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Makan No. 244 Supplement with "MAKAN" No. 244, Dec. 1978
7th MARCH
1978 VERY REVEREND DEAN P.J. WALSH DD PF
QX19117
PADRE P.J. WALSH INTRODUCTORY RITES
Choir only: "THOUGH THE MOUNTAINS MAY FALL" The Bishop will speak to this Golden Jubilee Occasion and invite Dean Walsh to lead the congregation in the Introductory Rites of the Jubilee Mass. GREETING AND WELCOME: Dean Walsh introduces the theme of the Mass and invites us to dispose ourselves well for this celebration. PENITENTIAL RITE:
GLORIA Dean Walsh: FATHER, You have chosen me, Patrick, to share in the eternal priesthood of Christ and the Ministry of Your Church for the last fifty years. As we thank You for bringing me to my Golden Jubilee, we pray that I will continue to be an ardent but gentle servant of Your Gospel and Your Sacraments. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading:
Isaiah 63: 7-9 LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
Song during Preparation: "JESUS, I LOVE YOU" EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Introductory Dialogue: COMMUNION RITE:
Sign of Peace:
Reflection Song: Prayer after Communion:
Bishop: Lord, on this Jubilee of Dean Walsh's Ordination, we have celebrated the
mystery of faith to the glory of Your name. May he always live in truth
the mysteries he handles at Your altar. Grant this in the name of Jesus
the Lord. CLOSING RITE
Blessing: The Speech of the Bishop of the Diocese of Rockhampton, Queens land, at the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Ordination of Padre, "Paddy" Walsh, on Tuesday, 7th March, 1978. "On one of the seven hills of Rome stands the Basilica of St John Lateran. A church has stood on this hill since the days of the first Christian Emperor, Constantine himself. It is the Cathedral Church of the Bishop of Rome; and for this reason it bears on its facade the proud inscription "Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum Caput et Mater". The Head and Mother of all churches, both of this city and of the world. These words serve as a firm reminder that the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is called to be a Minister of Unity for the whole Christian world. "In this Lateran Basilica on the 3rd March, 1928, just 50 years ago last Friday, Patrick John Walsh was ordained priest. Ordained with him on that Roman morning was his friend and fellow Queenslander, Mons. Robert Lyons, who celebrated his jubilee, in Maryborough last Wednesday. Also present in the Basilica on that same day was still another Northern Queenslander, Myles Lyons, who was ordained later in that same year and worked in the Diocese of Townsville till his death only a year or so ago. "It has always seemed to me that, almost more than any person that I know, Paddy Walsh sums up himself, what we like to regard as the typical Australian man. His lean build, his physical toughness, his laconic sense of humour, his initiative and his real intelligence - even all those inscrutable features, almost like those of a poker player, all these somehow fit the picture of the Australian male, as we fondly like to imagine him. "Yet Dr. Walsh, is in no sense an insular man; his roots and his connections reach far afield. He was born in Townsville in 1902, the second of the eight children of Edward and Jane Walsh. Both of his parents were Irish; and when the lad was 9 years old, his mother took him and his four sisters on a trip to Ireland. His father was a railwayman, and over the years the family lived at various points along the line running west from Townsville. For this reason the first opportunity the lad had to attend a Catholic school was with the Presentation Sisters in the little town of Lucan outside Dublin. His mother stayed there with the children for almost a year, visiting the grand-parents. "Back in Australia he continued his education at various State schools, until his parents sent him to board with the Christian Brothers at Mt. Carmel College in Charters Towers. His six years in Charters Towers gave him a chance to develop both his scholastic ability and an interest in sport, that has lasted over the years. "Gradually his thoughts turned to the priesthood. He himself attributes his vocation - under God - to the deep faith of his parents and to the opportunities for the practice of the faith provided at Carmel College. His friend, Myles Lyons, had made the same decision, and the pair offered themselves to Bishop Shiel, who was delighted