THE LARGE RURAL CITY OF DUBBO IS A COMMERCIAL AND AN ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRE AS WELL AS ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S FASTEST-GROWING INLAND MUNICIPALITIES. LOCATED ON THE MACQUARIE RIVER IT IS NOTABLE FOR ITS ACTIVE COMMUNITY LIFE REFLECTIVE OF THE TOWN'S POPULATION OF ABOUT 38000. DUBBO WAS PROCLAIMED A VILLAGE IN 1849 AND THOUGH DEVELOPMENT WAS INITIALLY SLOW IT BENEFITTED FROM BEING LOCATED JUST OFF THE GREAT NORTH ROAD THUS BVECOMING A MAJOR TRADING POST. BY 1872 IT HAD BECOME THE MAJOR MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE CENTRE FOR MUCH OF WESTERN NEW SOUTH WALES A PROCESS TO WHICH THE ARRIVAL OF THE RAILWAY IN 1881 FURTHER CONTRIBUTED. DUBBO HAS KNOWN CONSIDERABLE GROWTH SINCE WORLD WAR II WITH ITS POPULATION QUADRUPLING SINCE 1947 LEADING TO ITS BEING DECLARED A CITY IN 1966.

DUBBO WAS ESTABLISHED AS A PARISH IN 1865 AND IS THEREFORE ONE OF THE OLDEST IN THE DIOCESE. ORIGINALLY ITS AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY EXTENDED TO THE FAR WEST OF THE STATE BUT THIS WAS GRADUALLY REDUCED TO THE TOWN AND ITS HINTERLAND WITH STATIONS AT BALLIMORE, WONGARBON, GEURIE, EUMUNGERIE AND BENI. DURING THE MID 1900's DUBBO ITSELF WAS DIVIDED WITH NEW PARISHES BEING FORMED IN NORTH DUBBO (1953) AND SOUTH DUBBO (1964). FINALLY A CHURCH/SCHOOL WAS OPENED IN WEST DUBBO IN 1972. DUE TO A DECLINE IN VOCATIONS NORTH DUBBO WAS CLOSED IN 1987 AND SOUTH DUBBO SUPPRESSED IN 2008 THUS RECREATING A UNIFIED DUBBO PARISH IN THAT YEAR.

DUBBO'S ORIGINAL CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS ERECTED DURING 1854-56 ON LOT 7 MACQUARIE STREET. IT WAS A PIT-SAWN SLAB TIMBER CHURCH DEDICATED TO ST BRIDGET AND HELD ABOUT 20-30 PEOPLE. DURING THE NEXT THIRTEEN YEARS IT SERVED THE VILLAGE FIRST AS A MASS CENTRE AND THEN AFTER 1865 AS THE PARISH CHURCH. BY THE LATE 1860's THE NUMBER OF LOCAL CATHOLICS HAD GROWN AND PLANS WERE MADE FOR A MORE SUBSTANTIAL CHURCH ON A NEW SITE. THEN IN 1869, WHILE THE NEW CHURCH WAS LITTLE MORE THAN A SHELL THE OLD CHURCH BLEW DOWN DURING A FREAK GALE.

AS THE NEW CHURCH WAS INCOMPLETE MASSES WERE HELD AT THE PRESBYTERY UNTIL THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW BOYS SCHOOL ON CARRINGTON STREET (>>>>). ST ALOYSIUS SERVED AS INTERIM CHURCH UNTIL 1874 WHEN THE SECOND ST BRIDGET'S WAS FINISHED.

