As early as 1842, Catholic pioneers living in the isolated and sparsely settled Western District of Victoria received occasional visits from a priest, to minister to their spiritual needs. He was Fr Michael Stephens O.S.A. who moved to Geelong in September that year, to take charge of a new mission embracing the whole of western Victoria, or the Port Phillip District of New South Wales as it was then known.
Ten years later the first priest resident in our area came to live in Colac. Fr Bleasdale stayed four years, from 1852-1856, and was “charged with the duty of caring for all the Catholics west of Geelong”.
In 1856 Fr Bermingham was given responsibility of the area. He was directed to live at Mt Moriac, which was then called Duneed. For much of his time there he was joined by Fr McAlroy but neither stayed long. In 1857 Fr M Farrelly arrived in Duneed, a presbytery was built, and the foundation stone for a church named St Patrick’s was opened in 1860.
In 1864 Fr M Nelan was sent to the district. Although he continued to live at Duneed for some years, it was obvious Colac was growing and in 1873 he moved there. The next year the Diocese of Ballarat was formed, Colac became part of that diocese and the Winchelsea and Moriac areas remained in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. They were administered from Geelong, where Archdeacon Slattery was in charge of St Mary’s parish.
As far back as 16.5.1855, Dean Fitzpatrick V.G. had applied for a grant of land in Winchelsea. The two acre block faced Mercer and Harding Streets. It was formally reserved on 20.5.1855, but no trustees were ever appointed until 20.1 .1914, when the Melbourne Roman Catholic Trust Corporation was Set up by an Act of Parliament. Although the land was secured, there was no move to build a church.
Catholics from Winchelsea travelled by wagonette to Mass at Moriac, picking up fellow Catholics along the way.
However from the mid 1870’s Winchelsea did have Mass in their township once a month. This took place at 50 Main St, the home of Patrick and Mary O’Connell. On these occasions, a priest travelled from Geelong on horseback on Saturday, heard Confessions that evening and celebrated Mass next morning, before returning to Geelong. The practice continued until St John’s was built.
Late in 1891, Winchelsea folk called a meeting to discuss the possibility of erecting a church in their own town. Fr T English, administrator, presided at the meeting, at which 100 pounds was subscribed. It was resolved to proceed immediately with the building of a church.
In the Geelong Advertiser dated 19.4.1892, tenders were called for the building of the church, together with advice that plans and specifications were on view at Scott Bros. timber merchants Geelong. In the same paper on 7.6.1892, it was reported that the contract for the erection and fitting out of the church had been let, for 550 pounds, to Dew Bros. Chilwell. The church was to be built in such a way as to allow for extensions in the future. Craven, Brown and Co. were the architects and A. T. Moran was appointed clerk of the works.
In July the Advocate reported that the foundation stone was to be laid shortly. In actual fact this ceremony could never have taken place, as there is no commemorative stone at all on the church.
The bricks used in the construction of the church were carted from Geelong by local parishioner Thomas Kelly. To raise finance, locals were encouraged to buy a brick out of each week’s wages.
The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was officially opened on 18.12.1892 with Archbishop Carr in attendance. The first Mass was celebrated by Fr English and Archdeacon Slattery “preached an eloquent sermon”. It was obviously a brilliant occasion. Farmers Mass was sung by a strong choir, reinforced by principals from Sts Peter and Pauls, Ashby.
The first child baptised in the new church was Dorothea Kelly, who was baptised by Fr English on the opening day. Her parents, Mary and Patrick Kelly, were presented with a silver cup to mark the occasion.
The first marriage celebrated at St John’s is believed to have been between Edmund Hole and Catherine McLoughlin.
The early parishioners were keen tree planters. The perimeter of the grounds was lined with pine and cypress trees. A sizable orchard was planted by Henry Schroeter, a local identity who had his orchard on the outskirts of town. Twelve months after the opening, The Advocate reported that the ladies of St John’s were arranging a sale of gifts to clear the debt remaining on the building.
A PARISH...
For a time Winchelsea continued to be administered from Geelong. Fr English was replaced by Fr Lawton in 1898, and in turn, his place was taken by Fr T Sullivan in 1901.
Finally, early in January 1905, Archbishop Carr created the parish of Winchelsea - cut off from Geelong and including Mt. Moriac, Inverleigh and Bannockburn. He named Fr P.J. GLEESON of Healesville as the first parish priest.
When Fr Gleeson arrived, he made immediate plans to erect “a handsome and well designed presbytery” which was opened by Dr. Carr on 25.3.1906. The building cost 900 pounds to construct. 160 pounds was collected at the grand opening, which was attended by St Augustine’s Band.
