1963
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PARRAMATTA
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PARISH OF ST BERNADETTE DUNDAS VALLEY |
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FOUNDED 1963 |
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DIOCESE PARRAMATTA |
| PARISH CHURCH |
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PARISH CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE |
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| PARISH | CHURCH |
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| PARISH |
| UNTIL THE 60's THE AREA OF DUNDAS VALLEY AND CARLINGFORD WAS A SPARSELY POPULATED SEMI-RURAL DISTRICT. BEGINNING IN 1955 HOWEVER THE HOUSING COMMISSION COMMENCED DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA AND THE SUBURB EXPANDED RAPIDLY FROM THEN ON. TODAY DUNDAS IS A POPULAR RESIDENTIAL AREA SET AMIDST BUSHLAND IN SYDNEY'S NORTH-WEST CORRIDOR. DUNDAS VALLEY AND CARLINGFORD BOTH BEGAN LIFE AS PART OF RYDALMERE PARISH. WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE HOUSING COMMISSION DEVELOPMENT IT WAS DECIDED TO BUILD A PARISH SCHOOL DEDICATED TO ST BERNADETTE IN 1958. IN 1960 DUNDAS AND CARLINGFORD BECAME A SEPARATE PARISH USING A SCOUT HALL IN PENNANT HILLS RD IN DUNDAS VALLEY AS THE MASS CENTRE. THREE YEARS LATER DUNDAS WAS SEPARATED FROM CARLINGFORD AND BECAME A PARISH IN ITS OWN RIGHT. NEXT |
 | CHURCH |
| WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PARISH IN 1963 IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT A PERMANENT MASS CENTRE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO REPLACE THE SCOUT HALL USED UNTIL THEN AND THE NEW CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE WAS OPENED IN 1965 ALTHOUGH THE FIRST MASS WAS SAID ON CHRISTMAS EVE 1964. ESSENTIALLY A LARGE HALL CHURCH SUCH AS WERE COMMON IN THE RAPID EXPANSION OF THE 1960's, ITS MOST ATTRACTIVE FEATURE IS THE SANDSTONE WALLED PORCH WITH THE RELIEF STATUES OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES AND ST BERNADETTE. NEXT | |
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| THE DESIGN OF THE CHURCH CAN BEST BE DESCRIBED AS MODERN TRADITIONAL CONSISTING OF A WIDE AISLESS NAVE FOCUSED FORWARD TOWARDS THE SANCTUARY. LARGE SQUARE SIDE WINDOWS PROVIDE PLENTY OF LIGHT WHILE NARROW STRIP WINDOWS PROVIDE SOME DECORATIVE EFFECT TO THE WESTERN FACADE. IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH IS A LARGE FREE-STANDING OPEN-FRAME STEEPLE AND CROSS PROCLAIMING THE CHURCH'S MISSION. THE CHURCH IS SET AMIDST NATIVE BUSH, A REMINDER OF DUNDAS' RELATIVELY RECENT DEVELOPMENT. TOP |  |
