Date

Event

December 26th, 1826

Landing of Captain James Lockyer from Amity with contingent of troops and convicts at Albany

June 2nd, 1829

Foundation of Swan River colony establishment of Perth

1846

Arrival of French missionaries of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Santa Maria Mission at Lake Mollallyup near Kendenup

March 6th, 1830

A military station set up at Port Leschenault in 1803 named after the botanist on French ship Geographe

1841

Survey of the town-site for Port Leschenault, named after Lt Henry William Bunbury, and officer of the 21st Regiment of Fusiliers and an early explorer of the south west of WA

1841-1843

Beginning but early collapse of the WA Land Settlement scheme centred on Australind intended to breed horses for the British army in India, first migrants arrived on the ship Parkfield where the Cathedral now stands is named after this ship

1848

Visits by Bishop Brady and Benedictines to the Vasse district [Busselton]

April 1852

Thomas Little gave Bishop Serra OSB 50 acres to build a church and monastery

March 1854

Laying of foundation stone by Bishop Salvado for the first WA church completed out Perth

December 1855

Father Peter Aragon OSB arrived in Dardanup as resident Priest for South West and Vasse Districts

September 15th, 1857

First school at Dardanup staffed by a schoolmaster

May 1857

Fr Venancio Garrido OSB appointed resident priest in Bunbury

1850-1868

Convict era in WA contributed to the growth of the south west of WA as public building and roads were contructed by convict labour based at camps at Bunbury, Kojonup, Albany

September 1859

Busselton town lots 155, 156 set aside for the Roman Catholic Church

1861

Stella Maris Church Albany, opened and Albany made a parish

1862

St Patrick’s Church Bunbury declared as a parish, centred on Church in Wittenoom Street

1866

Work begun on a church in Busselton under Fr Patrick McCabe

1870

St Joseph’s Church, Albany

1880

Church, Katanning constituted a parish

1883

Sisters of Mercy from Victoria Square, Perth, establish themselves in Bunbury

1884

Kojonup established as a parish, reverted to Katanning from 1894

1888

St Joseph’s Church, Busselton, constituted as a parish, Fr Adolphus Lecaille first PP

1890

Katanning made a parish and Fr James Duff PP

February 18th, 1893

Bishop Gibney laid foundation stone of the new church in Katanning

August 1893

Bishop Gibney dedicates Katanning Church

1897

Bunbury Congregation of Sisters of Mercy established as separate from Victoria Square. Double storyied brick Convict erected in Wittenoom Street and dedicated to St Patrick, Apostle of Ireland.

1899

Church, Collie is established as a parish