A very special birthday

I was invited to a birthday party for John Maher, a first cousin of my late mother. John turned 88 last week, and his family threw him a party at the Railway House B&B in Daylesford. I drove over from
Castlemaine, through lovely green countryside, and was warmly welcomed by the large family gathering. Seven of John's children were there, plus several grandchildren, a couple of cute grandbabies, and a rather fetching Collie dog.

Sadly, John's lovely wife Theresa died last year, but I know she would have been pleased to see the love and respect so evident for John today.

There were photos, cakes with candles, speeches, and lots of stories to share.

And confirmation of a story I related here a while back about my grandfather, Pat Maher, and his final journey. You may want to refresh your memory here.

My cousin Barry had related how Pat Maher died in Sydney, and his son and two nephews drove up there from their home in Minyip to bring his body home. Barry was only a small boy at the time, and I wasn't entirely sure if it happened as he remembered.

Today John Maher told me it was indeed true, and in fact he owned the car in question, a Ford V8. John didn't want to go into the details of how exactly it was done, and no-one was too sure that it was quite legal to carry a deceased person in a private car. But it definitely happened. So glad we've cleared that up.
Barry died earlier this year, and I'm sorry for doubting him, he had it right all along.