THE PATRICIAN BROTHERS COMMENCED WORK IN THE DIOCESE OF BATHURST IN 1885 AT THE INVITATION OF BISHOP QUINN WHO IN 1882 HAD VISITED IRELAND SEEKING RELIGIOUS TO TEACH IN HIS SCHOOLS, AMONG THEM THE BROTHERS OF ST PATRICK. ON ARRIVING THEY TOOK CHARGE OF THE FORMER BOY'S DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOL (BELOW LEFT) WHICH WAS THEN RENAMED ST PATRICK'S. IN DUE COURSE A TWO-STORY MONASTERY WAS ERECTED FOR THE BROTHER'S USE IN 1887. IN SPITE OF OVERCROWDING AND STAFFING PROBLEMS THE SCHOOL PROVED QUITE SUCCESSFUL. UNFORTUNATELY THE BROTHERS DEPARTURE FROM BATHURST WAS TO BE LESS CORDIAL THAN THEIR ARRIVAL AS THE BROTHERS' AUTONOMY AND THE BISHOP'S AUTHORITY CAME INTO CONFLICT AS IT HAD IN MAITLAND AND OTHER DIOCESES. UNABLE TO SATISFACTORILY RESOLVE THIS ISSUE THE BROTHERS' SADLY TOOK THE DECISION TO DEPART FROM BOTH TOWN AND DIOCESE IN 1924. THEY WERE REPLACED INITIALLY AS TEACHERS BY THE BATHURST SISTERS OF MERCY AND THEN FROM 1929 BY THE DE LA SALLE BROTHERS

INITIALLY THE BROTHERS LIVED IN A RENTED HOME 'SOME DISTANCE FROM THE SCHOOL'. THIS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE KELK RESIDENCE WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN PLACED AT THEIR DISPOSAL ON ARRIVAL. ST PATRICK'S MONASTERY WAS BUILT IN 1886 AND OCCUPIED BY THE BROTHERS DURING 1867. IT WAS A HANDSOME TWO-STORY VICTORIAN BUILDING WITH WROUGHT-IRON BALCONIES (BELOW IN 1896) AND WAS LOCATED NEXT TO THE SCHOOL IN GEORGE STREET. IT PASSED IN 1929 TO THE DE LA SALLE BROTHERS AND WAS LATER USED BY THE SISTERS OF MERCY. IT HAS NOW BEEN RENOVATED BY THE DIOCESE AND SERVES FOR THE CHANCERY

WHEN THE BROTHERS ARRIVED IN BATHURST A BOY'S PRIMARY SCHOOL HAD ALREADY BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR SOME FORTY YEARS. THIS WAS THE DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOL WHICH HAD OPENED IN 1842 UNDER LAY LEADERSHIP AND HAD THEN BEEN STAFFED SINCE 1873 BY THE BATHURST SISTERS OF MERCY. THE SCHOOL BUILDING (ABOVE LEFT) HAD BEEN ERECTED IN THE MID-1860's TO REPLACE THE OLD CHURCH WHICH HAD SERVED AS THE SCHOOL UP UNTIL THAT TIME. THE BROTHERS QUICKLY TOOK OVER THE BOY'S PRIMARY SCHOOL OF ABOUT 100 PUPILS AND IN DUE COURSE ADDED A SMALL SECONDARY DEPARTMENT OF ABOUT 30 DAY STUDENTS. RENAMED ST PATRICK'S IN HONOUR OF THE PATRICIAN BROTHERS PATRON, THE SCHOOL PROVED SO SUCCESSFUL THAT IT CREATED A SERIOUS PROBLEM OF OVERCROWDING. TO ACCOMODATE THE INCREASING NUMBERS A NEW TWO-STORY BRICK BUILDING WAS ERECTED ON THE SAME SITE IN 1909 (ABOVE RIGHT) WITH THE CLASSROOMS UPSTAIRS AND A PARISH HALL UNDERNEATH. SADLY THE BROTHERS WERE NOT TO ENJOY THIS NEW SCHOOL FOR VERY LONG AS THE BROTHERS WITHDREW IN 1924 AFTER FORTY YEARS OF STIRLING WORK IN THE DIOCESE. THE SCHOOL WAS TAKEN ON BY THE SISTERS OF MERCY UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE DE LA SALLE BROTHERS IN 1929 OPENED A NEW CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF ST PATRICK'S.

I AM INDEBTED FOR THE INFORMATION AND HISTORICAL PHOTOS USED ON THIS PAGE TO THE CENTENARY BOOK OF THE BROTHERS OF ST PATRICK THE BROTHERS OF ST PATRICK IN AUSTRALIA THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS AS WELL AS THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED HISTORY OF THE BROTHERS IN AUSTRALIA GO INTO THE VINEYARD BY THE CONGREGATIONAL ARCHIVIST STEPHEN SWEETMAN fsp. BOTH ARE HERE ACKNOWLEDGED WITH GRATITUDE. A SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO BR STEPHEN FOR PERMISSION TO USE HIS WORK.