Harvey Roman Catholic Historic Precinct
- 78 Young Street, Harvey WA 6220
- By appopintment or venue hire
Old Catholic Church (Former Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception)
Built in 1932 by the Berry Bros, the former Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception is still in its original condition with timber floor and dado. The post-war years saw increasing numbers of immigrants, many Catholic Italians, arrive in the area and a larger place of worship was required. Consequently, the church was deconsecrated in 1983.
The quaint former church is now available for hire through the Shire of Harvey and is the perfect venue for an intimate gathering, small event or artisan workshop.
St Anne’s Catholic School
The School opened in 1935 with 26 pupils enrolled in the first week. This increased to 60 pupils by the end of the year. For 20 years, Mercy nuns taught students on the Convent’s enclosed verandah and also in the old Church. Every Friday afternoon, they would change the schoolroom back into a church. By the early 1950s, post-war migration brought an influx of students, with school parents funding two new classrooms. The majority of students came from homes where another language was spoken. They highly commended the Sisters in School inspection reports for their effort in teaching reading, writing, arithmetic and social studies.
The historic old school building, off Gibbs Street, is now used by artisan and community groups.
Sisters of Mercy Convent Historic Site
To the immediate south of the former Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, once stood Harvey’s Sisters of Mercy Convent. In the 1930s, a building, which was to be a temporary convent, was transported on jinkers from Bunbury and became the Sisters home until the last of the nuns relocated to Perth in 2005. The Sisters finished teaching at St Anne’s in 1985 but remained serving the parish and the community