Parish of Meredith
Meredith, Winchelsea, Anakie,
Bannockburn, Elaine, Inverleigh and Lethbridge
Parish History
How Our Parish Started
As early as 1845 priests from the Geelong Mission were visiting the area. The first Mass Station in Meredith was at the home of Mr.John Campion. According to local legend the first Mass celebrated in Meredith was at the home of Mr.John Campion by Fr.Patrick Smyth. Fr.Smyth was attached to St.Mary‘s Geelong as assistant priest for three months from late November 1852, to February 1853, before being transferred. The district of Meredith until 1859, was part of St.Mary‘s Geelong. It was later transferred to and served from Ballarat. When Ballarat was created a separate diocese from Melbourne, in 1874, Meredith and Elaine were transferred back to Geelong, and arrangements made to form a parish between Ballarat and Geelong. In March, 1875, the Parish of Meredith, made up of Meredith, Elaine, Lethbridge, Anakie, Darriwil and Steiglitz was established. Lal Lal was added as a Mass centre in 1909 and the original Catholic church from Lethbridge was moved there in 1914. The first Catholic church was built in Meredith c1860 during Dean.Hayes‘ pastorate at St.Mary‘s, Geelong. The church stood facing the highway, on a block that extended through to Read Street. The land was sold to the Wells family in the time of Fr.O‘Carroll, who was Parish priest from 1942-1950. The original church, was used as a groom‘s room and to accommodate the buggy, and later housed the 32 volt lighting plant. The present St.Joseph‘s church was built in 1890 by Smith Bros and R.Dudderidge. Opened and dedicated by Archdeacon Slattery on the Feast of the Assumption, 15th August, 1890, the church was extended and the sanctuary enlarged for the English Mass in 1966. This work was carried out by Messrs Alex. McDonald and John. Vanstan.
PRESBYTERY
The first presbytery was built in 1878 for Fr.J.L.Hegarty, the founding priest of our parish. Fr.Hegarty rented a house, believed to have been on the corner of Staughton and McLeod Streets, between the Public Hall and the Meredith Hotel, before moving into the presbytery. The original presbytery building was built of bluestone on the present site. The bluestone was removed and replaced by timber during the remodelling of the building in 1898/99. The stone was stacked on the church property and advertised for sale.
Mr.Charles Davis eventually purchased the stone, which he used to build a house on the corner of Taylor‘s Rd, and the Steiglitz Rd. The building presently unoccupied, is still standing minus a roof.
The weatherboard presbytery was sold for removal in 1960. It was bought and re-erected in Meredith by Mr.Maurice.Stanley. Located on the Morrison‘s Road, near the corner of the Midland Highway, the house is currently vacant.
The present brick presbytery was built during the time of Fr.C.J.McCarthy, at a cost of six thousand pounds. It was blessed and opened by the late Archbishop. Justin Simmonds, on 24th November, 1961.
The architect and builder was Mr.Alex McDonald, assisted by Mr.John Vanstan.
PARISH HALL
St.Joseph‘s Hall was built in 1905, by Smith Bros and Dudderidge at a cost of four hundred pounds. The hall was used for parish activities, including the C.Y.M.S., and the Catholic Rural Movement. For many years the parish social committee conducted dances, euchre parties and Balls in the hall. After lying idle for a period St.Joseph‘s Hall became the headquarters of the First Meredith Scout Group, which was formed in May, 1974. The hall was sold in 1985, to reduce parish debt.
ST.JOSEPH‘S SCHOOL
The first Catholic school in Meredith was opened in the old church building in 1861. This was a private school, and as such did not qualify for State Aid. The school closed in 1866, when the teacher Miss Stow married Matthew Gargan. It was not until 1890 that the Catholic school was reopened again in the old church. The school was given registration number 519. A new school was built in 1912 and continued until closed at the end of 1970. It was moved to Elaine in 1939, returning to Meredith in 1943.During this period the Catholic children from Meredth travelled by train to attend the school. The original church/school building was moved behind the site of the present garage at St.Joseph‘s. It was removed some years ago.
The unedited newspaper reports of events and happenings, has been put together, to help the reader gain an appreciation of how parish life has evolved for over the last century and a quarter.
Recollections
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN‘S SOCIETY
The C.Y.M.S. was formed in the early 1900‘s during the pastorate of Fr.Michael Murphy.
For a period spanning more than 3 decades this enthusiastic and energetic group of men, ably supported by the ladies auxiliary presided over the most intense period of activity the parish has ever experienced.
Two of the success stories were the building of the St.Joseph‘s Hall and a new St.Joseph‘s school.
The group came together fortnightly in the hall and with the meeting formalities out of the way a lively debate was usually engaged in, during which the chairman adjudged the winning team.
At the meetings held in March, 1910 the topics were:- “Should batchelors pay tax”, and Sing, recite, tell a story or pay 3d, where it was reported that most of the members stood the penalty.
