Bishop remembers tornado, 10 years on

Next week marks 10 years since an early-morning tornado ripped a trail of destruction through parts of Bunbury.

St Patrick's Cathedral was the most well-known casualty, with the iconic 84-year-old church shifted from its foundations and unable to be restored.

Bunbury Catholic Bishop Gerard Holohan remembers the day clearly.

"I remember hearing the tornado and going out to see it and it looked like a war zone," he said.

"I was in my house at the time and was just glad nobody was injured.

"Some bricks fell about 18 inches from Father Jess' house and we were fortunate the people who were getting ready for mass were at the front of the cathedral rather than the back."

What stands out for Bishop Holohan was the effect on people both during the tornado and, later, when the cathedral was demolished.

"It was difficult seeing the impact on people and grieving people bringing children down," he said.

"It was so much a part of people's lives.

"The hardest part was trying to get everything organised because there was people crying and we had to put up security lights.

"There was the most unbelievable grieving. I never anticipated the effect it would have on the general community.

"It was also a very profound feeling watching the cathedral come down and really quite affecting."

In early July 2005, the Bunbury skyline lost a focal point when the cathedral was demolished.

The timing was kept under wraps to avoid crowds causing safety issues but the noise soon attracted attention and people flocked to witness the sombre moment.

In March 2011, the rebuilt St Patrick's Cathedral opened. While government funding made the project possible, cash and in-kind donations were also forthcoming.

Bishop Holohan said the first donation was $100 from then-Bunbury Anglican Bishop David McCall.

"We're very lucky there was so much community support that made this possible," he said.

"We've tried to make it as celebratory and beautiful as possible and the thing most people comment on is the sense of peace."