As well as being Winchelsea’s first parish priest, Fr Gleesons other claim to fame was the fact that he had an artificial hand. As a young curate at Kilmore he had picked up a detonator in a paddock. Apparently not realising what it was, he poked at it with his pocket knife. The subsequent explosion had blown off his left hand.
He later travelled to Germany to have the artificial hand fitted. He then went to the Vatican to seek, and receive, the Pope’s permission to celebrate Mass.
In 1911 Fr Gleeson moved to Bacchus Marsh. He was replaced by Fr CON SHEEHAN from West Melbourne, who remained only a short time before returning to Ireland.
Ten years later the first priest resident in our area came to live in Colac. Fr Bleasdale stayed four years, from 1852-1856, and was “charged with the duty of caring for all the Catholics west of Geelong”.
In 1856 Fr Bermingham was given responsibility of the area. He was directed to live at Mt Moriac, which was then called Duneed. For much of his time there he was joined by Fr McAlroy but neither stayed long. In 1857 Fr M Farrelly arrived in Duneed, a presbytery was built, and the foundation stone for a church named St Patrick’s was opened in 1860.
In 1864 Fr M Nelan was sent to the district. Although he continued to live at Duneed for some years, it was obvious Colac was growing and in 1873 he moved there. The next year the Diocese of Ballarat was formed, Colac became part of that diocese and the Winchelsea and Moriac areas remained in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. They were administered from Geelong, where Archdeacon Slattery was in charge of St Mary’s parish.
As far back as 16.5.1855, Dean Fitzpatrick V.G. had applied for a grant of land in Winchelsea. The two acre block faced Mercer and Harding Streets. It was formally reserved on 20.5.1855, but no trustees were ever appointed until 20.1 .1914, when the Melbourne Roman Catholic Trust Corporation was Set up by an Act of Parliament. Although the land was secured, there was no move to build a church.
Catholics from Winchelsea travelled by wagonette to Mass at Moriac, picking up fellow Catholics along the way.
However from the mid 1870’s Winchelsea did have Mass in their township once a month. This took place at 50 Main St, the home of Patrick and Mary O’Connell. On these occasions, a priest travelled from Geelong on horseback on Saturday, heard Confessions that evening and celebrated Mass next morning, before returning to Geelong. The practice continued until St John’s was built.
Late in 1891, Winchelsea folk called a meeting to discuss the possibility of erecting a church in their own town. Fr T English, administrator, presided at the meeting, at which 100 pounds was subscribed. It was resolved to proceed immediately with the building of a church.
In the Geelong Advertiser dated 19.4.1892, tenders were called for the building of the church, together with advice that plans and specifications were on view at Scott Bros. timber merchants Geelong. In the same paper on 7.6.1892, it was reported that the contract for the erection and fitting out of the church had been let, for 550 pounds, to Dew Bros. Chilwell. The church was to be built in such a way as to allow for extensions in the future. Craven, Brown and Co. were the architects and A. T. Moran was appointed clerk of the works.
In July the Advocate reported that the foundation stone was to be laid shortly. In actual fact this ceremony could never have taken place, as there is no commemorative stone at all on the church.
The bricks used in the construction of the church were carted from Geelong by local parishioner Thomas Kelly. To raise finance, locals were encouraged to buy a brick out of each week’s wages.
The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was officially opened on 18.12.1892 with Archbishop Carr in attendance. The first Mass was celebrated by Fr English and Archdeacon Slattery “preached an eloquent sermon”. It was obviously a brilliant occasion. Farmers Mass was sung by a strong choir, reinforced by principals from Sts Peter and Pauls, Ashby.
The first child baptised in the new church was Dorothea Kelly, who was baptised by Fr English on the opening day. Her parents, Mary and Patrick Kelly, were presented with a silver cup to mark the occasion.
The first marriage celebrated at St John’s is believed to have been between Edmund Hole and Catherine McLoughlin.
The early parishioners were keen tree planters. The perimeter of the grounds was lined with pine and cypress trees. A sizable orchard was planted by Henry Schroeter, a local identity who had his orchard on the outskirts of town. Twelve months after the opening, The Advocate reported that the ladies of St John’s were arranging a sale of gifts to clear the debt remaining on the building.
A PARISH...
For a time Winchelsea continued to be administered from Geelong. Fr English was replaced by Fr Lawton in 1898, and in turn, his place was taken by Fr T Sullivan in 1901.
Finally, early in January 1905, Archbishop Carr created the parish of Winchelsea - cut off from Geelong and including Mt. Moriac, Inverleigh and Bannockburn. He named Fr P.J. GLEESON of Healesville as the first parish priest.