A variety of speakers including prominent members of the legal profession accepted invitations to address the society. The St.Patrick‘s Day sports meeting held at the Meredith Recreation Reserve was an initiative of this group. In the 1930‘s deck tennis and cards were a popular entertainment.
Mr.Matthew Stow the long serving secretary/treasurer of the C.Y.M.S., always brought the books for Robert Gargan to audit on the night of the annual meeting. He would say come on Robert hurry up or all the members will be gone home.
In later years with the demise of the C.Y.M.S., St.Joseph‘s Social Club was established, with Mary Brady as secretary, a position she held for a record 28 years.
This group organised several events. St Patrick‘s and New Years Eve were important dance nights on the social scene held in St.Joseph‘s Hall, that were always kept free by other organizations in the area.
Fortnightly euchre parties and concerts were among the entertainments held.
NATIONAL CATHOLIC RURAL MOVEMENT.
This group originated in the 1930‘s when Fr.Clifford was parish priest of Meredith. Jack Gargan, Tom Lynch, Vincent Lynch, Ken Leverett, Cecil and Ted Beggs all belonged to this organization set up to keep the members advised regarding markets and all things pertaining to the man on the land.Farmers were experiencing tough times in the 1930‘s and the movement was meant to provide an information forum to assist them.
The movement was still in existence in the late 1940‘s when Fr.O‘Carroll was parish priest.
While sitting through one long winded address, by an invited guest, with high qualifications, lecturing on how they should be running their farms, Fr.Egan became bored and nudged Tom Lynch, prompting him to ask the speaker “If he had ever been within a mile of a cow pat in his life”.MEREDITH
RECOLLECTIONS. By Margaret & Lou McCormack
Lou and I came to Meredith in May,1985. Where we live is a former Soldier Settlement property, which was developed by the Stephen family. I was very happy to move so close to the church, enabling us to participate in all the ceremonies, especially at Easter. We were made very welcome by the people of St.Joseph‘s, and have spent a very happy and fruitful time in the parish.
MORE MEREDITH RECOLLECTIONS.
Mis Kitty Byrne and her brothers, Paddy and Jim used to travel from Possum Point to Mass in a horse and gig. When they were no longer able,they hired Jack or Bill Shell to pick them up for the journey to Meredith. When Kitty died, she left a large bequest to St.Joseph‘s, which was used to build the presbytery. One parishioner recalls Paddy, then an old man walking from Possum Point to Meredith one Holy Day of Obligation, finding on his arrival that he had the wrong day. In the late 1950‘s Constable H.W.(Jack) Powles and his wife Carmen arrived in the parish. Jack was stationed at Meredith for 23 years and ran a “Tight Ship”. He was the last Mounted Policeman appointed to Meredith. Jack was part of the Royal Mounted Escort for the visit of Queen Elizabeth 11 in 1954. Jack and Carmen were great workers for St.Joseph‘s parish and school, where six of their seven children attended. The arrival of the Soldier Settlers in the 1950‘s, swelled the parish numbers at St.Joseph‘s school. Famlies we remember well are Cook, Stephen, Williams, Concannon, Ryan, Phillips, Mohr, Black and Perdrisat. Mrs.O‘Donohue who lived across the road from the present kindergarten was a tireless worker in the parish community. She always remembered the birthday of young children at St.Joseph‘s, rewarding them with a bag of lollies. Sadly Mrs.”Donnie” collapsed and died in the church porch just before Midnight Mass, in the 1960‘s.
The Teggelove family arrived from Melbourne in 1957. They bought and operated the Meredith Post Office, the telephone still being manually operated. Mary Brady worked for them and delivered the mail around the town, first on a push bike, and then in her car. It was always watch out for Mary! Mary was another tireless worker for the church and wider community. She loved life and nothing better than getting up to tricks. In the 1960‘s and 70‘s St.Joseph‘s was filled with young families and teenagers. Some who come to mind- Nolans, Black, Powles, Hawkins, Perdrisat, Crowe, Parkinson, McGrath, Sellars, O‘Brien, Cleary, Gargan, Barrett, Bongiorno, Cole, McMahon and Anglin. None of these children are now around Meredith, lack of job opportunities taking them away, mainly to cities, even Interstate and Overseas. Kevin Parkinson recalls taking over the Garage in 1966 and customers being 80% rural, with the remainder wage earners. Upon his retirement 30 years later it became the reverse. Many people settled on bush blocks and commuted to town. The new homes in the township are not bringing many new parishioners. The mid 70‘s and 80‘s saw losses to Meredith with Lands Department, C.R.B. Depot, Railway Ganger‘s homes and Engineering Works all sold, losing more parishioners. The 1980‘s saw the arrival of the Happy Hens Egg Farm and Colla famlies.