Contributor: Des Kennedy
I left Belfast at the age of 27, with my then wife and two young children, and migrated to Sydney, Australia. When in Belfast I had worked for a number of companies including the IT function at the largest bakery in Belfast, the Ormo Bakery.
After a number of years in Sydney, I was offered a consulting role in Broken Hill putting a fibre network down the mine shafts, and broadband across the mine surface. As part of that project, I needed to spend nine weeks actually on site working at the mine. With the heat of the day, and working down the mine, I got into a routine of going back to the motel after work to clean up and then heading out for some food and ales.
On this particular day, I was extremely hot and I decided to stop over for a beer rather than heading straight back to the motel and so I pulled over to the first pub I could find in Argent Street, the main drag through Broken Hill.
The pub was empty other than two blokes drinking at the bar when I entered. Having been asked what I wanted, and responding with “any beer would be good as long as it is cold”, one of the two blokes leant across the bar and asked “what part of Belfast are you from..?”.
Now being from that wonderful city, I decided, understandably, to be cautious about my response and so replied with “North Belfast”.
This response then drew a second question “What part of North Belfast..?”
Getting even more concerned, I responded with “Ballysillan” – not expecting the gentleman to have any clue as to where exactly I had lived.
The following question came back in raised tones “Whereabouts in Ballysillan are you from.?”.
I thought to myself, “what the heck is going on here..?”, and replied “Tyndale Park” to which the gentleman asked “What number..?”.
As it turned out, Ian had lived immediately behind me in Tyndale Park, we had gone to the same school, Boy’s Model Secondary School, although I was a year older. He had also worked in the Bakery at the same time but had worked different shifts – but knew lots of the same people.
He had migrated, as a plumber, with his wife and three children to Adelaide. I had migrated with my wife and two children to Sydney, and we met for the very first time in a pub on the main street of Broken Hill..!! Small World indeed..!!