When Fr Gleeson arrived, he made immediate plans to erect “a handsome and well designed presbytery” which was opened by Dr. Carr on 25.3.1906. The building cost 900 pounds to construct. 160 pounds was collected at the grand opening, which was attended by St Augustine’s Band.
As well as being Winchelsea’s first parish priest, Fr Gleesons other claim to fame was the fact that he had an artificial hand. As a young curate at Kilmore he had picked up a detonator in a paddock. Apparently not realising what it was, he poked at it with his pocket knife. The subsequent explosion had blown off his left hand.
He later travelled to Germany to have the artificial hand fitted. He then went to the Vatican to seek, and receive, the Pope’s permission to celebrate Mass.
In 1911 Fr Gleeson moved to Bacchus Marsh. He was replaced by Fr CON SHEEHAN from West Melbourne, who remained only a short time before returning to Ireland.
So, early in 1912, Fr MICHAEL HEHIR (pictured above) arrived in Winchelsea. He was to remain until his death in 1934, and has been Winchelsea’s longest serving parish priest. He was a quiet, friendly man, with a happy disposition. He is remembered with great affection by those who knew him.
His parishioners in those early days were obviously enthusiastic fund raisers. In 1916 the prevailing rage for Queen Carnivals had spread to Winchelsea - St John’s held one that year which raised 250 pounds. Then again in 1919, they raised 90 pounds towards the cost of a tennis court, which was laid in the corner of the church grounds bordering Mercer and Harding Streets.
CHURCH EXTENSIONS AND THE CHURCH BELL
When the church had been built in 1892 there was a small wooden sanctuary attached to the main brick structure. Also, a tiny annexe which served as sacristy and confessional. In the early 1920’s, these wooden buildings were removed and the brick structure was extended to include the present sanctuary, sacristy and workroom.
A new bell was installed in the grounds and Archbishop Mannix travelled by rail from Melbourne to bless both the extensions and the bell. Prior to 1924, Winchelsea had a bell which locals regarded as inferior. The embarrassed parishioners called it “rather a tin can bell”.
In 1923 Fr W Packer C.S.S.R. conducted a mission here. There was great fervour generated by this event and Fr Hehir wondered if this zeal might be channelled towards the provision of a new and better quality bell, as a memento of the occasion. Fr Packer took up the idea eagerly, the congregation responded enthusiastically and the donations poured in quickly.
Fr Hehir immediately ordered a magnificent bell from O’Byrne’s of Dublin and it was shipped to Australia in time for the celebrations on the first Sunday in March 1924. Its total weight is over one ton, it sounds the note G and at the time of installation it was considered to be one of the finest bells in the country.
The blessing of a bell is a long and beautiful ceremony. The bell is christened and given a name. In Winchelsea, the bell is named John, after St John the Baptist making his heartfelt appeal in the desert.
Engraved on the side are the words:
“My name is John. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. Venite Adoramus.
Subscribed for by the Catholics of Winchelsea. Consecrated in 1924. The Archbishop being Dr. Mannix and the pastor Fr M Hehir.”
His parishioners in those early days were obviously enthusiastic fund raisers. In 1916 the prevailing rage for Queen Carnivals had spread to Winchelsea - St John’s held one that year which raised 250 pounds. Then again in 1919, they raised 90 pounds towards the cost of a tennis court, which was laid in the corner of the church grounds bordering Mercer and Harding Streets.
CHURCH EXTENSIONS AND THE CHURCH BELL
When the church had been built in 1892 there was a small wooden sanctuary attached to the main brick structure. Also, a tiny annexe which served as sacristy and confessional. In the early 1920’s, these wooden buildings were removed and the brick structure was extended to include the present sanctuary, sacristy and workroom.
A new bell was installed in the grounds and Archbishop Mannix travelled by rail from Melbourne to bless both the extensions and the bell. Prior to 1924, Winchelsea had a bell which locals regarded as inferior. The embarrassed parishioners called it “rather a tin can bell”.
In 1923 Fr W Packer C.S.S.R. conducted a mission here. There was great fervour generated by this event and Fr Hehir wondered if this zeal might be channelled towards the provision of a new and better quality bell, as a memento of the occasion. Fr Packer took up the idea eagerly, the congregation responded enthusiastically and the donations poured in quickly.
Fr Hehir immediately ordered a magnificent bell from O’Byrne’s of Dublin and it was shipped to Australia in time for the celebrations on the first Sunday in March 1924. Its total weight is over one ton, it sounds the note G and at the time of installation it was considered to be one of the finest bells in the country.
