Maleny celebrated a remarkable milestone on Sunday February 4 as the Sacred Heart Catholic Church commemorated its centenary.  

Parishioners, past and present, and members of the wider community filled the church to overflowing. 

The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of Brisbane.  State and local members of government, people of other faiths and of the Maleny community were all welcomed by Vince Carbery who, with his family, became parishioners in 1940. Vince also had the honour of performing this same welcome nearly 50 years ago when he welcomed visitors to the opening of that second church. 

The Archbishop spoke with great feeling, yet realism, about his hope for the life of the church of the future because of small rural communities like Maleny and its self-reliance and generosity of spirit. 

In 1924 the Ave Maria, a traditional Latin hymn to Mary, was sung at the opening. On Sunday it was once again sung with great feeling by Margaret Taylor, Maleny’s well-known operatic singer. 

All moved to the Pat Daley Centre for refreshments donated by Holy Cross Funerals and served during the morning by Maleny CWA and Maleny Rotary. 

A cake cutting followed and ‘memorabilia’ was sealed in a time capsule for opening in 25 years. More than 20 people worked on the centenary committee and many more assisted generously over the four months of preparation. 

Gratefully refreshed visitors were then treated to a presentation of the history of the Maleny Catholic Church.  Liz Caffery held her large audience spellbound with a history of Maleny from the Jinibara people of the Range up to the 1870s and the opening of the first Maleny church in 1924. 

The Heart on the Hill

The morning ended with the launch of the book by Jack Wilcox AM -  The Heart on the Hill on which four members of the History Group had been working for many months (Liz Caffery, Anne Minter, Vince Carbery and Judy Berlak). 

Liz Caffery, the author of the book, explains:  “As I began to explore their beginnings, I realised that this self-reliant little community, cloistered amongst the green hills, cherished a strong pride in its identity… the people were committed, communal and caring. In the book, I wanted to know not only how that spirit evolved but why it has endured for more than 100 years. This became the narrative of ‘The Heart on the Hill…’

The book makes fascinating reading about the 100 years of Maleny and the Maleny Catholic Church and will be available by contacting Anne Minter: (guyanneminter@gmail.com) until the end of February and later at the Caloundra Catholic Parish Office (5430 9390) Cost” $25.