scottish lord who had Irish estates. Afamily story claims that the marriage was an elopement.They came to Yass and raised a family of five girls and aboy. Katherine Kearins died in 1871 at Yass and PaulKearins remarried to Margaret O'Rourke. There were nochildren of his second marriage and Paul died in 1894.The church window recalls Paul and Margaret Kearins.Bridget Kearins, a daughter married James Duffy.The Kearins were residents of Yass River, butson, John Kearins who married a Duffy moved toCootamundra.

47

Renovations 1987.

MOORE: Patrick Moore was born in County Kerry,probably in the village of Kilmanahan in 1788. Hemarried at the age of 40 to the 19-year-old AnastasiaRoach in 1828 and a son Maurice was born there in1830. Patrick came to N.S.W. on the ship "Blenheim"arriving 14 November 1834. His wife Anastasia and sonMaurice arrived per the "Ramillies" on 11 July 1850,joining Pat at Blakeneys Creek. It is this family of threewho are commemorated in the St Augustine's window.They had been reunited after an absence of over 18years. A second son Patrick was born to them in1851.

Maurice Moore married Winifred Tully 1854(seven children)Patrick Moore Jr married Julia Purcell 1874 (sixchildren)

Maurice and Winifred Moore developed a property"Mooreville" but their progress was shattered in 1866with Maurice's death. Winifred remarried to ThomasRoche and a son Thomas David Roche was born in1874.

Old Patrick and Anastasia Moore continued as inn-keepers at Blakeneys Creek into old age. Their inn was

the scene of visits by bushrangers. The family of PatrickJr and Julia Moore seem to have left the district and areuntraced. The seven children of Maurice howeverremained mostly attached to the district.

Mary Moore married William HeffernanWinifred married Harry McGannAnastasia married Francis KellyElizabeth — Mother Claver, Sisters of MercyMichael married ElizabethPatrick married Emily KennedyMaurice married Mary Clancy

ROCHE: James Roche from Cooleen, Thomastown,County Kilkenny came to N.S.W. as a student for thepriesthood. He arrived on the ship "Templar" on 9March 1843, accompanied by Bishop Polding whorecruited the young student in Ireland. James Rochetook the name 'John Paul' in the Benedictine Order,being ordained during 1846 at Sydney, St Mary's Mon-astery. By 1850 he was pastor at Campbelltown, N.S.W.,but retired through ill-health in 1877. He was cared forin retirement by his niece Bridget Garry at "Mylora"near Bookham, where he died on 9 November 1880. Histombstone in Yass cemetery records "Rev. J. P. RocheO.S.B. qui obiit apud Mylora".

48,

Father J. P. Roche O.S.B. had two brothers, Patrick andLaurence, and a sister Bridget follow him to Australia.Patrick Roche with wife Mary (Brennan) and sixchildren arrived at the colony of Victoria on the ship"Clangregor" on 14 February 1855, after it ran agroundin Port Phillip Bay. They eventually settled as farmersat Chidowla near Bookham. The younger brotherLaurence married Ann Dalton at Adelong in 1858, set-tling at Adelong where they raised numerous descen-dants. The sister Bridget Byrne also settled in Tumutdistrict. Anastasia Roche, the eldest daughter of Patrickand Mary Brennan had preceded her family by someyears to work as housekeeper for her uncle, the Rev.`John Paul' at Campbelltown. The Roche family withtheir 'Uncle Paul' provide an interesting example ofchain migration, and in turn left numerous descen-dants in Yass district.

Other families associated with the Yass-Jugiong dis-trict were:

GARRY: They spring from James Garry who arrivedfrom County Meath as an immigrant on 10 March 1839and became involved with the coaching trade fromCampbelltown to Albury. He built up a big depot ofhorses at Bogolong, before obtaining the well knowngrazing propery "Mylora".

SHEAHAN: This family springs from anotherimmigrant from Shanagolden County Limerick whoarrived in N.S.W. on the "Aliquis" on 16 March 1839.After his association with James Garry was established,John Philip Sheahan established an inn at Jugiong, theSir George Tavern, which is still held be descendants. Itis of some interest to note that James Garry and John P.Sheahan arrived as young men, recently married, to thecolony only a week apart in March 1839. They becameassociated with John Hurley, a successful Irishbusinessman at Campbelltown, and it seems likely thatthe 'Garry and Sheahan' coaching service was largelyestablished and financed under Hurley's direction.They seemed to have responsibility for the Yass-Gundagai section of the coaching service, and thedelivery of mail by government contracts.

HINGERTY: John Alexander Hingerty arrived on the"Jane Clifford" on 13 February 1841 from Templemore,County Tipperary . After marriage at Goulburn in 1845to Isabella MacDonald, they raised a family of 10children at Yass, some of whom were linked with oldYass families Hilly, Duffy and Galvin.

Many families such as Duffy, Hilly, Hingerty, Galvin,Toohey, Renehan and Maguire left Yass district in the1870-1880 period to become pioneer settlers ofCootamundra and Temora districts when new Crownland became available for settlement.

