George Town & District Historical Society July Monthly Meeting

Sue Doherty will be guest speaker at the next meeting of George Town & District Historical Society Inc with a presentation entitled Philip Conolly: The Journey of a Man of God, to a God Forsaken Place; Peter Cox will follow-up with some associated research he has been doing.

Fr Conolly was Van Diemen’s Land’s first Catholic priest, who arrived in Hobart around the same time as Govr Lachlan Macquarie in May 1821, and both men visited George Town soon after.

Macquarie came to inspect and further provide for the new town he had named and planned as the Chief Settlement of Northern VDL ten years earlier, but Fr Conolly had more sombre duties to perform. The main object of his sojourn north was to minister to Catholic men among those sentenced to death and awaiting execution in both Launceston and George Town.

While here, Fr Conolly also celebrated the first Mass held in George Town (and in Launceston) and this was commemorated recently by the local Catholic Parish.

Peter Cox will also share some of the research he has done out on the convicts who were sentenced to death and executed.

The meeting starts at 7.30 pm at The Grove on Monday,  19 July, with COVID precautions in place. Visitors are welcome to attend.