to accept them. The Bishop decided to send the two of them to study for the priesthood at the Irish College in Rome. The pair of them joined forces with three Brisbane students, and the party of 5 travelled to Rome on the same ship as Archbishop Duhig. "The Roman experience broadened the young Australian and gave him his first real glimpse of the larger world. Study came easily to him, and he capped his course with a Doctorate in Theology. But above all, in the Rome of Pius X1, fittingly called the Pope of the Missions, he gained a vision of the Church Universal, that has stayed with him throughout his life. "Back in Australia, his first permanent appointment was to St. Patrick's parish in Mackay, at the beginning of 1929. In many ways this was a fortunate appointment for the Diocese of Rockhampton, for shortly afterwards, when the new Diocese of Townsville was divided off from Rockhampton, it enabled this Diocese to retain Dr. Walsh as one of its priests. I have always wondered, if Townsville felt aggrieved at this loss; and I am especially pleased to see Mons. Mullins and other northern visitors present with us and joining with us in celebrating this Jubilee. Truly, Townsville's loss was our great gain. Perhaps by way of some compensation Dr. Walsh was loaned to the diocese of Townsville and took care of the parish of Ingham. "He was recalled to this Diocese in 1934, to become Onspector of Schools and he retained that office even after his appointment as pastor of the parish of Dawson Valley. How he managed to cope with that sprawling parish on top of his other duties, I will never know; especially as those were the years of bad roads and unreliable cars. Fortunately, in 1938, the parish was divided and Dr. Walsh became the first parish priest of Biloela. Moreover, he was then relieved of his responsibilities in education and for the last years before the War he was able to devote himself fully to his parish. "The War itself is the great Dividing Range in the priestly life of Dr. Walsh. Some years ago a group of priests stood outside the chapel at St. Brendan's College at Yeppoon, waiting for the others to arrive and the retreat to begin. Amongst them was Dr. Walsh and, as he stood on the driveway with them, looked up to see one of the younger clergy in leather jacket and goggles, mounted on a Honda, driving towards him. The Dean stepped nimbly out of his way, but as he did so, he remarked wryly; "That would be the last straw, to be run over by a Japanese motor bike". "Father Walsh volunteered as an Army Chaplain early in the war and about the middle of 1941, like Father Michael Dolan, he sailed for Singapore. Late in that same year came the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the Japanese invasion of Malaya. The Japanese war machine overran all opposition. Singapore was captured and the Australian troops became prisoners of war. "It has always been difficult to draw the Dean into talking about the next 3½ years. He does not disguise the hardships involved; he makes no bones about the ruthlessness of many of their captors. But always he speaks quietly, without dramatics, and rarely about himself. He talks more easily about the courage of his companions or about the respect, in which his fellow priest, Father Dolan, was held by all the men. "But talk to those, who were with Dr. Walsh during that time and, it is easy to assess the warm esteem, in which they hold him, both as a man and as a priest, The rigours of Changi prison camp; the enforced labours of the "Burma Railway"; the harsh conditions and the appalling food rations - all these took their toll, even of his naturally tough constitution; but he survived. When peace came, he returned to Australia, older, wiser, a little scarred by the whole experience - yet surprisingly unchanged for all that. He is a very durable man, Those, who knew him well, recognized the signs of the nervous strain, under which he had lived, and of the restless energy, that made it hard for him to sit quietly or to sleep dreamlessly. “But he survived and gradually indeed, without much outward sign of strain, he slipped back into the ordinary ways of parish life. He has always been an easy man for a bishop to place, because he is adaptable, undemanding and blessed with real respect for authority. "During the first five years after the War, he was moved about the Diocese, almost as if to plug gaps. His longest period was here in Rockhampton, first at St. Patrick's, then at the Cathedral