A helping hand in a real time of need

WITH so many Irish people now working in Australia, it is perhaps not surprising a number of fatalities might occur.

But nobody could have predicted the death toll of recent days, during which five emigrants have died from a variety of causes ranging from tragic construction and car accidents, to illness.

Apart from the shock of families learning of the unexpected death of a loved one, they also have the ordeal of bringing home the remains. And that is where the Claddagh Association of Western Australia shine a welcome light into an otherwise dark scenario. Symbolised by two hands clasping a heart, the traditional motif of the Claddagh ring, this organisation was set up by a few Irish emigrants in 1997 with the aim of assisting people during times of crisis and trauma.

A not-for-profit organisation, it relies on the support of the Irish community in Perth and those in far-flung Western Australia to help continue its valuable work of transporting remains home when families are unable to undertake the long and costly journey to Australia. Besides co-operating with the authorities and undertakers to secure the release of the bodies, it also liases with the Kevin Bell repatriation trust of Northern Ireland to bring the remains of people who die in sudden or traumatic circumstances back to Ireland. The Claddagh Association also receives an Irish Government grant — an excellent use of taxpayers’ money.