FOLLOWING THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE PATRICIAN BROTHERS FROM THEIR THREE SCHOOLS IN THE DIOCESE OF BATHURST BISHOP O'FARRELL PETITIONED THE DE LA SALLE BROTHERS TO TAKE OVER FROM THEM. AT THIS TIME HOWEVER THERE WERE INSUFFICIENT BROTHERS TO ACCEDE TO THIS REQUEST AND IT WAS ONLY IN 1929 THAT THREE BROTHERS WERE ABLE TO COME TO BATHURST AND BEGIN TEACHING AT ST PATRICK'S SCHOOL WHICH HAD BEEN IN THE CARE OF THE SISTERS OF MERCY SINCE THE PATRICIAN BROTHERS DEPARTURE. THE DE LA SALLE BROTHERS MAINTAINED THE WELL DESERVED REPUTATION OF ST PATRICK'S UNTIL 1962 WHEN FOLLOWING THE REORGANISATION OF THEIR OWN COMMITTMENTS THEY FELT COMPELLED TO DEPART BATHURST PASSING THE BATON ONCE AGAIN TO THE SISTERS OF MERCY.

ST PATRICK'S HAD BEEN A PATRICIAN BROTHERS FOUNDATION FROM 1884 TO 1924. THE SCHOOL WAS LATER STAFFED BY THE SISTERS OF MERCY UNTIL 1929. IN THAT YEAR THE BROTHERS ARRIVED TO FIND A TWO-STORY BUILDING (^^^) ON THE CORNER OF GEORGE AND KEPPELL STREETS WHICH WAS THEN A MERE TWENTY YEARS OLD. IT WAS TO SERVE AS THE BROTHER'S SCHOOL THROUGHOUT THEIR PERIOD IN BATHURST. THE SCHOOL WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TAKEN IN HAND BY THE MERCY SISTERS UNTIL THE 1970's FOLLOWING WHICH IT WAS CLOSED AND THE BUILDING DEMOLISHED TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE CHANCERY.

ST PATRICK'S MONASTERY HAD BEEN ERECTED IN 1886 FOR THE USE OF THE PATRICIAN BROTHERS AND DULY BECAME THE HOME OF THE DE LA SALLE BROTHERS ON THEIR ARRIVAL IN BATHURST IN 1929. IT WOULD BE THEIR RESIDENCE OVER THE NEXT THIRTY-THREE YEARS. FOLLOWING THE BROTHERS' DEPARTURE THE BUILDING WAS USED AS A TEMPORARY CONVENT FOR SOME TIME BY THE SISTERS OF MERCY. THE LOVELY VICTORIAN STRUCTURE WAS THEN TAKEN OVER BY THE DIOCESE AND SUBSEQUENTLY FULLY RENOVATED TO SERVE FOR THE NEW DIOCESAN CHANCERY A ROLE IT FULFILLS TO THE PRESENT DAY.

MUCH INFORMATION AND SOME OF THE HISTORICAL PHOTOS FOR THIS PAGE ARE TAKEN FROM THE GOLDEN JUBILEE HISTORY OF THE PROVINCE THE DE LA SALLE BROTHERS IN AUSTRALIA BY BROTHER ALOYSIUS FSC. IT IS HERE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWEDGED.