The year was 1970 and Port Macquarie’s population was just 9000.

Now, St Agnes Parish has almost 12,000 Catholics, 800-plus employees, about 600 volunteers and 36 entities ranging from aged care through to education, as well as a welfare arm.

Father Donnelly celebrates 40 years as parish priest today.

When he first drove into Port Macquarie as St Agnes parish priest, Father Donnelly was thinking about the task ahead when he noticed a blown light near the church.

So he set about fixing the light bulb.

“The thing kept blowing for about three years before I finally got on top of it,” Father Donnelly said.

His “all rounder” approach has worked well over the years.

As the area grew, the parish responded to community needs.

The youth refuge, Christo House, started with volunteers at a home in Ocean Dr.

“Kids were sleeping in caves on the beach and even in bins down the street,” Father Donnelly said.

It also was clear that the area was badly in need of more aged-care facilities.

Now the parish looks after hundreds of elderly people in retirement villages, hostels and nursing homes, and has 127 community aged-care packages to keep people in their homes longer.

Father Donnelly’s days are filled with everything from meeting with couples before they tie the knot, to preparing families for baptisms and talking to grieving families before their loved ones’ funerals.

On top of that, he responds to the various needs of people who walk through the door.

Father Donnelly said his role was helping people.

“Grandmas turn up, and say ‘you baptised me’, and that makes you realise how old you are,” he said.

He cites the creation of the vocational college, now Newman Senior Technical College, as one of the highlights in education.

Father Donnelly is 82, but shows no signs of retirement.

“If I retired, I couldn’t find anything better to do than what I’m doing now,” he said.

A private celebration is planned today to mark Father Donnelly’s milestone, followed by a mass on Sunday involving St Peter’s Primary School students.