itself. Then after four years at Koongal, where he helped to build a school, he moved to Bundaberg and spent ten full years as Holy Rosary. Finally, in 1965, he returned to Rockhampton, and, during these last twelve or thirteen years he has become almost identified with the parish of St. Peter's. Overall he is outright in saying that he has been happy in his priesthood in spite of difficulties and hardship; but he admits quite frankly that his years at St. Peter's have been the best years of his whole life. "By temperament and training the Dean is a reserved man, who seldom reveals his inner depths. In spite of his simplicity and naturalness; in spite of his ready friendship and of his extraordinary ease with children, he is essentially a private man. "It is therefore worth noticing the readings that he has chosen for this Mass. Notice especially the first reading from Isaiah. It is full of gratitude to God, "Let me sing the praises of Yahweh's goodness and of his marvelous deeds, in return for all that he has done for us and for the great kindness he has shown us". (Is. 63, 7). The Dean can look back on a life-time of fidelity and service in the Christian priesthood. In a sense he might reasonably take pride in all, that he has been and all that he has done. Yet it is obvious that, as he looks back on those years, he is not taking the credit for himself, but offering praise and thanks to God, who has designed to work through him. "It is our pleasure and privilege to join Dr Paddy Walsh in this Mass in giving thanks to God. And we pray too, that God will continue to bless him in the years to come, and that He will leave him in our midst for many years to grace us with his wisdom and charity. "The Morning Bulletin", published in Rockhampton, carried an item in its issue of Friday, March 3, 1978, headed - "50 years ago today, Patrick Walsh took his vows in Rome”………..Dean Walsh of St. Peter's Church in Rockhampton, celebrates his Golden Jubilee in the priesthood today. "On March 3, 1928 - 50 years ago today, Patrick Walsh took his vows at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Now, after long and dedicated service to the Church, Dean Walsh will retire at the age of 75, at the end of this month. "During his 50 years with the church he's served in townships throughout Queensland, including Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Ingham, the Dawson Valley, Wowan, Biloela, Barcaldine, Capella, Koongal and Bundaberg. "Dean Walsh also saw five years service in the Army during the War. Three and a half of these were spent "as a compulsory guest of the Japanese in P.O.W. Camp in Malaysia". "He describes his time as a prisoner of war as the worst part of his 50 year ministry. That was the worst time, but there were plenty of good times", he said. "I suppose I've enjoyed these last twelve years at St. Peter's the most of all. It is where I've stayed the longest and, although I had 10 years in Bundaberg, it was a much bigger place, and I did not have the same feeling of being part of a family there. "The people in Bundaberg were wonderful but Rockhampton is my home. "Dean Walsh also spoke with some regret at his retirement. "I'll probably feel a sense of loss, or a little lonely perhaps, but there's plenty of things I want to do", he said. "Dean Walsh said he and a classmate, who also celebrated his Golden Jubilee in Maryborough this week, would go on a car trip around Australia for 12 months.
"We'll
just take our time, staying as long as we want to at any one place, then
move along again, when we feel like it". He said. "I'm going to come
back to Rockhampton to settle "He thinks it is time for him to retire, "I'm getting on and I'm not as quick as I used to be. I think it's time to step down and give the young fellows a chance". "To mark the Jubilee, a Children's Mass will be celebrated at St. Peter's at nine o'clock this morning, followed by a school concert. The main celebrations will be held next Tuesday, beginning with a Concelebrated Mass, which will be followed by an informal function attended by friends and relatives of Dean Walsh from around Australia. That cutting from the newspaper reached your scribe both from the South and the North, because I first received it from "Curly" Heckendorf (Lockhart) because a friend in Rockhampton had sent it down to "Curly" and he had relayed it on to me; the second copy came from "Joe" Johnston, (Knockrow), who together with Harry Riches and Stan Scarabelotti went to Rockhampton