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Your Award Winning Seniors’ Newspaper - Written for Seniors by Seniors Vol 11 - Issue No. 11
DECEMBER 2014
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Celtic Christmas at Coorparoo
by Jim Bowden REPRESENTATIVES of four Celtic nations gathered in Brisbane recently to celebrate the arrival of Christmas at a special lunch made lively by an Irish pipe band and the singing of festive carols – one or two of them sung in Gaelic. More than 70 members of the Queensland division of the Celtic Council of Australia closed a busy year for the group on November 22 with a natty Santa (Bruce Williams pictured) handing out gifts to the revellers at the Coorparoo RSL Club. President Mavis Williams (D Ua) welcomed guests representing the Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Cornwall. Helen Abrahams, Brisbane city councillor for The Gabba Ward, joined in the celebrations. A skilled performer on both the Scottish Great Highland bagpipes and the Irish uilleann pipes, Mavis Williams, along with her husband Bruce, a drummer, joined in with the Queensland Irish Association Pipe Band in a rousing presentation of Celtic tunes and Christmas favourites. A highlight was a solo performance by 82-year-old pipe major and Australian champion
Doug ‘Pipie’ Thoreson of Durack who gave the first airing to a signature tune he has composed for the Clan Thompson Society, with lyrics to be written by Ernie Thompson, Australia and NZ representative on the Scottish Clans Congress. Mavis Williams said membership of the Queensland Celtic Council was growing and new members were welcome. She can be contacted on (07) 3849 8271. “We are hopeful of erecting a Celtic monument in Brisbane to recognise the many Celts, both Australian born and from abroad who live in Queensland,” Mavis said. “This will be either a stone pillar or Celtic cross and the project already has support from business and civic leaders, including Ian Kay, MP Greenslopes.” The Celts were a group of tribal societies in the Iron Age and Medieval Europe who spoke Celtic languages and had a similar culture. The eight territories recognised as Celtic nations are Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man (Manx), Brittany (northwest France), Galicia (northern Portugal) and Asturias (northwest Spain).