The blessing of a bell is a long and beautiful ceremony. The bell is christened and given a name. In Winchelsea, the bell is named John, after St John the Baptist making his heartfelt appeal in the desert.
Engraved on the side are the words:
“My name is John. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. Venite Adoramus.
Subscribed for by the Catholics of Winchelsea. Consecrated in 1924. The Archbishop being Dr. Mannix and the pastor Fr M Hehir.”
The bell tower (pictured above) was constructed by local blacksmith Mr Harry Schroeter. Under his direction the bell was hauled into position before the ceremony began, by a team of men using heavy ropes. When Dr Mannix came to bless the bell, he asked Mr Schroeter if it could be lowered to the ground again for the blessing ceremony. Mr Schroeter replied that if His Grace wished to sprinkle the bell with holy water he would have to climb the tower to do so.
The first marriage celebrated in the remodelled church was between Maisie Hole and Cliff Batson on 27.2.1924.
The extensions and subsequent beautifying of the grounds cost 1800 pounds, including the cost of the bell and the tower, which was 533 pounds 17 shillings and 5 pence. During the renovations the old wooden building which had served as the sacristy was moved down beside the stables. It later became known as O’Toole’s room, after an itinerant worker who spent some time here.
In the early 1920’s Fr Hehir purchased a Buick motor car. Cars were still a novelty in the town, as there were then only three in the district. The roads of course were not really suitable for motoring, particularly in winter. So when Father wished to travel to Inverleigh and Bannockburn, he would drive his car as far as Phillips’ farm, then Bill Phillips would take him the rest of the way in his buggy.
Before he had the car, Father used to drive around the parish in his own buggy and he often took members of his parish with him for company.
It was possibly during this period that Fr Hehir bought another block of land, bounded by Mercer, Harding and Austin Streets, with the intention of building a school. Bill Phillips carted bluestone pitchers and stacked them on the land. The children loved to play on them, but nothing else eventuated and later William Lowrey used many of the blocks to pave the stable floor on his property “Kenarda”, on the lnverleigh Road. The land was subsequently sold to Jim Lowrey in 1970.
Fr Hehir and his housekeeper, Miss Ada Bradley were obviously interested in gardening. The presbytery grounds were landscaped with lawns and flower beds and a fernery was built between the church and the presbytery.
It is known that Miss Bradley passed on hydrangea cuttings to her friend Mrs Kate Schroeter. Those plants, now 70 years old, still survive and thrive at 5 Willis St, which was then the Schroeter home. Another of Miss Bradley’s hobbies was painting with water colours, but unfortunately no examples of her art can now be found.
In 1928, after a brief illness, Miss Bradley died at Mrs Stephenson’s hospital in Willis St. and she was buried at the Winchelsea cemetery.
Her position as housekeeper was taken by Miss Eileen O’Brien who was a friend of the Hehir family. As well as caring for Fr Hehir, Miss O’Brien took on many other tasks, such as preparing the children for First Confession and Communion. She regularly rang the Angelus bell each day at noon. She also milked the presbytery cow when there were no willing parishioners on hand to do this chore.
In 1933 Fr Hehir’s health was apparently failing so Fr GELLIE was sent to assist him, but his stay was brief. Fr LYNCH replaced him and he remained until after Fr Hehir’s death in Epworth Hospital on 9.7.1934. He was buried at Winchelsea.
When Fr JOHN McDONNELL arrived, Miss O’Brien stayed on as housekeeper. Like many of Australia’s early priests, Fr McDonnell was a native of Ireland. In order to retain fluency in his native tongue, he recited the rosary each day in Gaelic. Father stayed for eight years. When he left for Brunswick, a change of policy seemed to take place at the Cathedral. In 30 years Winchelsea had only had two parish priests, but during the following thirty years our parish was to welcome no less than eight new pastors, many of them young men taking charge of their first parish.
1942-1966
Fr FRANCIS O’HANLON set about making his presence felt as soon as he arrived in our parish in 1942. He removed the fernery and the date palm tree from between the church and the presbytery and small hutches appeared under every available tree. Father was an animal lover and he kept lots of dogs, ferrets and ducks. He was also a familiar sight riding around town on a white horse called Silver.
Since Miss O’Brien had moved on with Fr McDonnell there was now no housekeeper, so the ladies of St John’s went regularly to clean and tidy the presbytery. One lady recalls with some indignation that she had just finished the task one day when Father arrived in and gave his two dogs a bath in the freshly cleaned bathroom.
