WHEN 60,000 late-19th century bricks and their lime mortar tumble next week it will signal the end of an era for the old St James’ school next to Muswellbrook’s Catholic Church.
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On Tuesday, a modern 35-tonne excavator will do its work on the old buildings, taking them to ground level by the end of the week, the oldest of which was built 133 years ago.
The convent itself is safe as it is heritage-listed but the L-shaped hall, with its internal wooden and glass concertina door, known as the CUSA (Catholic United Services Auxiliary) building will be relocated to Pokolbin, while the majority of salvageable material will be sold and recycled.
Reverend Father Anthony Nguyen has a plan for at least some of the bricks made in 1885 from the original school, aiming to build a wall and a memorial garden near the graves of previous parish priests.
Fr Nguyen hopes to build a smaller, more modern church hall and possibly retirement units on the remaining vacant land.
“We will have a celebration after morning mass on Sunday, June 3,” Fr Nguyen said.
Singleton’s Kevjon Civil Contracting is undertaking the demolition and general manager Kevin McGree was sympathetic but realistic.
“We all get old love, we all have to go sometime,” Mr McGree said.
The buildings were deemed unsafe in 2017 and have suffered numerous break-ins and vandalism after standing vacant for many years.
Just last week heartless vandals broke in to the CUSA hall and went through the ladies’ sewing cupboard, taking a sewing machine.
Kevjon site engineer Mick Gaynor shook his head at what he called “mindless vandalism”.
“There are broken windows and holes in walls, it’s terrible,” Mr Gaynor said.
“Anything we can salvage we will but there’s a reasonable amount of asbestos to deal with.”
A couple of hundred single school desks were placed down on the corner of Sowerby and Brook streets of which only 11 remain, with about 100 bound for Tonga to help that community in the wake of Cyclone Gita.
According to the 1983-produced St James’ School Centenary Chronicle, the very first school was run at the site of the convent from 1862 but after the Sisters of Mercy arrived in 1883, the “school on the hill” was built in 1885 under the leadership of Father Rogers.
The second storey was added in 1914.
A new timber classroom was built in 1931 and, in 1942, its open verandah was closed in to provide an amenities centre for service personnel.
Fr Michael Fitzgerald added the three-room block in 1956 and the concrete-brick, two-storey extension was added under the leadership of Fr James Brennan in 1970.
