Loss of Old Nunnery felt by whole town

When the Chapman family drive past the Old Nunnery at Pomona now, they see their family home destroyed.

When the Chapman family drive past the Old Nunnery at Pomona now, they see their family home destroyed.

Garth and Amanda Chapman lovingly restored the 1920s Queenslander to its former glory during the decade they lived there from 1990.

They feel the destruction of the historic building, which was razed by fire following an alleged domestic dispute, is a loss for the whole Pomona community.

“It was our family home where our children grew up," Mr Chapman said.

"Even though we’re not in Pomona anymore, we used to drive past there and say that was our family home.

"It was a great place to live. That was the epitome of a Queenslander in my mind.

"The special thing was that it was actually an historic home in Pomona that we were fortunate to live in for about 10 years. When we got there it hadn’t had a coat of paint for 40 years. We restored it to its former glory.

"But it really belonged to the town of Pomona. There’s a lot of older people in Pomona who used to go there in the younger years and were taught music by the nuns."

Mrs Chapman said she was saddened by the loss of her family home.

"It’s a tragic loss of one of the most beautiful homes in Pomona," she said.

"It was a lovely, happy family home. We’ve all looked after it as custodians of the home. It had a lot of character with all the old Queenslander breezeways and we restored everything faithfully.

"What a waste."

Mrs Chapman confirmed there was "a guardian spirit" haunting the nunnery.

"I always felt her. Often at night, I’d get up, walk through the house and I’d feel like someone there.

"There was nothing creepy about it. It was like someone was looking after you."

John Osmaston, whose former wife bought the historic building from the Catholic Church in the 1980s, said he saw the ghost of a nun after returning from work.

After putting tea towels in the wash, as he did each night, he sat down for a beer and said he saw the ghost.

"There was this ghost of the nun walking towards me down the corridor," he said.

"I just saw this white figure walking towards me. It was a ... magical experience."

He said the figure quickly disappeared.

Patricia Sinclair, who was allegedly held captive in the house in the hours before the fire, is still extremely shaken.

She almost all her possessions including dozens of antiques, some passed down from her grandparents.

But her family did find a box with 100-odd photos that were saved from the flames because they were in a hardwood drawer that suffered less fire damage.

Originally published as Loss of Old Nunnery felt by whole town