WORK ON A SECOND ST BRIDGET'S (THE SPELLING USED IN EARLY CATHOLIC DIRECTORIES) BEGAN IN 1869 ON A SITE IN BRISBANE STREET ACQUIRED IN 1863. THE CHURCH HAD BEEN DESIGNED BY THE UNOFFICIAL DIOCESAN ARCHITECT, EDWARD GELL, AND BEARS A CLOSE AFFINITY WITH THE CHURCH AT CARCOAR ALSO DESIGNED AND BUILT BY GELL IN 1870. FROM ITS INCEPTION THE CHURCH WAS PLAGUED WITH DIFFICULTIES. THE EARLY DESIGN HAD TO BE REDUCED IN SIZE AS PARISH FINANCES WERE INSUFFICIENT AND IN MAY 1870 AFTER THE EXTERIOR WALLS HAD BEEN CONSTRUCTED WORK CEASED ALTOGETHER AS MONEY HAD RUN OUT. IT WAS TO REMAIN THAT WAY FOR THREE YEARS UNTIL FINALLY, AFTER BEING ABANDONED BY ONE CONTRACTOR, THE CHURCH WAS COMPLETED IN LATE 1873 THEN OFFICIALLY OPENED BY BISHOP QUINN IN MARCH 1874. STAINED GLASS WINDOWS WERE ADDED IN 1876, A CHANCEL AND SACRISTY IN 1880, THE TRANSEPTS IN 1906. DESPITE THESE EARLY PROBLEMS THE CHURCH AS FINISHED WAS A FINE EXEMPLAR OF COLONIAL GOTHIC. TODAY OLD ST BRIGID'S IS USED FOR THE PARISH HALL.

(ABOVE LEFT) THE SHELL OF THE SECOND ST BRIGID'S AS IT STOOD FROM 1870 WHEN WORK STOPPED TO 1873 AND (ABOVE RIGHT) THE CHURCH AS COMPLETED IN 1874. THE CLOSE AFFINITY WITH THE DESIGN OF GELL'S CARCOAR CHURCH IS OBVIOUS IN BOTH THESE PHOTOS.

(ABOVE LEFT) THE FINAL APPEARANCE OF OLD ST BRIGID'S IN 1950 AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE CHANCEL AND SACRISTY IN 1880 AND TRANSEPTS IN 1906. COMPARE THIS PHOTO WITH THE CHURCH IN 2008 (ABOVE RIGHT) CLEARLY UNALTERED FROM ITS APPEARANCE IN 1950.

(ABOVE LEFT) THE VIEW FROM THE NORTH-EAST SHOWING THE ENLARGED NAVE AND CHANCEL TO THE LEFT AND THE NORTH TRANSEPT IN THE FOREGROUND. THE GROWING NEED FOR MORE SPACE IS EVIDENT IN THE LATER EXTENSION OF THE TRANSEPT MARKED BY A CHANGE IN STYLE AND STONEWORK. (ABOVE RIGHT) THE JOIN BETWEEN THE 1873 NAVE AND 1906 TRANSEPT SHOWING AN EXACT MATCH OF STYLE.

UNDOUBTEDLY THE TREASURE OF OLD ST BRIGID'S WAS ITS MAGNIFICENT STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS THE CENTREPIECE OF WHICH WAS OF COURSE THE GREAT EAST WINDOW (<<<<) SHOWING ST BRIGID (c) FLANKED BY ST JAMES (l) AND ST PAUL (r). THE LATER TRANSEPTS LACKED THE SAME GLASS EXCEPT FOR A QUATREFOIL IN EACH SHOWING RESPECTIVELY THE SACRED HEART AND THE IMMACULATE HEART (>>>>).

VIEWED ABOVE ARE FIVE OF THE SERIES OF VICTORIAN GLASS DOUBLE LIGHT NAVE WINDOWS WHICH REPRESENT SAINTS OF THE CHURCH.

MORE OF THE NAVE WINDOWS TOGETHER WITH A SAMPLE OF THE TRANSEPT WINDOWS AND A STATUE OF ST BRIGID ONCE IN THE CHURCH.

(ABOVE CENTRE) A VIEW OF THE NAVE LOOKING TOWARDS THE ROSE WINDOW GIVEN BY DUNCAN MACKILLOP, UNCLE OF BLESSED MARY MACKILLOP. ON EITHER SIDE ARE THE WESTERN 'HOLY WOMEN' WINDOWS REPRESENTING STS MARGARET, CATHERINE, HELEN AND AGNES.

