St Michael's Churchyard Cemetery, Sarina

Location: Inside the current Sarina Showgrounds just North of the township of Sarina.

Local Government Authority: Mackay Regional Council.

History: The history of the Catholic Church in Sarina dates back to the first celebration of Mass in the area during the term of Father Pierre Bucas. Travelling from Mackay he celebrated Mass in Plane Creek (later Sarina) in the Court House, there being no church in Sarina.

The absence of a church led to the formation of a committee to consider the erection of a suitable "House of God". The committee comprised of the following : John Jackson, Patrick Breen, James Walsh, Daniel Daly and Richard Patton. As a result of negotiations by this body, a presentation of a small piece of land about a mile from the present township on the Mackay road was made by Mr. Henry Bell, of the Plane Creek Cattle Station. Taking advantage of this offer, Father Mulhall erected a church on this ground in 1884, the building costing £60. Father Mulhall's successor, Father T.F. Bourke, moved this church, in 1908 to a site in the township. This site, a half acre of land, a gift from Mrs Beagrie, is the present site of the Catholic church in Sarina.

The original church building . served the Sarina parish until 1935 when it was moved to Carmila where it is still in use today.

Number of Burials: Not known however there appears to have been at least two, one being John Curran who has the only headstone surviving.

Burials:

John Curran was the licensee of the Carrier Arm's Hotel in Townsville and was holidaying with his brother Jim Jackson at Plane Creek at the time of his death.

He had previously resided in Mackay for about seven years and had been employed by the Divisional Board (probably Pioneer Shire). He had also spent many years in Charters Towers before coming to Townsville. He was licensee of the Carrier Arms Hotel from November 1901 to his death.

Mr Curran was last seen on October 1903 and apparently became lost while on a visit to a neighbouring property.

A search party found his body about one mile from the Sarina post office on 12 October.

His widow Mary Curran continued in the hotel trade taking over the license at the Carrier Arms from October 1903 to February 1906. She next became licensee of the Railway Hotel in Flinders Street, Townsville from February 1906 to December 1906 and next the Railway Hotel in Queenton, Charters Towers from January 1907 to June 1911.

Sources:

A Pattern of Pubs - Hotels of Townsville 1864 - 1914, by Dorothy and Bruce Gibson-Wilde, (1988),Townsville, p.257.

Historical Review of the Shire of Sarina, Queensland, edited by N. Macpherson and D. Patch, Sarina Shire Queensland Centenary Celebrations Committee, (1959), p.30.

Mackay Midweek, Wednesday, April 1, 1992.

If you can supply any further information or photographs on the above please contact us by EMAIL
Glen Hall