Repairs underway after wet and wild weather event

By Josh Low

During the significant weather event impacting areas across Tasmania on the weekend of 31 August and 1 September, several Archdiocesan properties sustained damage.

Geeveston’s St Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, the Church of the Apostles in Launceston, St Francis of Assisi Church in Riverside and the Archdiocesan offices in Hobart were all impacted by the wild weather to varying degrees.

A total of 16 headstones and grave-tops were damaged at the cemetery in Geeveston, following the collapse of a large gumtree.

“The tree was removed within three days of the incident,” cemetery manager Deacon Michael Hangan said. “We acted very quickly to remove the tree because we couldn’t actually assess the total damage until it was gone.”

Deacon Michael said Sacred Heart Catholic School which neighbours the cemetery, had an arborist assess the tree which was determined to be healthy.

“We believe the wind and sheer amount of rainwater that had fallen over that weekend just loosened the soil at its foundation enough for it to topple over,” he said.

Deacon Michael added that there was some misinformation and unrest surrounding the situation and committed to transparency for all involved.

“There was some misinformation given, that because of the rain, the bodies were going to come up to the surface and out of the graves. But that’s not going to happen.

“We want to ensure that there’s transparency, and that we’re minimising any misinformation from spreading,” he said.

“We’ve engaged Dobson’s Monumental Works to undertake the repair work which we foresee will be taking place over the next three to four weeks.

“Every stakeholder, whether that’s a relative of the deceased person, the school community, the parish community, will all be kept informed of the situation moving forward.”

At the Church of the Apostles in Launceston, parishioners arrived at Sunday morning Mass on 1 September to find rain coming into the church through multiple holes in the roof.

Launceston Parish Priest Fr Leonard Caldera said the main areas affected by the storm were the roof above the main altar, sanctuary and side chapel, also known as the Sister’s Chapel.

“As a result of the strong wind, the heritage sandstone cross on top of the roof was dislodged and collapsed onto the roof, with three places damaged as a result,” he explained.

“Thankfully, no parishioners were around when it occurred.

“Plastic covers and buckets were used to protect the altar and carpet surrounding the sanctuary and Sister’s Chapel for a few days until the storm died down and it was safe to proceed with repairs.

“A few days later, parishioners banded together to procure a scissor lift and with the help of a parishioner who has experience in roof repairs, and our parish finance and maintenance team members, they proceeded with a temporary fix for the holes which are still in place.

“We are now waiting for the insurance company to approve our claim in order to proceed with the repairs,” he said.

At the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Riverside, a panel of stained-glass window was smashed by debris in the storm, while the Archdiocesan offices in Hobart suffered multiple roof leaks and eave damage.

The extreme weather event had statewide impact, with an estimated 30,000 people left without power and winds of more than 100km/h wreaking havoc.