No. 1614 - Pelverata - Catholic Church and Convent School (c.1898-1956)

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Pelverata is a rural settlement approximately 15 kilometres east of Huonville. It is centred around Pelverata Road just before the junction with Halls Track Road. The area was previously known as Upper Woodstock before the name Pelverata, an Aboriginal word for ‘ear’, was adopted in 1912. Apart from orcharding, a large sawmill was once a major source of employment at Pelverata.

Pelverata had only one church which was also used as a Catholic school. It was established by Father P. J. O’Flynn who was appointed as parish priest at Cygnet in the mid 1890s. O’Flynn was enthusiastic in the cause of Catholic education and established the Convent of the Sisters of St Joseph at Lymington as well as churches at Snug, Flowerpot, Bruny Island and the church-school at Pelverata.

Very little is known about the Pelverata church. The first couple to be married in the building were Mr and Mrs Patrick Barnes of Upper Woodstock. The last marriage at the church, between Thelma Duggan and Allan Muskett, took place in August 1950. The church was moved to Cradoc in the 1950s and was reopened and dedicated as ‘The Church of the Holy Family’ on 23 December 1956. The building was lost in the 1967 bushfires.

I have yet to find a photograph of the church at Pelverata and have used a photograph of the building at Cradoc taken in 1956.

A photograph of the Pelverata Catholic church at its new location at Cradoc - The opening of the Church of the Holy Family, December 1956. Photograph supplied by David Beechey


Sources:

Huon and Derwent Times, Thursday 21 September 1939, page 4
Mercury, Monday 16 February 1920, page 4
Mercury, Monday 20 December 1926, page 6
Mercury, Monday 22 December 1930, page 3
Mercury, Monday 12 September 1932, page 23
Mercury, Monday 29 May 1933, page 3
Mercury, Tuesday 5 September 1950, page 12

Lowe, Madge. Days gone by in the Channel / edited and compiled by Madge Lowe M. Lowe Tasmania 1992 

Southerwood, W. T Planting a faith in Tasmania : the country parishes. [W. T. Southerwood], [Hobart], 1977


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