funeral service.
The son mentioned above, John (Jack) Sullivan returned safely from WWI but was handicapped during the remainder of his life by leg injuries sustained during the war.
Margaret and Laurence Sullivan lived at Gillespie’s Beach for over forty years. Like so many other settlers from the other side of the globe, they made a new life for themselves in a very isolated environment minus the mod-cons which we of later generations take for granted. They instilled in their children their religious beliefs, namely Catholic, and by their example ensured that in turn their sons and daughters would honour those beliefs as part of their daily lives. The chapel at Gillespie’s built early on evidenced the importance of their faith to all the Irish settlers in the area. The three-monthly visit by members of the Catholic clergy to perform baptisms and weddings was an eagerly awaited event when children would also be tested on their knowledge of the catechism. The words, “God’s Will,” must surely have been of great comfort in times of accident, death and misfortune.
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