The old chain of connection with Yass, which was ahuman feature of early days in the Riverina when Yasswas the principal southern settlement, was thus ex-tended with the internal migration of families follow-ing out the new railway system to newly developedareas during the 1870-80 decade. Yass was truly the`mother town' of many other settlements in the south,as well as being the mother-church for the Catholiccommunities of southern N.S.W.

JULIAN Richard Julian, born in England, came to settlein the Bogolong-Bookham district. There he marriedEllen Magennis, nee Sheahan, the widow of JosephMagennis who died on 27th December 1856. EllenMagennis/Julian raised 2 children from her first mar-riage and 7 children from her second marriage. Thechildren were:

Anne Magennis 1852 m. Anne E. HallPatrick J. Magennis 1854 m. Lawrence RocheFrancis Julian - died age 8Philip JulianRichard Julian m. Mary Clare GallagherMary Julian - Not marriedGreatorex JulianAlfred JulianFlorence Julian - Became a nun

The widow Ellen, who died in 1924, lived to an age of 99years and 9 months. She was a sister of John P. Shea-han, pioneer of Jugiong. Richard Julian became theowner of Bogolong station on the Yass end of Bookhamvillage. There his stepson Patrick J. Magennis was thelicensee of the early Bogolong Inn, but he later turnedto grazing activities at "Bloomfield" and still later atJeir. Mary Clare Gallagher was the niece of Bishop JohnGallagher who had encouraged her to migrate to Aus-tralia, where she married Richard Julian Jr. They had 3children surviving i.e.:

Patricia Julian m. Dr Kevin FaganNario Julian m. George WalkerJohn Julian m. Patricia Donohoe

Peter Walker, a son of George Walker, and grandson ofMary Clare (Gallagher), is a present member of variousparish organisations. The Julian story provides an in-teresting link between pioneer settler families such asSheahan, Magennis, Roche and Garry.

49

Bishop John Gallagher D.D.

50

PRIESTS WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE PARISH OF YASS

(List drawn from Parish records)

Rev. FatherJohn Joseph TherryRev. FatherMichael Brennan

Rev. FatherJohn Fitzpatrick

Rev. Father Charles Lovat

Rev. Father Patrick MagennisRev. FatherMichael McAlroy

Rev. Father Patrick Bermingham

Rev. FatherJames Hanley

Rev. FatherThomas O'Neill

Rev. FatherHenry GarrettRev. FatherP. O'ConnelRev. FatherRichard Duigan

Rev. FatherWilliam O'BrienRev. Father Henry FinneganRev. Father P. DunneRev. Father Patrick J. O'KeefeRev. FatherEd McCartyRev. FatherM.J. CoffeyRev. FatherL. KeatingRev. FatherP.F. MaloneyRev. Father John Gallagher

Rev. FatherA.T. O'DwyerRev. Father RJ. CarrRev. FatherT. HanleyRev. Father A.T. O'DwyerRev. Father Richard KielyRev. Father P. McCabeRev. FatherP.F. HanrahanRev. FatherRT. DalyRev. Father F. CluneRev. FatherThos. MullinsRev. FatherM.J. CroweRev. FatherE.J. LaideRev. Father T.D. ClearyRev. FatherJames KennedyRev. FatherAlphonsus CoenRev. FatherJames P. O'Reilly

18331838Transferred to Parramatta

1838. Transferred toGoulburn, Penrith, Melbourne

1839-1848.Transferred to Liverpool

1849-18571857-June 1861.Transferred to Goulburn

1857-1861.Transferred to Carlow

1861-1868.Transferred to Sydney

1861-1868.Transferred to Tumut

186318641868-26th June 1870.Buried in Convent garden

18681870-187118701871-19061871-18721872187218721872-1874.Transferred to S.P.C. Goulburn

1873-1878"1878-18801880-18811881-18821885-18861891-18931893-189618971900 •1900-190219011901 and 19041901-19031905-19061905-1906,19111905-1909

Rev. FatherJohn F. Leonard

Rev. Father J.B. McDonnelRev. FatherW.J. DwyerRev. Father P. TreacyRev. Father Peter MulliganRev. FatherP.J. MoloneyRev. FatherJ. GalvinRev. FatherJ. CarragherRev. FatherG.J. BartleyRev. FatherM. BuglerRev. FatherAustin H. O'ConnorRev. Father Thomas TarpeyRev. Father Jown TwomeyRev. FatherC.J. WhyteRev. FatherCharles GleesonRev. Father Thomas MooreRev. Father Dominic F. EganRev. Father J. McCuskerRev. FatherJeremiah DowneyRev. Father Lawrence GallagherRev. Father Timothy O'DonoghueRev. FatherMorgan O'ConnorRev. FatherWilliam O'SheaRev. Father Francis CaseyRev. Father Bede McPhillipsRev. FatherCecil PattersonBishop Guilford YoungRev. FatherL.C. McKennaRev. Father Parker MoloneyRev. FatherHenry ByrneRev. FatherMichael CaseyRev. FatherJoseph StauntonRev. FatherJohn ButzRev. Father Val. M. Moroney'Rev. FatherAlbert HavasRev. Father Daniel GreeneRev. FatherTerence PigramRev. FatherDermot O'HurleyRev. FatherDenis NickleRev. Father Brian HassettRev. Father Philip BuckleyRe. Father William Crahan