BY THE 1980's PRESSURE ON AVAILABLE SPACE IN THE OLD CHURCH ORIGINALLY BUILT TO SEAT 300 HAD REACHED BREAKING POINT SO THE DECISION WAS TAKEN TO BUILD A LARGE 900-SEAT CHURCH DESIGNED BY BILL AND DAN GIBBONS OF SYDNEY. THE DESIGN IS A UNIQUE ONE WHICH CULMINATES IN A SWEEPING ROOF LINE WHICH SOARS UPWARD TO A DOMINATING OPEN STEEL-FRAME STEEPLE.

THE CHURCH'S INTERIOR HAS BEEN VERY MUCH INFLUENCED BY IDEAS FLOWING OUT OF THE CHANGES INITIATED BY VATICAN II.

ENTRANCE IS MADE VIA A NARTHEX WHICH ALSO CONTAINS A TRADITIONALLY PLACED BAPTISTRY. THE SLOPING FLOOR AND FAN-SHAPE OF THE NAVE WERE DESIGNED FOR FACILITATING THE 'ACTIVE PARTICIPATION' OF THE LAITY. WITHIN THE AMPHITHEATRE OF THE NAVE IS SET AN OPEN SANCTUARY DOMINATED BY THE SOLID GRANITE ALTAR 'STONE' WHILE RIGHT AND LEFT ARE THE CELEBRANT'S CHAIR, BROUGHT FROM THE OLD CHURCH, AND THE AMBO DECORATED WITH THE ST BRIGID'S CROSS. ABOVE IT IS THE SCULPTURE OF CHRIST RISEN BY ALEX KOLOZSY IMPOSED ON AN OUTLINE CROSS.

SET WITHIN A NICHE ON THE NORTH SIDE IS A SCULPTURE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND INFANT BY THE PERTH SCULPTOR GERARD DARWIN WHILE ON THE SOUTH SIDE IS THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL. THERE ARE SEVERAL MODERN STAINED GLASS STRIP WINDOWS USING MOTIFS FROM THE BUSH FLORA OF AUSTRALIA FILLING BOTH WALLS.

(ABOVE LEFT) THE SLOPING NAVE LOOKING TOWARDS THE SANCTUARY AND THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL AND (ABOVE RIGHT) THE SOLID GRANITE BOULDER FROM EUGOWRA RECALLING THE 'MASS STONE' USED DURING PENAL TIMES BY IRISH CATHOLICS. BELOW FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ARE THE PULPIT-LIKE AMBO MARKED BY A ST BRIGID'S CROSS, THE 'RISEN CHRIST' CRUCIFIX AND THE 'MADONNA AND CHILD'.

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL HAS BEEN SET ASIDE AS A SPACE FOR PRIVATE PRAYER AND DEVOTION. LOCATED ON THE LITURGICAL SOUTH SIDE OF THE NAVE IT CONSISTS OF SEVERAL ITEMS DESIGNED TO FURTHER THIS DEVOTION OF THE LAITY. AMONG THESE ARE THE SET OF SCRIPTURAL STATIONS OF THE CROSS (ABOVE RIGHT) SCULPTED BY GERARD DARWIN, WHO ALSO MADE THE MADONNA AND CHILD. THE TABERNACLE IS MOUNTED ON A GRANITE STAND WHILE THE HAND CARVED CRUCIFIX NEXT TO IT WAS TRANSFERRED FROM THE OLD ST BRIGID'S CHURCH. THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS CONTINUE THE THEMES OF AUSTRALIA'S BUSH FLORA TO BE SEEN IN THE MAIN CHURCH.

UNUSUALLY FOR A CHURCH DESIGNED AROUND MODERN LITURGICAL PRINCIPLES, THE BAPTISTRY (BELOW LEFT) WITH ITS WALK-IN GRANITE FONT IS LOCATED TRADITIONALLY AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CHURCH THUS SYMBOLISING THE PASSAGE OF THE SOUL FROM THE OLD LIFE TO THE NEW VIA THE WATERS OF BAPTISM WHICH ARE ALSO REPRESENTED ON THE STAINED GLASS BAPTISTRY WINDOW (BELOW RIGHT).