by car, picking up Jock Logan on the way and were joined by Frank Hannan in Rockhampton. A second cutting from the same Newspaper, in it's issue on 9th March, carried a short account of the Tuesday's Activity. "MASS MARKS 50 YEARS AS PRIEST." "It was a night of reunions and reminiscences, when Dean Walsh of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rockhampton celebrated his 50th Anniversary in the Priesthood on Tuesday night. "The celebrations began with a Concelebrated Mass at St Joseph's Cathedral, followed by an informal gathering of friend fellow clergy and parishioners at the Cathedral Hall. "Hundreds of people gathered to congratulate Dean Walsh, including a former classmate of his, Monsignor Lyons, who celebrated his Golden Jubilee in the priesthood in Maryborough last week. "The tone of the evening was set by Mr. Joe Johnston of the 2/30 Battalion, in which Dean Walsh served during the War. "We were with Paddy (Dean Walsh) when things were toughest in his life" Mr. Johnston said. "We were Paddy Walsh's boys and we saw some very hard times together, without his guidance and his words of wisdom a lot of us wouldn't be here today," he said. St Peter's Parish representative, Mr. Paul O'Keeffe also presented Dean Walsh with a cheque, "as a mark of our appreciation of what he's done for us." BATTALION REPRESENTATIVES AT GOLDEN JUBILEE MASS Joe Johnston relates that their party arrived in Rockhampton about noon and booked in at an hotel, and word reached Paddy that they had arrived, so he made a point of coming round to the Hotel to greet them soon afterwards, so that they had a good old yarn with them. He was pleased to have them there. "The Cadets of Rockhampton formed a Guard of Honour for Padre Paddy to pass through in front of the Cathedral, as he went in to the Mass, and the Guard was also for the Bishop. The Cadets were immaculate in their dress. "We cannot speak too highly of the way, in which we were welcomed, first with Paddy coming round to our hotel, and then how we were welcomed and waited upon on this wonderful occasion. The Bishop, the priests and there were 74 of them joining in with Paddy and the Bishop in the Mass, the people all went out of their way to make sure that we wanted for nothing." FRANK HANNAN added a comment:- "One would have had to be there to see the crowd of people, that filled the Cathedral and also flowed outside. "I spent nine days with Paddy in March for his Golden Jubilee Mass". One thing, that might be remarked of this party, was that only one of the Battalion men and Stan Scarabelotti were Catholics, the other three were Protestants and that made no difference to the reason for them being there. They wished to pay their respects to Paddy for the man he was and the job he did. THE BATTALION HISTORY - "GALLEGHAN'S GREYHOUNDS", has but two references to Paddy Walsh. At page 118 is said, "the men, in withdrawal, behaved with great steadiness. Very few had been able to retrieve haversacks or even ground sheets, as the heavy fire raking the entire area at the time made the search for personal equipment too hazardous to be worthwhile, and the great majority walked out only with the clothes, in which they had fought plus rifle, bayonet and ammunition. Padre Walsh, with unfailing cheerfulness, assisted the Regimental Medical Officer in the RAP and distributed cigarettes and chocolate to the retiring troops. ERNIE McNIVEN writes:‑ "I was looking through my scrap book and found a little poem, which I have copied out. It was written by someone at Changi, but it reminded me of Doc Taylor and Jimmy Parsons, Sid Knight and others of the R.A.P. (It also relates to Padre Walsh, so it is included here, Ed) THE LITTLE GROUP
Among the
front line soldiers
No guns or
rifles with their gear,
You and I
would see a case,
There are
different groups we all must praise, AGAIN IN THE BATTALION HISTORY, at page 175: "The armoured cars ceaselessly patrolled the road, protecting rearguard parties and demolition squads and the car was almost immediately attacked by 4 "Army 97" aircraft, flying low...Fragments from one bomb hit the car in several places, one piece killing Sgt. Christoff instantly, as the car neared the 18 mile peg. The planes flew off and the car was harboured near the 17 Mile Peg, where Christoff was buried, later in the day, by Padre Walsh. Only two references to him in that History, but that is by no means the criterion of his influence in the Battalion, as one and all of the men will