Three months became a 13-year stay in Oz for Cork family

THIS week I caught up with John Kearney from Fairhill Drive, who is married to Lorraine Kearney, from Silversprings.

They made the move to Australia in December, 2010, and have set up home in Perth with their young sons, Alex, aged four and Bobby, aged three.

When did you move to Perth and why?

Lorraine always wanted to complete a year’s travel after she had completed her degree at college.

Ten weeks prior to our travels, the fear set in and I told Lorraine I did not want to go. I was happy with my life in Cork and didn’t feel the want to live anywhere else, but we came to a mutual agreement that we would do three months and if I wanted to come home then we would come home together and continue life in Cork.

Little did we know that three months would turn into 13 years.

We travelled around Thailand for three weeks prior to Australia and then went to Sydney for a month to see our close friends who lived there and got to experience all the things Sydney had to offer. It was an amazing city, but we felt it didn’t give us that ‘homely’ feel, so we stuck to the plan and in January, 2011, we decided to go to Perth, Western Australia.

We always had Perth in our heads, largely because of the climate – we both thought if we are going to live in Australia let’s go where the sun shines continuously for eight months of the year, and enjoy the beaches Perth has to offer, which are honestly the most beautiful beaches we have ever come across.

What is life like in your new home?

Life in Perth is great and gives the real outdoor living experience. We still have moments where we pinch ourselves that this is our home now. Our days consists of early mornings and most of the time early bedtimes, which is the typical Ozzie way. The weather allows us to plan outdoor activities whether that means the beach, BBQs or just general catch up with friends.

We are also very lucky to have my sister Charlotte and her husband Wayne living in Perth too. They have a son Ollie who is two years old. 

It’s so nice for our boys to have a little cousin to grow up with here and it gives us all a little slice of home.

What has been the biggest challenge and how have you tackled it?

The biggest challenge we both faced in our time away from Cork was the sudden death of both our mothers. Lorraine’s mother Eleanor in March, 2018, and my mother Deidre in October, 2020. I think the only thing that stops you or holds you back from emigrating is being away from your family and missing out on valuable time and memories with them.

We always feared getting that dreaded phone call and unfortunately that nightmare turned into a reality for us both. To make matters worse, my mam Deirdre passed away during Covid which meant neither myself nor my sister Charlotte, who also lives in Perth, could not get home and had to say our goodbyes over a live stream, which was incredibly difficult.

We have such an amazing support network over here and with the help of all our friends and family we got through it. They are both gone but will never be forgotten. We ensure our two boys Alex and Bobby know who their nanas are by showing them photos of them both every day and we will continue to keep our memories of them alive.

How might you spend your weekends?

We get up super early and take turns to work out or go for a coastal walk which sets us up for the day. After breakfast, I take the kids to football (soccer to the Aussies) whilst Lorraine goes shopping or has breakfast with friends.

Sundays are always spent as a family day and we usually take the boys for a bike ride in the morning. A lot of Sunday afternoons we love to just relax out our back and have a swim and listen to music with a few beers.

Are you involved in any community activity?

We will try the boys at Aussie Rules next year. I’m secretly hoping they are both into football as it’s my passion and most importantly, they follow Liverpool. I have retired from football this year but I have now been offered a coaching job at a big club in Perth so that will be my next chapter, which has ignited a real fire in my belly and I am very excited about it.

Tell us about your line of work?

Lorraine has a bachelor’s degree in science which she studied in CIT. She works as a production scientist for a 3D heart valve company. When we had the boys, she stayed at home with the kids for four years and only last year went back to work part time and now works two days a week, so it’s a lovely work-life balance for her.

I am a construction manager for a company that works in mining. I oversee the day to day operations of the business.

I started as a carpenter and worked my way up. I have been with this company for 10 years so it’s safe to say I love my job.

What has been your most memorable moment in your new location so far?

It’s hard to pinpoint just one but I think having family visit us on numerous occasions was definitely up there. It’s just so nice for them to see where we live and understand why we emigrated here and to spend quality time with them.

Living in the outback for a few years was also a life experience we will never forget. We never imagined two city slickers living so remotely but we did it and never regretted it.

Any special mentions to friends or family back in Cork?

Shout-out to Lorraine’s family, her dad Pat, her brother Patrick, and sisters Deborah and Pamela and her nieces and nephews. And her childhood best friend Julie Cronin, who she misses every day.

With the size of my family I could be here all day. To my dad John, my brothers Kevin, Christy and Glenn, and my sisters Patrice and Kate and all my nieces and nephews, we love and miss you all.

Is there anything that you especially miss about Cork?

Although we will probably always live in Australia, we still call Cork home. We always say you can’t beat the Irish people and how nice and friendly they are.

When we go home to visit Cork, we always get reminded in pubs or restaurants or just in general how lovely everyone is, and I don’t think you could ever replace that here.

We miss the warm cosy pubs, the trad sessions, and I especially miss watching all the sport at a normal time.

The biggest thing is obviously family. It’s the hardest part living away, but technology is great these days and we speak so often to them all, and hopefully with us visiting Cork and having family visit us, it makes the distance feel a lot easier.