Fr O’Hanlon moved to Mentone in 1944 and Fr FRANCIS CONLON came to Winchelsea. He was not in robust health, so Fr F NOLAN joined him as assistant. In July that year, on the tenth anniversary of Fr Hehir’s death, the two priests organised a memorial service at his graveside. Six priests and a large gathering of parishioners assembled to pray for their much loved former pastor. Fr Conlon then decided to extend the presbytery, making his own bedroom and office larger, with a new bathroom adjoining. He also installed a bay window in the sitting room.
Queen carnivals were evidently still popular. In 1945 the whole parish threw its weight behind a fund raising effort to raise money for the rebuilding of the Moriac church. A queen carnival was held, with young women representing each part of the parish. The representatives were: Winchelsea - Margaret Downes: Moriac - Rose Quigley: Inverleigh - Nan Allen: Bannockburn - Rita Ferry.
On December 10th Archbishop Mannix, accompanied by Rev A Fox, Dean O’Brien (Geelong), Frs Conlon and Nolan and other clergy attended the ball, where Rose Quigley was crowned queen. 1268 pounds was raised, of which the winner raised 430 pounds.
Next morning the Archbishop celebrated Mass and was then tendered a civic reception. All three churches were represented at each of these three functions.
It was only a few months later that parishioners arrived for Sunday Mass to find no sign of their parish priest. On investigation he was found dead on his bed.
Fr TOM KEOGH then came to take charge of our parish. He was a young energetic man, full of innovative ideas. The people, tired of wartime worry and austerity, entered into his schemes with enthusiasm. On one occasion a mock debutante ball was held. Another ball had a South Sea Island theme. Two race meetings were held at the Birregurra Racecourse in conjunction with the Birregurra parish.
Father made plans to turn the sadly neglected tennis court into a grass court, but he was sent to the new parish of Pascoe Vale before he could carry out his plan.
Fr ARTHUR HUNTER, a shy, retiring man, was a complete contrast to his predecessor. Quiet though he was, Father spent a busy five years in Winchelsea. The old St Patrick’s church at Mt Moriac was demolished in 1951 and a new church opened on the same site on 29.11.1953. Fr Hunter was also instrumental in providing Anglesea with its first church. He arranged for the old Teesdale church, no longer in use, to be moved to Anglesea. It served as the Mass centre until a new church was built some 14 years later.
Winchelsea’s next priest, Fr ALBERT RANDALL was again a contrasting character. At his first Sunday Mass (and suffering from a very heavy cold), he announced in ringing tones “The scourge of Drysdale is on you”. Fr Randall believed in good long sermons. They could last up to one hour, as parents of young children in the era well remember! Fr Randall and his housekeeper Mrs Keating moved on in 1959, replaced by Fr VIN COOLEY who was another priest with a gentle disposition. He and his housekeeper, Mrs Quinlivan lived very quietly until Father was transferred to Kingsville in 1962.
When Fr FRANC CASAMENTO arrived he immediately began making changes. All the big old pine trees which lined the Harding St boundary and around the corner into Mercer St., were removed by Joe Hayden and Les Newcombe from Barwon Downes, assisted by the local men. The whole of the area around the bell tower was then planted with native shrubs.
Father also had a dream that Winchelsea could support its own Catholic school. With this in mind, he directed the building of a hall between the church and the railway line, which was opened on 24.5.1964.
To raise the necessary finance, Father organised a sacrificial giving campaign. Although his dream of a school was never realised, the hall remains today as a great asset to our parish and our town.
Father then turned his attention to the presbytery interior - giving it a much needed overhaul, with fresh paint, wallpaper and carpets. A gifted pianist, Father loved to entertain visitors to the presbytery with a demonstration of his talents.
In the early 1960’s Winchelsea had an unusually large number of primary school aged boys, all eager to serve on the altar at Mass. Father could not bear to turn any away when they lined up on Sunday morning, so it was not uncommon to see him celebrate Mass, surrounded by as many as eight angelic looking small boys.
POST VATICAN COUNCIL YEARS
When Fr Casamento departed to Montmorency in 1966, his place was taken by Fr NOEL COLEMAN, who arrived driving a big American-style Chevrolet car. Until that time the priests had garaged their cars in the old stables, but Father decided that the building was no longer safe, so it was demolished, together with the old wooden building - O’Toole’s Room.
In their place a carport was erected, handy to the back door of the presbytery. A two-roomed flat for the housekeeper, Mrs Edna Perkins was erected nearby.
As soon as he arrived Father faced the challenge of building a new church at Anglesea. On 25.2.1968 St Christopher’s church was opened on its present site.
