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.