First Australia Lithuanian Community House

For two years, the Sydney Lithuanian Community called 5 Young St, Circular Quay home. The building was owned at the time by St Vincent de Paul and housed a hostel for destitute men, cafe, chapel, chaplain to migrants. In 1951-1952, the community used some of the premises from which it ran Mūsu Pastogė and Catholic activities.

The building is known as Hinchcliff House and still stands, a street away from the Harbour.  It is a heritage-listed former wool store and hostel for homeless men. This three-story building plus basement, was built as wool store.

The firm of A Hinchcliff, Son & Co built the stone store in the late 1880s replacing an earlier iron shed. The Bank of New South Wales, as mortgagor, leased the property in 1937 to German woolbuyers. A mortgagee sale in 1945 saw the property acquired by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

In 1949 it passed to the Society of St Vincent de Paul and was named Ozanam House in acknowledgment of the founder of the Society, Frédéric Ozanam. During, 1950 – 1952 the premises was used as the Sydney Lithuanian community house.  Part of it was known as Catholic United Services Australia (CUSA) Navy Club, conducted by the Catholic church for sea farers.  The Club was staffed by volunteers who prepared food and provided Christian entertainment each night.

Also using the premises were the Chaplain for Migrants. It appears that the Lithuanian priest Butkus resided here.  The premises served as the venue for the Lithuanian Catholic Association, Community Committee, Australian Lithuanian lawyers society, the Lithuanian library and Australian Lithuanian newspaper, Mūsų Pastogė.

References

Mūsų Pastogė Wednesday 21 November 1951, page 6

Draft conservation management Plan URBIS, Nov 2012