By the late sixties the winds of change, brought about by the Second Vatican Council were being felt throughout the Archdiocese. At St John’s, the sanctuary was remodelled to accommodate the celebration of Mass facing the people. The altar rails were removed and the first nervous volunteers (all female) began reading at Mass. The ladies also joined the men in “Taking Up The Collection”. This was still very much a novelty and was often remarked on by visitors at Sunday Mass.
In 1972 parishioners at St John’s decided that the interior of the church needed repainting - since money was short they would do the job themselves. A giant working bee was organised and each day who ever could spare the time went to the church and painted - including the ladies. In a fortnight the task was completed to everyone’s satisfaction.
Soon after this Fr JOHN McCARTHY arrived in Winchelsea. He announced to the congregation that his name was John Joseph Stanislaus McCarthy and he was another young priest full of enthusiasm and innovative ideas. He remained as administrator for seven months, until July 1973 when Fr JOHN SAUL was appointed to the parish.
Fr Saul was somewhat different to that which Winchelsea had become accustomed. It was indeed his first appointment as parish priest. Father had had a long and distinguished career as a Christian Brother and as a highly regarded teacher, before his ordination to the priesthood. In his methodical way, Father set about improving buildings around the parish.
At St John’s the Stations of the Cross were replaced, the choir stand and confessional removed, the baptismal font shifted, a nativity crib built in and new carpet fitted. The presbytery was restumped and given a new roof, the heating updated, the bathrooms modernised - and heating was installed in the church hall. (This was much appreciated by the whole community)
Father had hoped to live out his life among his parish family, but sadly his health deteriorated and in 1980 he retired to Geelong. His parishioners were most grateful to Monsignor James Murray for offering Father a home at St Mary of the Angels, where they could keep in contact with him. Living there, he was still able to fulfil many priestly duties. After his death in 1987 he returned to his parish and is peacefully at rest in Winchelsea cemetery.
After Fr Saul’s retirement, Fr ANTHONY EAMES came from Aspendale to join our parish community. He has been our second longest serving parish priest. Father is known for his keen interest in native flora, his love of travel and he is also widely recognised for his knowledge of ornithology. With his love of native plants, it was inevitable that on his arrival he would take an instant dislike to the remaining date palm in the grounds of the presbytery. He quickly arranged for its removal. Gradually all remaining cypress hedges were also removed and he planted hundreds of native trees and shrubs on our hectare of land, adding much to the beauty of our church property.
In August 1992 another page of our history was turned, when Fr Eames decided he could no longer cope with the demands of this widespread parish. He resigned from active ministry and retired to Anglesea.
Since then Winchelsea has had Fr Brian Quinn, Fr Gerry Fitzpatrick, Fr Wojtek Chuchala from St Mary’s Geelong until we joined the parish or Meredith in 2004.
Thanks to Margaret and Joe Kelly for their kind permission to use extracts from their book “St John the Baptist Winchelsea 1892 – 1992”.
The extensions and subsequent beautifying of the grounds cost 1800 pounds, including the cost of the bell and the tower, which was 533 pounds 17 shillings and 5 pence. During the renovations the old wooden building which had served as the sacristy was moved down beside the stables. It later became known as O’Toole’s room, after an itinerant worker who spent some time here.
In the early 1920’s Fr Hehir purchased a Buick motor car. Cars were still a novelty in the town, as there were then only three in the district. The roads of course were not really suitable for motoring, particularly in winter. So when Father wished to travel to Inverleigh and Bannockburn, he would drive his car as far as Phillips’ farm, then Bill Phillips would take him the rest of the way in his buggy.
Before he had the car, Father used to drive around the parish in his own buggy and he often took members of his parish with him for company.
It was possibly during this period that Fr Hehir bought another block of land, bounded by Mercer, Harding and Austin Streets, with the intention of building a school. Bill Phillips carted bluestone pitchers and stacked them on the land. The children loved to play on them, but nothing else eventuated and later William Lowrey used many of the blocks to pave the stable floor on his property “Kenarda”, on the lnverleigh Road. The land was subsequently sold to Jim Lowrey in 1970.
Fr Hehir and his housekeeper, Miss Ada Bradley were obviously interested in gardening. The presbytery grounds were landscaped with lawns and flower beds and a fernery was built between the church and the presbytery.
It is known that Miss Bradley passed on hydrangea cuttings to her friend Mrs Kate Schroeter. Those plants, now 70 years old, still survive and thrive at 5 Willis St, which was then the Schroeter home. Another of Miss Bradley’s hobbies was painting with water colours, but unfortunately no examples of her art can now be found.
In 1928, after a brief illness, Miss Bradley died at Mrs Stephenson’s hospital in Willis St. and she was buried at the Winchelsea cemetery.
