Crossley group says major St Brigid's works 'a long way off'

Friends of St Brigid’s Crossley are still trying to pay for the historic site since taking it over in 2010 following a long public battle with the Catholic Church. 

Chairman Dennis Bushell said the group, which held its annual general meeting last month, was paying off its mortgage.

“We’ve still got debts of over $190,000 ... it’s no secret that this time last year we were broke but we’ve got a bit of money in the bank now,” Mr Bushell said.

“We’re hoping one day we might get a big bequest.” 

The events calendar has quietly been filling with more music, birthdays and weddings giving hope to the group’s finances. 

The regular ‘15 minutes of fame’ nights have also boosted their coffers. “It’s all building up slowly,” he said. 

Tennis courts are being restored on the grounds while the Crossley’s men’s shed will add more toilets and facilities to the precinct. 

Group member Teresa O’Brien said fixing the church ceiling would be the next hurdle for the friends. 

Earlier this year it was inspected by restoration specialists. “There’s nothing wrong with it structurally, it’s just the age,” Ms O’Brien said. “The roof might be another 12 to 18 months. That’ll be about $200,000 to $300,000.”

The renovation will likely require state government grants. 

The committee is also maintaining a vision to build the country’s first Australian-Irish cultural and heritage centre (Tobar na Gael). 

“The Irish government has put money forward. They usually put forward $10,000 to $15,000 each year,” she said.

“Other years it’s been less. 

“We may look at other funding means. For the time being we just need to keep the mortgage payments up, but it requires a lot of work from a few people.”