THE entire St Mary’s Primary School community gathered at Riverside Park in Moruya on Monday to farewell much-loved parish priest Father Emil Milat.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fr Milat is leaving the coast and heading for the country after six years in the area.
The parish presbytery will now be vacant for the first time in 150 years.
His duties will be taken over by the St Bernard’s parish priest and his assistant, and Fr Milat says, his successors will be kept very busy between Batehaven and Moruya.
Loved by many in the community, including St Mary’s Primary School students in Moruya, Fr Milat said he would miss the community.
“It will be hard to leave; it’s like changing a family,” he said.
“The school in particular is a very warm and lovely school.”
West Wyalong, where Fr Milat will take up his new post, couldn’t be any more different than the coast, but he said he was feeling positive about the change.
“I’m really looking forward to experiencing the country atmosphere,” he said.
“The whole Australian spirit, character and identity are really in the bush.”
Fr Milat said he was moving on because his six-year placement was up and that it was time for the next rotation.
“We tend to move around a bit from the coast to the country,” he said.
He said his time in Moruya had been “fantastic”.
“It was my first experience as a priest in charge of a parish and it was a tremendous experience to live and work at the coast,” Fr Milat said.
“Very few people get the opportunity to get work down here as a priest.”
During his six years in Moruya, Fr Milat worked with schools to help them “develop and grow in many facets”.
“We also spent a lot of time restoring the church and building more stability in the community,” he said.
A decision on the future of the presbytery has yet to be made.
“The church is still not sure how to use the residence,” Fr Milat said.
“They are still exploring with the community as to whether they will use it as a place for youth accommodation or for other purposes.”
As a thank-you to Fr Milat, St Mary’s parishioners surprised him with a joy flight over the South Coast.
“The flight was fantastic and the weather was brilliant,” he said.
“It was a complete surprise. I thought I was going out to lunch and then they pulled into the airport.
“Thank God it wasn’t skydiving. The kids standing on the shores of the river were the icing on the cake.
“I will remember that for the rest of my life.”
Fr Milat leaves for West Wyalong on January 1 and will commence work at his new parish on January 10.
