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| ST PATRICK |
Back in the 1950s and early 1960s, Lent
was a very sombre time, a time of penance and mortification. Lent was a very serious season then and
certainly not a lot of laughs. However,
smack dab in the middle of all this austerity there was one shining, glorious
day that released us from seriousness and brought joy to the heart. What day was that? Why, St Patrick’s Day, of course!
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| ST PATRICK'S DAY RIBBON |
St Patrick’s Day meant a day off school but
it meant a lot more than that. For that
one lovely day we could indulge in candy again or put sugar in our tea. The men, if they were so inclined, could have
a little drop of the hard stuff or a smoke.
Phew, what a day! We would pin
on our St Patrick’s Day ribbons, usually purchased at the little shop on Water
Street owned by dear little Miss Jenny Hayes, and head off to Mass. Then it was home to breakfast and the Big Six
Program on the radio. If you were lucky,
sometime during the day you would have a green ice cream which Brookfield
always produced especially for St Patrick’s Day and unavailable any other time.
In St Patrick’s Parish the very
highlight of the day was the St Patrick’s Day Concert put on by St
Patrick’s Dramatic Troupe! The
venue for the play was Holy Cross Auditorium or St Patrick’s Convent Auditorium
and both the afternoon and evening performances were always well attended. We went to the evening performance with our
parents, aunt, and uncle and we always had chocolates to munch on!
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| MISS KAY HAYES |
Who remembers those wonderful plays and
the great singers, musicians and storytellers who entertained us while the
scenery was being changed behind the curtain?
I remember one great act was a man who was a whizz on the spoons. Who accompanied him on the piano? Was it Mrs Simms or Mrs Molloy? I am not sure. Anyway, the plays were organised and directed
by the magnificent Kay Hayes. George
O’Brien was the talented parishioner responsible for painting the scenery. The play was often, if not always, a comedy,
sometimes inadvertently. Like the time a
group stood on stage waiting for a phone to ring. Someone back stage forgot to ring the bell so
eventually one of the actors just said “Ding-a Ling” and with a straight
face an actress picked up the phone and said “Hello”. Well, the audience thoroughly enjoyed this
bit of unscripted comedy. Who were some
of the parishioners who annually brightened our St Patrick’s Day? I remember such people as Blondie Horan, Pat McAllister,
George O’Brien, Helen Molloy, Eleanor McAllister, Gerald Costello, Shannon
McAllister, Joe Newman, Bill Harris, Mary Downey and Mary Gosse. I am sure some of you will remember more
names and I hope you will remind us of them.
Also, your memories of those eagerly anticipated St Patrick’s Day
Concerts that were such an important part of parish life then would be more
than welcomed if you would like to share them here.
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| THE MUSICIANS |
The days of the ‘play’ are long gone in
St Patrick’s Parish but St Patrick’s Day is still celebrated with gusto I
believe. Last St Patrick’s Day saw
parishioners and friends invited to a ‘time’ in the Parish Room after
Mass. There was food galore, a drop of
wine, singing, dancing, music and laughter.
Ah, the music and singing! The
Parish Priest, the inimitable Fr Wayne Dohey, and a group of very talented
parishioners kept everyone singing and dancing and, as the saying goes, “a
good time was had by all”.
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| A SONG FROM FRANCES |
While the way in which St Patrick’s Day
is celebrated in St Patrick’s Parish has changed, the good people of St
Patrick’s and their pastor still know how to commemorate our Patron Saint. Perhaps most importantly of all, the spirit
of community and friendship that has always existed in the Parish is still as
strong as ever. Long may it be so!
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| AND FATHER SANG TOO |
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| THE LADIES KNOW HOW TO DANCE! |
A VERY HAPPY ST PATRICK’S DAY TO EVERYONE!
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