FORMER students of one of Bathurst’s historic schools will meet for a reunion this weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The original Cathedral Infants School was built on William Street in 1909 and first went by the name of the Patrician and De La Salle Brothers School.
The Patrician Brothers had begun work in the Bathurst diocese at the invitation of Bishop Quinn in 1885 and began building schools across the region.
This first school was essentially a primary school of about 100 students and a small secondary department in which 30 boys were enrolled.
Through its seven decades of operation, many hundreds of pupils passed through the school’s doors, including some local dignitaries.
Former Prime Minister Ben Chifley was a student for a short time and Fred Fish, who later became mayor of Bathurst, also attended the school.
The school’s name was later changed to the Cathedral School and it remained open in the original buildings until the 1960s.
The school regularly faced over-crowding problems throughout its history but gave many students a good start in life.
Past students held a reunion in 2013 to mark 50 years since the school closed and enjoyed it so much they vowed not to wait another 50 years to get together again.
The old boys are getting back together this Saturday for some bowling, lunch and a natter.
The organisers have also extended an invitation to former St Pat’s under-18s rugby league players who may have represented the side while attending different schools to join in the reunion.
“Last time it didn’t occur to ask to extend the invite, but it is obvious now as we are all great mates and it was a shame for those players to miss out on the reunion since they knew so many of the ex-St Pat’s students,” reunion co-ordinator Terry Burke said.
The reunion will be held at Majellan Bowling Club, Saturday, October 15 from 11am.
There will be a lovely barbecue lunch provided to set the scene for an afternoon of catching up with old friends .
Organisers are also hoping to see a good roll-up of former students and players now living outside of Bathurst who might use the reunion as a chance to return to their former stamping ground.
