Around The Irish Scene

Great ‘Prop’ to have on your wall

Below: Irish rugby legend Rob Kearney dropped into the

Architectus Studio in QV1 to present a Western Force signed jersey to the IACC’s St. Patrick’s Day lunch prize winner Helen Hancock, acting marketing & communications manager buildings Stantec, joined by committee members Lindsay Ahern, Vibe Legal, Sallyann Mc Donald, Mc Donald Surveys and WA Chapter president IACC and Mark Black, Architectus & National Vice President IACC.

Men and machines Above: Irish Scene recently happened upon JB O’Reilly’s publican Paul North with paint brush in hand sprucing up a piece of old agricultural equipment from his native Wexford that is a part of the furniture outside the Cambridge St watering hole. Paul relayed a fantastic yarn about the farm yard piece – a family heirloom – and his great aunt mushing up turnips in it. We won’t give away any more detail but would encourage readers and customers to ask him about the story and you can decide for yourself then if it’s a great yarn or a Furphy! Meanwhile, just a little bit down the road from Paul’s pub, another piece of old school technology passed down through the years to another friend and supporter of Irish Scene has also been given a new lease of life.

West Perth TyrePower operator Adrian Shipcott (left) – and his lovely wife Fiona – is used to all shapes and sizes of vehicles and transport at the Troode Street store. But when Adrian mentioned to his dad that he was on the look out for a tractor to help them manage their 26.7 hobby farm south of Perth, he couldn’t have expected what came next. John Shipcott, 83, originally a farmer from Lancashire in the UK, transformed an old Singer sowing machine passed down through the family, into a miniature tractor. “It wasn’t exactly what we had in mind but it was done with care and attention and we love it of course,” said Adrian, who we believe is still in the market for a full scale tractor. If you have an unusual story, artefact or collection, Irish Scene would love to hear from you!

Get well soon

Tony! Right: The man (and legend) behind the much loved “Minute with Synnott” column has spent a lot of time in hospital lately so we - and many others - wanted to wish him well and a full recovery. Tony is seen here in Osborne Park hospital about a week before St. Patrick’s Day, pouring over the last edition of Irish Scene. We will make sure Tony is one of the first people in Perth to get their hands on this issue of the magazine. A special shout out also to Mick Murray and friends who have been doing their best to look after and visit Tony as much as possible.

Left: Les Parker’s life remembered and celebrated at JB’s

Anzac Spirit Right: While people in Perth and Peel were confined once again to their driveways for ANZAC Day, Kilkenny man Peter Dwyer and his two oldest boys Dillon (10) and Craig (5) camped out locally in Ireland on April 24th to honour and remember the dawn landings at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. Peter and his sons also wanted to pay tribute to John Dwyer (their grand and great grand uncle respectively) from Kilkenny who was a Digger with the 11th Battalion and who is buried in Karakatta Cemetery. Lest we forget!

Perfect place to launch a book

Above: Kidogo Arthouse in Bathers Beach – a spot with plenty of historical connections with political convicts – and the recent Hand in Hand Festival staged at the picturesque spot made the ideal place for local history enthusiast Peter Murphy to launch the latest title in his trilogy about Fenianism in Australia – ‘Fenian 63’. The 600 page novel follows the trials and tribulations of of Irishman James Doyle, a solider in the British army caught up in the Irish Uprising of 1865/67. Details etc from kiahcreek@bigpond.com UON is number ONE Above right: Bragging rights in the first Business News RISE Business Awards went to integrated energy company UON, based in Malaga. Founded and built up by Dubliner Mark Keogh in 1988, UON was recently crowned Western Australian business of the year as well as Large Business of 2020, the latest in a long line of gongs and accolades for the firm which employs 279 people and has revenue of more than $56 million a year. Mark is originally from Rathfarnham in Dublin and set up UON not very long after he arrived in Perth. He is also uncle to Perth Glory striker Andy Keogh.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS

Left: Terry O’Leary slices up his cake for his 80th birthday

Old school shenanigans

Left: Many WA schools (public and private) will have had some festive fun for St. Patrick’s Day if John XXIII (top row) and Duncraig Senior High School (bottom row) are anything to go by. Teachers and staff of Irish heritage celebrated the feast day of the country’s patron saint with their colleagues in the staff room. As well as being green the cupcakes at John XXIII had the extra ingredient of being made by the Irish owners of the nearby Mt. Claremont Bakery!

Lincoln Park reunited at Durty Nellies Below:

Lizard (Phil Beck), Splinter (Colin Allbury), Moby (Sean Roche) and Froggy (Clive Ducat). Lincoln Park played folk music around Perth in the 1970’s and had been talking about a reunion for a year or so at least, never really committing to actually doing it. Then one day all the ducks lined up, actually, Phil Beck said it was at Splinter’s brother Binnsy’s wake at the Mighty Quinn that made the difference. A lot of the lads from North Perth United FC were there, along with people from around the traps in the old days. “We were asked about a million times when we were going to play again coz everyone said it’d be a great Craic. That finally decided us to actually do it if we could get a gig”. Durty Nelly’s was to be the venue, the date was set for six weeks hence, Saturday 10th April, to give us a chance to practice and the rest is history. A reunion gig after a break of 40 years. Phil, “Lincoln park was always a three piece but the four of us had variously combined as the band, so the reunion was all of us”. A huge crowd packed into Nelly’s for Lincoln Park and they were not disappointed. I would go as far to say that they sounded better than 40 years ago. It was a brilliant session, just like the old days, and Lincoln Park put on a mighty show. All the old favourites had the place hopping. Let’s make it happen again! Well done lads!

Riddle me

this! Left: Fred Rea dropped into Dermot

Byrne recently to find out how his old friend and former Irish Scene quiz master is travelling lately. Fred said Dermot was ‘going strong’ and had a good chat with him and wife Betty!

Left: Happy 21st Shauna Kavanagh!