St Joseph’s added another milestone to its history when its newly renovated buildings were officially opened on Sunday, but a group of parishioners has been working to keep the church’s history alive.
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Inside what was the old church stables, a room has been set aside to house the historical archive.
For almost five years, a team of three church volunteers has been meeting every week to collate relics, photographs and documents tracing the history of the church back to the 1840s.
Russell Anderson said the first St Joseph’s church was located on the corner of Kelp and Timor streets where the bowls club now sits.
“When Warrnambool was gazetted as a town, a fellow came from Sydney and drew up a plan. He could only stay a couple of days and he did the Warrnambool grid,” Mr Anderson said.
“The Catholic church asked for land out of the survey and they were given the corner block, and that’s where they built the church.”
In 1849, a timber slab church was built facing Kelp Street and serviced Warrnambool’s population of about 300 people – the count did not include the Aboriginal people, Mr Anderson said.
Mr Russell said the church then asked for land at the current site so they could build a new church and school. It was during a time when government had stated to place an emphasis on education, he said.
“If it was just a church, they mightn’t have got it, but because it was for a school,” Mr Anderson said.
The Catholic church and school were built in 1956, but they soon outgrew it and the current church was opened in the late 1860s - the tower and spire added about 20 years later in 1889.
Just over a decade later in 1903, Warrnambool was struck by two earthquakes which caused severe damage to buildings including the spire at St Joseph’s.
The earthquake had caused the steeple to sway and there were fears it would collapse. A large stone was dislodged and fell to the ground. When the damage was repaired, the spire was reduced by 13 feet. “The hall (former church) used to have a bell tower, but the earthquake damaged it and it was reduced,” Mr Anderson said.
Among the items in the archive room are historical photos, old finance books, a collection box dating back to the 1880s and an historic bell.
They have also kept samples of flooring and tile, power switches and electric wiring from renovations to the church in 2007.
“History is ongoing. It never finishes really. This will be something for other generations,” Mr Anderson said.