testify, and later pages show. STAN ARNEIL says:‑ "I think we all remember Paddy in different ways because of our different backgrounds. My memories probably are influenced by my own Catholic upbringing and so I was pleased at the time of Paddy's arrival to know that we had a Catholic Padre in the Unit. It meant to me that we would have Holy Mass always without any problem.... I don't think that I was really interested in any other aspect of a padre, or so I thought, at the time. "Everybody seemed to look at Paddy in a different way but oddly enough he found no trouble in closely identifying himself with every soldier in the Unit. He was, before we knew it, 'Our Padre', in the same way as 'B.J.' was 'Our C.O.' and the 2/30 Bn was 'Our Unit'. "My first vivid memory of Paddy was at Bathurst. It was a hot day, one of those very hot days, when trekking across the hills and climbing those wretched fences brought sweat pouring from us. "We came upon Paddy, marching with the Old Man. He was the most unlikely looking soldier we had seen. Hat, stiff and new, no jaunt to it at all, it was, as if it had been jammed on his head by Jimmy Peebles, as he passed through the Q.M's Store whilst collecting his initial issue. His boots were just as bad, it made us wince to see the stiffness of them; his puttees were hopelessly rolled, near the top of his boots. Paddy's skin was not of the olive type, which withstands heat, or didn't appear to be so anyway. He just burned up in the heat, come to think of it, who didn't, as we trekked for miles under the blazing sun. "I suppose I could sum up our first reaction with the thought that we had never seen such an unlikely looking soldier as Paddy on that first bivouac at Bathurst. Paddy was still with us that night, as we marched up the road to our quarters. He looked exactly as he had, when we first began in the morning, whilst on the other hand, we were all looking and feeling the worse for wear. Paddy never changed. We did. I think that most of the Unit would agree that Paddy was one of the best soldiers in the Unit. "I remember Paddy during the campaign, it was great to see him, especially when we were on our last legs with fatigue. He seemed to be beyond fatigue himself, although he marched every step with us. It was great to yell out, 'How are you, Padre? It was great also, if he just happened to have a bottle of Johnny Walker in his pack, to help an exhausted soldier along the way. "April 23rd 1943, was Good Friday, a special day for me. We were on our way to Thailand in the rice trucks. I can still feel the heat and the dirt. We were at Kuala Lumpur at 4 a.m. Tanjan Malang at ten and Ipoh at half past three in the afternoon. Good Friday was important to me, but, for Paddy, dirty, hot and hungry, it must have been one of his worst days. We were thirty-six hours travelling with one small meal. Remember it? At Ipoh? It was rice and watery stew. First time I had eaten meat ever on a Friday in my life, let alone on Good Friday. Paddy said not a word. We travelled through the Holy Season without a break, we ate again late on Easter Sunday but not on Easter Monday, still crushed in those awful steel ovens, there were no rations at all. In our truck, we included Des Kearney and Paddy, we opened a tin of bully beef to each seven men. Nobody said much. Paddy must have said his prayers alone. I'll bet that it was the only Eastertide in his life as a priest that he did not celebrate Holy Mass. "Paddy marched all the way to No 1 Camp with us and the last pictures, I will recall of him, were in that camp. "Every day he spent hours in the rain on Cholera Hill helping young boys to die. How he managed to keep going there we didn't know, but he was there every day easing the last moments of the dying. Only one person ever came back from Cholera Hill. Paddy was our news bulletin each night, when we staggered in from the road. Do you recall the anxiety of thinking of close friends on Cholera Hill? Would they be alive, when we arrived back at camp that night? Which of our friends would vomit his life away during the day? "Paddy was always there, when we got in at night. Fred was still alive; Dusty was dead; Bill was dead; Paul was hanging on still but would die tomorrow. "Each night we received the news and each night we marvelled at his lack of fear of the cholera. You will recall that deaths were so frequent that funeral services were held only once per week to save the agony of fifteen or sixteen 'Last Posts' each day.