Her position as housekeeper was taken by Miss Eileen O’Brien who was a friend of the Hehir family. As well as caring for Fr Hehir, Miss O’Brien took on many other tasks, such as preparing the children for First Confession and Communion. She regularly rang the Angelus bell each day at noon. She also milked the presbytery cow when there were no willing parishioners on hand to do this chore.
In 1933 Fr Hehir’s health was apparently failing so Fr GELLIE was sent to assist him, but his stay was brief. Fr LYNCH replaced him and he remained until after Fr Hehir’s death in Epworth Hospital on 9.7.1934. He was buried at Winchelsea.
When Fr JOHN McDONNELL arrived, Miss O’Brien stayed on as housekeeper. Like many of Australia’s early priests, Fr McDonnell was a native of Ireland. In order to retain fluency in his native tongue, he recited the rosary each day in Gaelic. Father stayed for eight years. When he left for Brunswick, a change of policy seemed to take place at the Cathedral. In 30 years Winchelsea had only had two parish priests, but during the following thirty years our parish was to welcome no less than eight new pastors, many of them young men taking charge of their first parish.
1942-1966
Fr FRANCIS O’HANLON set about making his presence felt as soon as he arrived in our parish in 1942. He removed the fernery and the date palm tree from between the church and the presbytery and small hutches appeared under every available tree. Father was an animal lover and he kept lots of dogs, ferrets and ducks. He was also a familiar sight riding around town on a white horse called Silver.
Since Miss O’Brien had moved on with Fr McDonnell there was now no housekeeper, so the ladies of St John’s went regularly to clean and tidy the presbytery. One lady recalls with some indignation that she had just finished the task one day when Father arrived in and gave his two dogs a bath in the freshly cleaned bathroom.
Fr O’Hanlon moved to Mentone in 1944 and Fr FRANCIS CONLON came to Winchelsea. He was not in robust health, so Fr F NOLAN joined him as assistant. In July that year, on the tenth anniversary of Fr Hehir’s death, the two priests organised a memorial service at his graveside. Six priests and a large gathering of parishioners assembled to pray for their much loved former pastor. Fr Conlon then decided to extend the presbytery, making his own bedroom and office larger, with a new bathroom adjoining. He also installed a bay window in the sitting room.
Queen carnivals were evidently still popular. In 1945 the whole parish threw its weight behind a fund raising effort to raise money for the rebuilding of the Moriac church. A queen carnival was held, with young women representing each part of the parish. The representatives were: Winchelsea - Margaret Downes: Moriac - Rose Quigley: Inverleigh - Nan Allen: Bannockburn - Rita Ferry.
On December 10th Archbishop Mannix, accompanied by Rev A Fox, Dean O’Brien (Geelong), Frs Conlon and Nolan and other clergy attended the ball, where Rose Quigley was crowned queen. 1268 pounds was raised, of which the winner raised 430 pounds.
Next morning the Archbishop celebrated Mass and was then tendered a civic reception. All three churches were represented at each of these three functions.
It was only a few months later that parishioners arrived for Sunday Mass to find no sign of their parish priest. On investigation he was found dead on his bed.
Fr TOM KEOGH then came to take charge of our parish. He was a young energetic man, full of innovative ideas. The people, tired of wartime worry and austerity, entered into his schemes with enthusiasm. On one occasion a mock debutante ball was held. Another ball had a South Sea Island theme. Two race meetings were held at the Birregurra Racecourse in conjunction with the Birregurra parish.
Father made plans to turn the sadly neglected tennis court into a grass court, but he was sent to the new parish of Pascoe Vale before he could carry out his plan.
Fr ARTHUR HUNTER, a shy, retiring man, was a complete contrast to his predecessor. Quiet though he was, Father spent a busy five years in Winchelsea. The old St Patrick’s church at Mt Moriac was demolished in 1951 and a new church opened on the same site on 29.11.1953. Fr Hunter was also instrumental in providing Anglesea with its first church. He arranged for the old Teesdale church, no longer in use, to be moved to Anglesea. It served as the Mass centre until a new church was built some 14 years later.
Winchelsea’s next priest, Fr ALBERT RANDALL was again a contrasting character. At his first Sunday Mass (and suffering from a very heavy cold), he announced in ringing tones “The scourge of Drysdale is on you”. Fr Randall believed in good long sermons. They could last up to one hour, as parents of young children in the era well remember! Fr Randall and his housekeeper Mrs Keating moved on in 1959, replaced by Fr VIN COOLEY who was another priest with a gentle disposition. He and his housekeeper, Mrs Quinlivan lived very quietly until Father was transferred to Kingsville in 1962.
