Tribute to Ted O'Grady 1933-2021

of the Club’s management. Every member should be justifiably proud of what Sorrento has achieved over the past five years. We have a wonderful Club and it was a bit irritating one Saturday afternoon, at the Osborne Park Bowling Club, to hear one of our members telling everyone, around the table, that "Osborne Park has better greens, cheaper beers and higher prize money than Sorrento!" Perhaps he should resign and join Osborne Park.

Finally we need to say a special thank you to Life Member Brian Lucas who has for many years prepared the detailed and comprehensive documentation required for our annual submissions for both the Club's WA and the Bowls WA awards. Without his input we would not have won all the awards shown alongside.

– Neville Odell

Tribute to Ted O'Grady 1933-2021

Tributes flowed, the good times recalled and Ted McGrady’s love of Liverpool highlighted at the recent funeral of the Sorrento stalwart. Ted was farewelled as Gerry Marsden’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” football anthem reverberated and family and friends celebrated his 88 years of life.

Edward James McGrady was born on the 22nd of April 1933 in Liverpool, the eldest of six children. Growing up through the turmoil of World War II saw Ted’s father leave to take up active service and though Ted was just a child, he took on many responsibilities in looking out for his younger siblings and helping his mother. With Liverpool a target for German bombing raids, the family moved to

Elllesmere Port for safety only to have the bombs continue to fall there.

At his funeral, some of Ted’s attributes were listed as patience, being a gentle soul, a quiet character, dependable, always present in his family’s lives, having a great sense of humour, being a story teller, a great handyman and having a deep love of sports and animals.

In his early days after War broke out, Ted played for the local MostynAlbion soccer team in Wales and joined the Navy at the age of 20 and worked as an engine room mechanic. Mourners at his funeral were told of the time when Ted was in Malta and missed the last tender boat from the mainland and decided to swim back to his ship. But being a bit under the weather from the night before Ted started swimming in the wrong direction. A Maltese fishing boat eventually picked him up and returned him to the British Navy – the penalty being losing one of his stripes.

Ted later worked in various roles at two power stations for 30 years before taking early retirement at the age of 58. In the meantime, Ted had met Sonia through his sister and fellow nurse Heather, the pair hitting it off straight away and they were married in 1962. As their family expanded with the arrival of son Ian and daughters Kerry and Sue, Ted and Sonia contemplated buying a house in Spain in order to avoid the harsh British winters.

But after their three kids all moved to Australia, the Spanish plan was abandoned and the pair themselves set sail for Perth in 2004. Ted and Sonia hooked up with the Sorrento Bowling Club pretty much straight

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