"I
attended one funeral with a few others. I don't recall how I happened to
be there and, sadly, I can't even recall for whom the services were that
day. Isn't it sad? There was "Little bamboo tubes each about 18" long, were lined in rows on the ground. Each tube contained a few bones and some ashes from the body of the man, whose name was scratched on the bamboo. It was a big funeral that day. "One bamboo container was separated from the rest and I wondered why this was so, until I saw Des Kearney step up to Paddy and hand him a slouch hat. Paddy put on the hat, still as unmilitary as ever, and read the Jewish burial service over a poor boy, who had been cremated that day. I wonder if that boy's parents ever knew the love and respect, in which he was buried as a Jew by a Catholic Priest. "Yes, I remember a lot about Paddy alright." FRANK HANNAN COMMENTS:‑ "I remember Padre "Paddy" well at Bathurst - our last camp in Aussie. Paddy fitted in very well with all the boys and officers of the 2/30 Battalion. This little man's ever-ready smile was a winner, always ready to help, where help was, needed - no fuss. Small in stature but grand in his large compassion for all. "Our next camp was Birdwood on Singapore Island, then Batu Pahat - then we moved into positions to meet the "Japs"; Paddy, again the Master of Calm, did, a grand job at the R.A.P. when pitched battle was on, looking to the wounded and the dying with compassion; taking hold of the end of a stretcher, to get a man to the ambulance as quickly as possible. Then we went to the infamous Selerang Barracks, Changi, as P.O.W. I went on Work Party to Thomson Road, then back to Changi. I saw a lot of him, doing his rounds with a smile. "Then "F" Force. First the train, then the long drag. Paddy carried his load and still that smile. He asked for no help and, where possible, said his Mass, using the Vestments he carried right to No. 1 Camp, 190 miles in 15 Marches. Sicknesses of all kinds set in. That is where this little man never stopped, always to hand with the sick and, the very sad part, the many deaths. The men apart on "Cholera Hill" were not left out of his care, day after day, he visited them; not regarding it as hardship that he and his clothes had to be disinfected, as he passed in to them and again as he came back down to mingle with the rest of the camp in their quarters, and not unduly spread that dread disease. "The Railway" completed we returned to Singapore and to Changi, around and in the Gaol. All would say Paddy Walsh had played his part in all circumstances - a job well done." PHIL SCHOFIELD has said that he commends Paddy for the fact on the "Railway" that, he used to seek out details of what was the Church of the chap, for whom he was taking the burial service. He had a Catholic Service for those of his own denomination or the Army Ecumenical service if the chap were otherwise and in very special cases would give due regard to the beliefs of the deceased. JACK MACLAY laughed, when he saw that the Bishop in his address at the Golden Jubilee Mass, when giving his description of Paddy, said, "all those inscrutable features, almost like that of a poker player, all these somehow fit the picture of the Australian male as we know him". Jack says, "A poker player"; you had to be very careful, when Paddy was sitting in on a poker game, he was one to watch. His chess is good too, bridge, draughts, they are all alike to him. A good thing for exercising the mind. He was always on the look-out to see that as Ps.O.W. we did not have long sessions of dreariness, but kept our brains ready for the time of release. He was always ready to spend time teaching any, who wished to learn any of the rules and procedures of those types of games, thereby keeping minds active. ERNIE McNIVEN tells:‑ "At Jemaluang, whilst the village was being prepared for its razing to the ground and after the people had been evacuated, taking away with them the belongings they desired. A gaming table had been left in the street; its top was hexagonal shaped and covered by a sheet of plate glass; each side had its own drawer for holding the chips at that side of that player.
