In honour of the 150th anniversary of St Bernard’s Church in Bacchus Marsh next year, a community group is seeking contributions for a book it is compiling on the parish’s history.
St Bernards Hopetoun Catholic Cemetery Preservation Group look after the cemetery Bacchus Marsh’s original church sat on, and in it lie many of the pioneers who would have helped build the current building on Lerderderg Street in 1874.
To honour them and anyone who has contributed to parish life since, the preservation group are hoping to uncover photos, newspaper articles, written records and names from anyone involved with the parish throughout its history.
Preservation group chair Margaret Love said while the group is hoping to document accurate historical fact, they are also hoping to introduce colour to the stories and “put life to a name”.
“I’m looking at the ‘peopling’ of the parish,” she said.
“Buildings can be really grand… but it’s the people behind it that make it good or make it bad. It’s the people who built parish life and have passed on – that gift of parish community to the rest of us that’s important, and their efforts are worthy of being recorded.
“The way they operated, the people who contributed, the helping out in very real lifelike situations – right down today where we have members who provide Soul Food, or St Vincents, or the Senior Citizens group.”
St Bernards Hopetoun Catholic Cemetery preservation group are hoping to receive all contributions by September 30 this year, and are asking the community to reach out to them via email with “attention 150th book committee” in the subject.
Details: bacchusmarsh@cam.org.au