When Fr FRANC CASAMENTO arrived he immediately began making changes. All the big old pine trees which lined the Harding St boundary and around the corner into Mercer St., were removed by Joe Hayden and Les Newcombe from Barwon Downes, assisted by the local men. The whole of the area around the bell tower was then planted with native shrubs.
Father also had a dream that Winchelsea could support its own Catholic school. With this in mind, he directed the building of a hall between the church and the railway line, which was opened on 24.5.1964.
To raise the necessary finance, Father organised a sacrificial giving campaign. Although his dream of a school was never realised, the hall remains today as a great asset to our parish and our town.
Father then turned his attention to the presbytery interior - giving it a much needed overhaul, with fresh paint, wallpaper and carpets. A gifted pianist, Father loved to entertain visitors to the presbytery with a demonstration of his talents.
In the early 1960’s Winchelsea had an unusually large number of primary school aged boys, all eager to serve on the altar at Mass. Father could not bear to turn any away when they lined up on Sunday morning, so it was not uncommon to see him celebrate Mass, surrounded by as many as eight angelic looking small boys.
POST VATICAN COUNCIL YEARS
When Fr Casamento departed to Montmorency in 1966, his place was taken by Fr NOEL COLEMAN, who arrived driving a big American-style Chevrolet car. Until that time the priests had garaged their cars in the old stables, but Father decided that the building was no longer safe, so it was demolished, together with the old wooden building - O’Toole’s Room.
In their place a carport was erected, handy to the back door of the presbytery. A two-roomed flat for the housekeeper, Mrs Edna Perkins was erected nearby.
As soon as he arrived Father faced the challenge of building a new church at Anglesea. On 25.2.1968 St Christopher’s church was opened on its present site.
By the late sixties the winds of change, brought about by the Second Vatican Council were being felt throughout the Archdiocese. At St John’s, the sanctuary was remodelled to accommodate the celebration of Mass facing the people. The altar rails were removed and the first nervous volunteers (all female) began reading at Mass. The ladies also joined the men in “Taking Up The Collection”. This was still very much a novelty and was often remarked on by visitors at Sunday Mass.
In 1972 parishioners at St John’s decided that the interior of the church needed repainting - since money was short they would do the job themselves. A giant working bee was organised and each day who ever could spare the time went to the church and painted - including the ladies. In a fortnight the task was completed to everyone’s satisfaction.
Soon after this Fr JOHN McCARTHY arrived in Winchelsea. He announced to the congregation that his name was John Joseph Stanislaus McCarthy and he was another young priest full of enthusiasm and innovative ideas. He remained as administrator for seven months, until July 1973 when Fr JOHN SAUL was appointed to the parish.
Fr Saul was somewhat different to that which Winchelsea had become accustomed. It was indeed his first appointment as parish priest. Father had had a long and distinguished career as a Christian Brother and as a highly regarded teacher, before his ordination to the priesthood. In his methodical way, Father set about improving buildings around the parish.
At St John’s the Stations of the Cross were replaced, the choir stand and confessional removed, the baptismal font shifted, a nativity crib built in and new carpet fitted. The presbytery was restumped and given a new roof, the heating updated, the bathrooms modernised - and heating was installed in the church hall. (This was much appreciated by the whole community)
Father had hoped to live out his life among his parish family, but sadly his health deteriorated and in 1980 he retired to Geelong. His parishioners were most grateful to Monsignor James Murray for offering Father a home at St Mary of the Angels, where they could keep in contact with him. Living there, he was still able to fulfil many priestly duties. After his death in 1987 he returned to his parish and is peacefully at rest in Winchelsea cemetery.
After Fr Saul’s retirement, Fr ANTHONY EAMES came from Aspendale to join our parish community. He has been our second longest serving parish priest. Father is known for his keen interest in native flora, his love of travel and he is also widely recognised for his knowledge of ornithology. With his love of native plants, it was inevitable that on his arrival he would take an instant dislike to the remaining date palm in the grounds of the presbytery. He quickly arranged for its removal. Gradually all remaining cypress hedges were also removed and he planted hundreds of native trees and shrubs on our hectare of land, adding much to the beauty of our church property.
In August 1992 another page of our history was turned, when Fr Eames decided he could no longer cope with the demands of this widespread parish. He resigned from active ministry and retired to Anglesea.
Since then Winchelsea has had Fr Brian Quinn, Fr Gerry Fitzpatrick, Fr Wojtek Chuchala from St Mary’s Geelong until we joined the parish or Meredith in 2004.
Thanks to Margaret and Joe Kelly for their kind permission to use extracts from their book “St John the Baptist Winchelsea 1892 – 1992”.