"The table
had been acquired by "A" Coy and one night Ward Booth, Paddy Walsh,
Ernie himself, and Ted Watts, he was unable to remember if there any
others, were engaged playing a game of poker, after the evening meal and
well into the night under the moon, until they could no longer see. They
carried the table into Ward Booth's tent, continuing their game by
lantern light for quite some time. In the morning Paddy and Booth were
on the mat before the Old Man for having a light in a tent while
black-out rules applied. Ernie does not know what might have been their
punishments, but the ORs were not dealt with by "B.J.". "For many years now, the wives have heard their husbands speak with love and respect of their Padre Walsh and, at last, they have met him too. He, whom they regard as "A wonderful man, who, through thick and thin, a small prayer there, whatever the cause may be. The wives now too have the highest regard for this esteemable gentleman, Padre Walsh". SNIPPETS FROM "MAKAN" relate:‑ "Padre Walsh has been running around Queensland, like a real 'Greyhound' and has now a Parish at Barcaldine. He keeps reasonable health." "We received a very nice letter from Father Paddy Walsh, who is stationed at present at Koongal. 'I am pleased to hear of the doings of the boys. Some of them I can remember quite well, others are just a memory. But I would like them all to know that I rejoice with them in their fortunes and sympathise with them in their sorrows. "Paddy counts every man, who was in the Unit as his personal friend." "The 11th Annual Reunion on 23rd Nov 1957, was the most successful, that we have ever had. Padre Paddy Walsh was the Guest of Honour, and the night will always be remembered as the 'Paddy Walsh Reunion'. Paddy renewed acquaintance with every person there. The atmosphere was exhilarating, as friends poured into the hall from 7.30 pm onwards. Speaking immediately after the Roll of Honour, "B.J." welcomed the Padre to the gathering and reminded him, that this, the biggest Reunion we had ever held, was a tribute to the respect, which all ranks bore him. When the Padre rose to speak, Reg Ellis led the troops in 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' and their voices almost lifted the roof. Paddy thanked those present for their great welcome to him. Although officially a member of the Chaplains' Corps, (he said), he had always claimed the 2/30 Bn as his own Unit. He recalled with sadness and pride, that he had read the burial service over the bodies of many of those making up the Honour Roll. Sadness in the death of such wonderful friends and pride in the knowledge that he had been associated with them. The Padre spoke well. He was plainly delighted to be present and the troops were delighted to see him and showed it ." "Padre Paddy Walsh....was recently in Sydney and lunched with the Old Man, Des Kearney and Harry Collins and later on he played a round of golf at Balgowlah with Arch Thorburn, Reg. Friend and Harry Collins. My clearest memory of Paddy is of his prowess as a poker player in Changi. Harry tells me neither Paddy's zest for living nor his keen sense of humour have been dimmed." "Unfortunately, we did not have an opportunity to see very much of our one and only Padre, Paddy Walsh, who flew down from Rockhampton for "B.J.'s" Funeral. Naturally he looks a bit older - who wouldn't 25 years after our return and at 68 years of age - but, he is still the same Paddy - he even remonstrated with your Editor, when he, eventually, attempted to observe the decencies and address him and introduce him to the other Clergy by his correct title and Stan Arneil was kept busy after the service, wiping lipstick off his face, following greetings by some of the wives. A lot of us will recall that day at Kami Sonkurai (the only Yasume - for the Prince's Birthday that we got on the "Railway"), when Paddy held an Army Protestant Church Service at the teak log. They hobbled up on sticks and we carried them out of the so-called hospital, and no one ever had a more intent or appreciative congregation. "As we dispersed at the conclusion of the service, your Scribe, with his usual lack of respect, and irreverence remarked to him: "Paddy, you'll fry, when the Bishop gets to hear of this and, with that typically wistful Paddy Walsh look and expression he replied: "Scho, I don't think HE, or the Bishop, would object "Whoever ran himself more to the point of exhaustion than he did, trying to administer to the needs of the sick and the dying whatever their creed. But, that's our Paddy, and we love and respect him for it." "Our records could be wrong, but they show our Paddy as shown a lot more respect, which is certainly due to his standing in the Church, if not his age; but it is hard to think of him in any other form than 'Our Paddy', no matter what your denomination". Paddy comments, 'The years have certainly flown, since we came home, but the Lord has been good and my health has been excellent. But, I am beginning to feel the toll of passing years. I can still play golf, but am taking more strokes each green." Nevertheless, Garry Evans, who had taken him under control, on the Monday, before the 1978, Anzac Day, for a game of golf, reported that Paddy easily outpaced Garry, in walking between tee and