After 16 years of vacancy, the former St Malachy’s Presbytery will soon be buzzing with life and laughter as it re-emerges as the Kearns Centre, home to Nagambie Lakes Community House. The restoration of this elegant heritage building is a testament to the vision and hard work of the Nagambie Parish Council.

In 2021, the 140-year-old presbytery at St Malachy’s in High Street Nagambie will be buzzing with life and laughter, as Nagambie residents enjoy community gardening, cooking, writing and craft workshops, music and drama classes, pizza nights and a plethora of other activities organised by Nagambie Lakes Community House.

In 2011, the former presbytery came close to being demolished. Thanks to the vision and tireless work of the St Malachy’s Former Presbytery Restoration Working Group, the presbytery has not only been saved, but fully restored and repurposed as a hub for the entire Nagambie Community.

St Malachy’s presbytery will be tenanted to Nagambie Lakes Community House, a non-profit organisation offering a range of social and educational activities to the Nagambie community, and will be re-named the Kearns Centre, in honour of Fr Patrick Kearns, the inaugural parish priest of St Malachy’s Nagambie, who raised funds for and commissioned the design and build of the presbytery.

The Catholic heritage of the Kearns Centre will be referenced by a show-case in the main hall, which will display the illuminated address and testimony presented to Fr Kearns by St Malachy’s parishioners on the eve of his transfer to Heathcote. It is an exquisite testimony, bound in moroccan leather with gold sidings, and ‘terms of endearment’.

A bronze commemorative plaque, with a brief description of the history and achievements of the Parish will also be on display.
 
Until Fr Kearns’ arrival in 1875, Nagambie was supplied by missionary priests from Kilmore. All priests, including Fr Kearns, stayed at the Royal Mail Hotel, so it’s not surprising that building a presbytery was high on Fr Kearns’ “to do” list.

The presbytery was built in 1881 with 1000 pounds raised by the Nagambie community through donations and fundraising efforts, such as raffles and fairs. Fr Kearns himself donated 100 pounds towards the build.

Fr Kearns and St Malachy’s had a major coup in securing then prominent Melbourne architects, Reed and Barnes Architecture to design the building; the same architects who had designed the Melbourne Town Hall, Trades Hall, State Library of Victoria, the Royal Exhibition Building, and Menzies Hotel, just to name a few. The result, a very stately and elegant presbytery that was home to Fr Kearns for twelve years.

Over the next 118 years, St Malachy’s presbytery was home to another nine parish priests and many assistant priests. Fr Chris Reay was the last Parish Priest to reside at St Malachy’s presbytery, living there until 2004. Thereafter, Nagambie had no resident Parish Priest and was administered by the Parish Priest of Euroa. The presbytery remained vacant.

In 2011, Euro Parish Priest and Nagambie Parish Administrator, Fr Tony Hill, held a meeting with the Nagambie Parish Council; there was pressure from the Chancery to make a decision about the building and a quote for its demolition and a loan for this, had been presented as an option. In the 1980s, quotes to repair issues such as rising damp, cracks in walls and the leaking roof had amounted to over $300,000. This was money the parish just didn’t have, so the presbytery remained not only vacant, but became less and less salvageable as time went by. The external pressure and the thought of imminent demolition of the building spurred the Parish Council to find a way to keep their parish heritage. What they have achieved is remarkable, and is as wonderful a testimony to their spirit as that of the Parish Council which built the presbytery back in the 1880s.

The Parish Council secured a Heritage Victoria Grant, which provided $1 for every $1 contributed by the Parish, and busily started fundraising the way their forebears had done, with fairs and by catering for nearby rowing events.

A grant from the Department of Justice provided security fencing and lighting and a Heathcote Community Grant provided for the disabled and unisex toilets to be built at the rear.

Over eight years, with $65,000 in grants, $135,000 raised by the Parish and many hours of in-kind work from parishioners and local trades, the presbytery now stands proud with a new roof and storm-water system, new electrical system, new painted internal plaster, polished timber floors, new carpet, air conditioning, hot-water system and renovated bathroom and kitchen.

Interestingly, a Moreton Bay Fig Tree has played a niche role in the preservation of the St Malachy’s presbytery. The presbytery has an extensive cellar, which was prone to flooding. Apparently, by way of solution, a Moreton Bay Fig was planted in the 1930s as a means to draw water from the underground stream that was bedevilling the presbytery. This proved to be an ingenious low-tech solution, which not only contributed to the drying out of the cellar, but also created a spectacular natural Nagambie landmark, still resplendent next to the building. A win-win!

It seems creating win-win situations is the Nagambie way of doing things. Nagambie Parish Council is thrilled that Nagambie Lakes Community House is now leasing the ‘Kearns Centre’, turning it into a community hub, yet again a home – this time to the broader Nagambie community. When you think about it, St Malachy’s presbytery is a building, built by the people, for the people – twice over.

When COVID-19 restrictions allow, Bishop Shane Mackinlay will formally bless the Kearns Centre. Nagambie Lakes Community House would like to invite any relatives of Fr Kearns to this occasion and ask they get in touch with them.

The Kearns Centre and Moreton Bay Fig as they are today.

A postcard featuring St Malachy's Church and Presbytery. 

2 November 2020