The Trangie Presbytery building was built in 1913 as a convent and housed five Sisters of Mercy who taught at St John’s Catholic School.

The convent housed three local sisters in its time, Sister Evangelist (formally Aida Quigley), Sister Collette (formally Janet Walker) and Sister John (formally Beryl Latham).

The convent celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1964, and had an enrolled 60 pupils for music and typing lessons, which the sisters did out of school hours.

In 1967 Bishop of the Forbes-Wilcannia Diocese, Bishop DJ Warren, decided the convent would have to close due to a shortage of staff. The five sisters were posted throughout the diocese, with two sisters travelling each day from Narromine to teach at St John’s.

Following its closure as a convent, the building became a presbytery for the residing priest. The first was the late Father Maxwell, followed by numerous others, with the last being Reverend Peter Coight.

Reverend Coight lived at the Presbytery for 31 years but passed away suddenly in 2003.

The building has not been used since then, and parishioner Olive Quigley said the building would be demolished.

“The building is to be demolished in the near future because the foundations are moving,” she said.

“It has been part of the town for nearly 100 years, so it is sad to see it go.”