1906-17 June 1948.Buried in Yass Cemetery

1909,19111911-19121911-1914191219131914-191719181920-19251926-19281927-192819281929-193219331935-19361935 and 19451936-1939193819391939-19401940-194519421945-194719451946-19481947-19551948-19541949-19501951-195519541954-19691958-19611960-19631963-19661966-19671969-19701969-19731970-1973-197619791979-871988-

51

52

PARISH PERSONNEL 1988

Parish PriestMt Carmel Convent SuperiorPastoral AssistantChariman Parish CouncilParish SecretaryMt Carmel Primary PrincipalMt Carmel Secondary PrincipalAcolytes

Special Minister's Co-ordinatorChairman Finance CommitteeFinance Committee

Planned Giving Co-ordinatorPlanned Giving General GiftsPlanned Giving RelationsSt Vincent de Paul Society

PresidentSecretaryTreasurer

St Jude's ConferenceCatholic Women's League

PresidentSecretaryTreasurer

Yass High Seminar TutorsC.C.D. SecretaryCathechists

R.C.I.A.

Mt Carmel P. & F. AssociationPresidentSecretaryTreasurer

Chairman Parish Education BoardMt Carmel Education BoardsKnights of the Southern CrossHome Visits Co-ordinator

William J. CrahanSr Birute ArandarickasSr Mary CorkeronMr Herbie O'FlynnMrs Maureen CollinsMr Paul TurnerSr Frances FitzpatrickMr Bob Nash, Mr Peter Walker, Mr Barry Besgrove, Mr Vince Coffey, Mr FrankGrace, Mr John Bingham, Mr Doug McGregorMr Bill SmithMr Bob NashMr Peter Walker, Mr Greg Cusack, Mr Don Phillips, Mr David Hingston, MrPeter GrievesMiss Barbara AndersonMr Joe LinehanMrs Jeanette Patmore

Mr Michael vanWanrooyMr Doug McGregorMr Jim DavisSr Alocoque

Mrs Kay PercevalMrs Pat RaynerMrs Margaret O'BrienMrs Kate Walker, Mrs Joan BinghamMrs Diane FieldMrs Barbara Lachlan, Mrs Kay Perceval, Mrs Joyce O'Brien, Mrs Pat Ruwald,Mrs Jane Hingston, Mrs Jan Cross, Mrs Gwen Yeo, Mr Bill McManus, Mrs JeanKellyMiss Judith Williams, Mrs Lyn O'Flynn, Mr Rod Perceval, Mrs MaureenMcGrath

Mr Max ReedMrs Christine WeekesMr Rod PercevalMr Wayne FischerDr Robin WoodsMr Frank GraceMrs Mary McReynolds

53

BAYLEY, William. Yass. Municipal Centenary History,Yass 1973.

BARRETT, Rev. Max. King of Galong Castle. The storyof Ned Ryan 1876-1871 (privately published1978).

CLARKE, Patricia. A Colonial Woman. Life and Timesof Mary Braidwood Wilson (Allen & Unwin,Sydney 1986).

GROGAN, Sr M. Gertrude. Biography of Mother PaulFielding (Parish Archives).

LINANE, Rev. Tom. From Abel to Zundolovich. Bio-graphies of Priests on the Australian Scene up to1900 —Vols 1 & 2.

KING, N. S. Cornelius O'Brien, Pioneer of Bulli(Illawarra Historical Society 1865).

MECHAM, Rev Frank. "John O'Brien" and the BoreeLog (Angus & Robertson, Sydney 1981).

"O'BRIEN, John" (Rev. Patrick Hartigan). The Men of38 and other Pioneer Priests (Lowden, Kilmore1975).

O'CONNOR, Dr Morgan. Rise and Progress of the YassMission (1861, facsimile 1984 L.A.H. Sydney).

PATERSON, A. B. (Banjo). Singer of the Bush. Com-plete Works 1885-1900 (Lansdowne, Sydney1983).

PRESTON, Rhonda. The Bevendale Settlers 1839-1917(Private, A.C.T. 1987).

QUINN, Rev. Michael. History of the Diocese ofGoulburn (Typescript, Archdiocesan Archives1972).

STEWART, Meg. Autobiography of My Mother(Penguin, Melbourne 1985).

WILSON, Gwendoline. Murray of Yarralumla (O.U.P.Melbourne 1968).

YASS, Mt Carmel College Centenary 1875-1975 (YassParish Archives).

NEWSPAPERS: Freeman's Journal; Southern Argus;Yass Courier; Yass Tribune.

55