Popular Australian couple, Paul and Lyn Maguire who called in at the 'Fermanagh Herald' offices last year to check out the family's 'Fermanagh Maguires' connection, have contacted the 'Herald' from sunny Down Under to give an update of their family tree search.
On their return home, their diary was already full, starting with a nephew's 18th birthday in Perth, followed by two more nieces' birthdays, in Brisbane and at Mirani near Mackay.
"They have each been proud and happy family occasions," Paul writes. The Maguire family reunion that I initiated at Lake Kurwongbah via Petrie in May was one of the highlights of the year and with some 80 family members in attendance, it was great to see so many Maguires,Woodwinds and Clarks all together, including some for the first time."
For Paul, having three of his groomsmen assisting on the day was a bonus. A planned DVD has been delayed to accommodate extra material from the couple's recent trip to Ireland and will be available early in the New Year.
The letter recalled a week in Dubai with their Belgian friends, Patrick and Yethy Claeys and catching up with another young friend in Dubai, Angela Hughes and going out 'desert dune bashing' in a 4wd 'which was a real buzz'.
The letter goes on: 'Onto Ireland and having two weeks driving around, starting with the Giant's Causeway was terrific. Lyn was very supportive as we put in another intensive effort trying to connect with the Maguire family roots in Enniskillen and the elusive James Maguire from the late 1840's.
'We appear to have solved the "Lindara " Gaelic name and its Maguire family connection, but we can only hope that the feature article we did with the 'Fermanagh Herald' on 17th October produces some Irish Maguire family connection results'.
On the local front, the letter reflects Paul's interest in unearthing some interesting artefacts, among them the "Who's who in the World of Women "edited and published in Melbourne and Sydney by Paul's uncle, Reginald Maguire and the 1869, the Baptism Certificate of Paul's grandfather, William E .J. Maguire in Ballarat (which was witnessed by John Sharkey of Enniskillen), which Paul describes as, 'positive finds'.
The second part of the trip to Ireland coincided with the 50th year celebrations of JCI Junior Chamber/Jaycees and an opportunity to catch up Paul's many friends from Ireland, Scotland, etc after some 20 years of being a JCI board member in Europe.
'Thanks to all of the Irish, including John Byrne for your beautiful hospitality and the Irish pubs filled with the joy of Irish music'.
The last leg of the trip in November/December was over two weeks, to Japan with a group of 30 to Mackay's sister city, Matsuura, near Nagasaki who were great hosts .
'From there, we travelled all around Japan in trains, buses, ferries and planes and saw some wonderful Autumn colours and scenery and lots of culture . The Karaoke was great and not forgetting some great games of '500' cards in some very interesting places'.
Paul Maguire has concluded his directorship of Furniture Court Australia after some 8 years as Chairman/deputy chairman spread over the past 16 years which, he suggests, marks the end of an era.
Apart from travel and his abiding interest in tracing his roots, Paul has other interests, as the letter explains.
'The golf course has become at least a twice a week event, and sometimes even three times a week. I've lost 5kgs in weight, so this New Year's resolution will include keeping it off as well as improving my handicap.
'Not a lot of fishing or sailing in the Whitsundays this year, with just two reef fishing trips, but a week in the Whitsundays is certainly on the agenda for 2008, as with a bit more fishing, Lyn continues to enjoy her volunteer work at the Mackay entertainment centre and going to the gym, but we both should be doing more walking in the New Year.
'The horses have also had a quieter year as we focus more on breeding than racing. One of the fillies we bred, 'Bella Heart' ,being from Gene's Interests family has come back with two good wins at Caloundra and, hopefully she will perform in Brisbane in 2008. The Equine Influenza [E.I.]has bought many challenges but, as often stated 'out of something bad always comes something good' so we are waiting. All of our five foals this year have been healthy and commercial and we have had some good sales'.
In terms of horses for punters in Fermanagh to follow, in which the Maguires have a share, they include: Make Mine Cash in Vic, Loriens, Lady Lindara, & Heart of Gold in Toowoomba, a new one in Mackay not yet named. All except Loriens will be first starters.
'We continue to upgrade our six brood mares and are in the process of, hopefully importing a nice mare from the USA , and we are also looking to lease some of our better bred fillies to David Hayes racing stables.
'On the local sporting scene, with our support to Mackay Brothers [Leagues]Club, it was great to see them win three of the four grades, including their first A Grade grand final win in 10 years. We are fortunate to live in a place like Mackay with the mining and property boom and our commercial property investments continue to grow from strength to strength, but not without a deal of time and effort.
"Following the recent upgrading of our Courts Corner complex in 2007, plans for the joint venture Harbour City Central project are in the final stage of approvals, and we should see that coming out the ground in early 2008'.
Paul's 60th birthday party will be on Saturday, 2nd February 2008 at Halliday Bay Golf Resort, and the couple's personal plans for 2008 include a three week trip to Africa in August focusing on the game parks in Kenya and Tanzania, with a stop over in Dubai on the way home. Paul's Aunty Pat at age 85 is off to Norfolk island in February, so, as the letter suggests, 'there's no excuse in just talking about it. Let's do it!'