green, every hole. A Sydney weekly Newspaper, the "Sunday Mirror" of 9 July 1967, reported a gathering of robust, middle-aged men in well tailored suits, drinking their healths in whisky in the subdued atmosphere of Sydney's Imperial Services Club; a gathering to mark the twenty first Anniversary of the win of the Sonkurai Baby Race, the planning of which race first occupied the minds of those men, whilst they were prisoners of war on the infamous "Burma Railway" and, when any little thing, that helped them to look to the future, was good in boosting morale. It was related that Des Kearney had been the winner of the cup, which was a memento of that race and that he said that "The Baby race was an uncertain competition. We didn't know if we would ever get out, and we were in a bad way". A footnote to that News article ran:- "The one ex-Sonkurai man, not eligible for the "Race", was unable to attend at the Friday's get-together. He is the Rev. Father 'Paddy' Walsh of Queensland, former Catholic Chaplain of the 2/30 Battalion. But he wholly supported the competition in spirit. His contribution was a carton of beer for the winner!" ("Nugget", Stan Crummy, supplied your scribe with the copy of the Newspaper report). On page 16 there was comment that the Men of the Battalion didn't have an opportunity to see much of Paddy on the day of "B.J.'s" funeral. DES KEARNEY elaborates, saying, I remember one comparatively recent incident involving Paddy, and few might know the full detail but it is well indicative of Paddy's regard for "B.J." and how he looked on the 2/30 Bn as his own. Des, says, "When I learnt of B.J.'s death, I rang Paddy in Rockhampton and he made immediate arrangements to come to Sydney to officiate at the Old Man's funeral service at St. Clement's Church.. "Paddy stayed with me overnight, he was on a particularly tight schedule, as he had to be back in Rockhampton by the afternoon of the funeral to perform a wedding ceremony early that evening. I was responsible for seeing that he left the church immediately after the service and that he got to Mascot in time to catch the afternoon plane. "I whisked him away from St. Clements and handed him over to Jim Cooper, who had a hire car waiting to take him to his office in the city, so as to enable Paddy to change, and thence to take Paddy to Mascot Aerodrome. "I should mention that, at this particular time, Jim was Chairman of the Sydney Stock Exchange, during a period of great drama, which featured a series of commercial disasters of some magnitude, which resulted in a Senate enquiry being conducted, in Canberra, into the general activities of the Stock Exchange. One way and another, Jim was under considerable pressure at the time. "Jimmy rushed Paddy from Mosman, with Paddy still robed, as he was at the church and hurried to his office so that Paddy could change into street clothes. "As you might imagine, there was a great deal of surprise in Jim's office at the sight of Jim, accompanied by a high ranking ecclesiastic, hurrying into his office and going straight to his room with him. "Jim, of course, when asked by his staff, what this was all about, explained that things had been so desperately rough lately, that he had called on his old Battalion Padre to come to give him a little heavenly guidance and consolation and to offer up a special prayer. "Paddy eventually caught the plane and arrived back in Rockhampton in time to perform his next official function." DES KEARNEY says also:‑ "Apart from remembering him as a good a soldier as anyone in the Battalion - and, I couldn't put it higher than that - I remember Paddy as the best card player, particularly at poker, I have ever met. Such is the picture of Padre Patrick John Walsh of the Chaplains' Corps, attached to 2/30 Battalion, A.I.F. He regarded the Battalion as his own. The Men of the Bn. regarded him as their own, and all contributions in this supplement, quite independent of each other, yet reveal similar appreciations of the work he did. He was no giant in physical stature, but great in heart He attracted all men to him. He proved himself a good soldier, not only as a member of the 8 Div. but as a soldier of Christ's Army. He carried out his duties as Padre of his 2/30 Bn, no matter what creed any, to whom he had to tend, might profess. He faced the battle in war and as P.O.W., thinking of how he might minister to his men; supporting them by his presence; looking to sustain their intellects and spirits and keeping them ready to meet the outside world by taking part in or instructing in games of chess, draughts, bridge, poker in their leisure time. He has said that he counted every man in the Battalion his friend, and every man in the Battalion has been the better for knowing Paddy, and we wish him a long and healthy retirement, as we know that, in retirement, keeping oneself busy is the secret to long life. This supplement was commenced, so that all might know the form of Paddy's Jubilee Mass of Ordination; it has developed further, somewhat in the way Phil Schofield has said, "If you have something nice to say about someone, say it while he is alive - don't wait to turn it into a eulogy at his funeral." We trust that our aim meets with your approval. Ed. Back to Makan 244, 1978 index or Main Index |