Corkonians Abroad: 'I live in Perth, but my heart is in the northside'

Where are you from, and where do you currently live?

I was born in Cork, and my parents, Terrence and Edith Hayes (née Creagh), made the decision to emigrate to Australia.

My parents, my sister Alexandra and I departed in March, 1983, for Perth in Western Australia.

I was from a big family in Ireland, dad was the eldest of eight (Hayes from the northside of Cork), and my mum one of five (Creaghs, also from the northside of Cork).

I grew up with plenty of uncles, aunties, and cousins, and at the time both sets of grandparents.

I was nearly four when we left Ireland - so young - however, I recall a very happy childhood growing up in Cork surrounded by love and family.

The house I was born into was in Church Avenue, Shandon, and we then moved to live in Hillcrest Rise, the house was called ‘Shalimar’.

In 1983, Australia was looking for skilled-workers for the growing resources industry (mining, oil and gas) and my father, being an electrician, and coupled with having first cousins living in Perth (the Hayes family emigrated there in the 1950s), made it an easier transition to receive approval for the permanent residency visa.

My father, Terrence, shared with me that the appetite for adventure, job opportunities, climate, and quality of life was too strong a draw card to pass up, so Perth became home.

What is life like in Perth, and what have been some of the challenges?

Life in the 1980s was very different to what it is now in Perth. Back then, Perth was very remote from the rest of the world, so living away from family in Ireland felt like a million miles away.

We had the odd long distance expensive call – or the wait by the letterbox for the letters from ‘home’. My mum was very homesick and felt that distance more than anyone, as my dad went to work in the FIFO (Fly In, Fly Out) lifestyle in the north-west of Australia on the LNG Gas projects, which saw him work a 6/2 roster – six weeks working, and two weeks home.

However, our family made friends fast with other Irish families that had also emigrated, which made us feel like a community with support.

We would never have settled if we didn’t have the extended Hayes cousins/family here in Perth, and the community of other Irish emigrants who, like us, would have felt the distance.

My dad was one of the founding members of a soccer club in Perth called Shamrock Rovers, this too was a ‘home away from home’ community, all Irish players, all immigrants, forging their way into the Aussie lifestyle. This club is still going strong to this day.

The biggest challenge was missing family from ‘home’ and the battle of the Cork accent, we laugh now when reminiscing, but back then, Perth was not a very cosmopolitan city, so a lot of Aussies were not used to the Cork accent, and my parents felt they had to repeat themselves and slow down.

I even recall being at school and counting, 1, 2, and 3 – and to say three I said ‘tree’ in true Irish form, the kids at school would say ‘trees are outside’.

There was the usual element of words being lost in translation that you navigate when moving to a new country with an accent.

I had an opportunity to come to Ireland in my twenties when I decided to travel Europe with my Aussie friends (who also held Irish passports), and we decided to land in Dublin and use this as a base.

There was always a part of me growing up in Australia where I craved the need to connect to my Irish heritage/roots and my extended family.

I landed in Dublin in the early 2000s. Ireland was booming. The ‘Celtic Tiger’ was roaring, so there was plenty of work for Aussie girls.

I had so many amazing memories from that time of my life, and I also made friends for life and connected to my family in Cork and Dublin.

It came to a wonderful conclusion after seven years and it was time to come home – to Perth.

How might you spend your weekends?

Weekends in Perth are the best, I am biased, but I feel we have the best weather in Western Australia, where we have a long and hot summer, and three other seasons that are complementary to summer with warm days and cool evenings.

Weekends for me involve exercising outdoors, walking along our stunning coastline, or around the large lakes, swimming and barbecues in the summer, and spending my time with my family and friends.

Tell us a bit about the culture of where you live?

I live in an area called Scarborough Beach, I’m a 20 minute walk to the beach, and about 12km to the city for work, so I have the best of both worlds with beach and city.

Scarborough has a really relaxed, chilled beach town vibe, think cafés, surfing, lots of nationalities all living in one place, we even have an Irish bar – The Galway Hooker.

Tell us about your line of work/career?

As legacy and history would have it, I have followed my father into the resource industry in Perth. I work as a Senior Specialist in Human Resources.

I work for a global (oil and gas) energy company founded in Australia, which provides reliable and affordable energy to countries across the world.

Over the last 17 years of my career in HR, I have worked in the oil, gas, mining and lithium industries. Australia is rich in natural and mineral resources and Western Australia is one of the larger states to provide all these resources exporting across the world.

In my HR career, I have had the opportunity to employ thousands of people into the industry, this has been the most rewarding, to offer people great opportunities of learning and earning, and this can change lives.

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

I have been fortunate enough to make the best friends who have been in my life for nearly 35 years, who I have travelled with and shared my best and most challenging memories.

Funny enough, most of these friends are from Ireland or have Irish heritage, it’s funny how we seem to draw back to what/who we know in life.

Any special mentions to friends or family back in Cork?

The last time I was back in Cork/Dublin was 2017, a trip was planned for 2020 but covid took that dream away, and here we are and now it’s 2025.

I will always continue to travel to Ireland to see family and friends and fill my cup/heart

I am fortunate to be part of a loving family on both sides, the Hayes’ and the Creaghs, and when we travel back to Cork we spend a lot of time in my uncle’s pub on Blarney Street, The Joshua Tree – many fabulous nights have been spent there with the extended family, and I have a very close group of friends in Dublin that will always be close to my heart.

I have been blessed to have so many family members/cousins visit us in Western Australia, and our hearts and homes are always open with that Irish flair for laughter and hospitality.

If you were back in Cork for one day, what would be the ideal day for you?

I would head out to Blarney, then onwards to one of my favourite places Kinsale, and would end up back in ‘The Josh’ to meet family and toast the day!

What are you looking forward to in the coming months?

I am looking forward to a great summer in Perth, which is averaging about 30 degrees, which is perfect. I am also looking forward to my mother’s 70th birthday in March, which will see some of the Irish family visit to celebrate with us.

Is there anything that you especially miss about Cork?

I miss the humour, some of my funniest moments of my life were with my family in Cork, the banter is like no other, it’s fast and funny, and the people of Cork are staunch loyal to their county, and the local sport teams.

I would like to think I have inherited some of that staunch and loyal spirit!