Stynes reveals battle with cancer
Jim Stynes (bottom left) with his mum, dad and siblings in Melbourne in 2006.
Jim Stynes has revealed that he will be taking a break from his day-to-day duties as chairman of the Melbourne Demons Football Club as he begins a battle with cancer.
At a press conference in the MCG today, the Dubliner revealed that he discovered a lump on his back three weeks ago and that he will go into hospital as soon as possible to begin treatment.
An emotional Jim addressed assembled media at the MCG where he spoke of the tough battle ahead.
“Since I’ve come to this country I’ve had so many amazing experiences and I’ve been very fortunate to be at this great club and all that it gave me,” he began, with his wife Sam at his side.
“I met some amazing people, and I got to spend some amazing time with Reach [Jim's youth charity foundation] and with young people.
“I’ve always stood back in awe at some of the challenges that these young kids face, and I always wondered what it would be like to have those challenges. I always felt that I didn’t really earn that respect to be part of their journeys, because I hadn’t been through what they had.
“I’d never really had what you might call a significant challenge, but three weeks ago I found out that I had a lump on my back. I had it checked and I found out that it was cancerous so I was sent in to do a whole load of follow up tests.
“I thought it might have been located in just that one area, but it’s not. It’s spread quite a bit and I have a journey to go on now. I need to understand it and work with it. I’ve got some of the best people in the country working with me, and between them all they’re doing the best they can.
“I’ve got a great family and a great friendship group who are right behind me so I couldn’t be in better hands.
“I’ve got a new focus now. I have to put all my energies into getting my body right and into healing. You probably wouldn’t know there was anything wrong with me, I feel great.
“I’ve lost a few kilos because I’m on a special diet, but other than I feel 100 per cent. But obviously my body has something in it that it needs to release and I’ve got to find a way of doing that.
“I’m not stepping down form Melbourne. I’m not walking away. But I will be taking a break and I’ll be taking the rest of the season off so I can focus on this and focus on my family.
“Hopefully I’ll be back in a couple of weeks doing normal things again and you won’t even know there was anything wrong. I’ll be around the club, and I’ll be around Reach, but I wont be involved in the day-to-day running of things.
“The one thing I’d like is for people not to treat me any differently. I’m not walking around with a contagious disease, and I don’t want people to look at me in a weird way. I’m still the same guy and I’m going to get on with my life.”
The 42-year-old, who won the Brownlow Medal in 1991, holds the AFL record for playing the most consecutive games, 244.
1 comment July 2, 2009
Long-term Irish residents may lose Australian vote
Irish-born permanent residents of Australia who arrived here before January 1984 may lose their right to vote in elections, if a Labor parliamentarian has his way.
As the law stands, nationals of British Commonwealth countries resident in Australia before 1984 have the right to vote in elections without becoming citizens. The only non-Commonwealth country that Australia has extended this right to is the Republic of Ireland.
According to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), there are 162,928 such voters here who are not citizens, but yet are eligible to vote in elections. This represents 1.18 per cent of electors on the electoral roll as of September 2008.
These people come from 49 different countries, including the Republic of Ireland, and are deemed to have “British subject” notation by the AEC.
But now, a Labor MP is advocating that the provision be reviewed. Daryl Melham recently sat on a Joint Standing Committee examining Electoral Affairs at the 2007 federal election and co-chaired a report, which was released last week.
The MP believes that it is time for Australia to review this arrangement.
“This is a treasured right,” he told the Irish Echo. “It is not fair to Australian citizens and other non-citizens that such a situation continues to exist.”
Mr Melham is ‘sympathetic’ to those who want to wait for Australia to become a republic to become citizens and he acknowledges that some of those he wishes to disenfranchise have served in the military.
But he believes that only citizens should be allowed to vote and points to the potential for these non-citizen voters to alter the result of individual seats and/or even an election.
“There are eight divisions with more than 2,500 electors with British subject notations (sic) on the electoral roll, and a further 62 divisions with more than 1,000 electors with British subject notations on the electoral roll,” he said.
“Of the 150 divisions at the 2007 election, nine divisions had final margins of less than 1,000 votes and 19 divisions had margins of less than 2,500 votes,” he said.
“It is clear that the continued enfranchisement of British subjects (sic) has the potential to affect [the outcome of an election],” he continued.
But he believes that voting non-citizens should be given ample opportunity to become certified Aussies before their vote is taken from them.
“Notwithstanding our historical links, I believe that in this day and age, continuing the grandfathering arrangements for a special class of British subjects (sic) is unfair and unreasonable to other non-citizens,” he said.
Mr Melham acknowledged that he may not be able to win support from his government colleagues to precipitate the change but his main intention was to create debate on the topic at federal elections.
Add comment July 2, 2009
Body confirmed as that of missing Irishman
NSW Police have confirmed that a body washed ashore at Brunswick Heads in northern New South Wales on Saturday morning is indeed that of missing Irishman Niall McDonough.
Mr McDonough, 30, from Dublin, went missing from his hostel on Friday, June 12, sparking a major search operation at sea and on land.
But that search has now come to an end with the grim news that the body which was discovered has been confirmed as his by the coroner’s office.
1 comment June 23, 2009
Search continues for missing Waterford man
The parents of Sean Walsh, a 26-year-old biomedical engineer from Dungarvan in Co Waterford, who disappeared from his home in the Sydney suburb of Randwick on May 10, have joined the search for their son.
In Australia on a Working Holiday Visa, Sean’s housemates last saw him in the early hours of that morning, but since then, there has been no sign of him.
The only trail left behind were bits and pieces of personal possessions – his wallet, bank cards and phone were all found in his room. His passport has still not been found, but police have confirmed it has not been used to leave the country.
A dedicated website – www.seanwalshmissing.com – had also been set up and every mode of online message board used in the search for Sean.
Sean was wearing green board shorts and a green hoodie and T-shirt when he was last seen, and anyone who thinks they might have spotted Sean – or his white van on the night in question – are asked to call the Eastern Suburbs Detectives on (02) 9349 9299 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
by Aaron Dunne
2 comments May 20, 2009
New renters urged to be wary of greedy landlords
Unsuspecting new Irish arrivals in Australia are being hit with a host of “illegal” charges by unscrupulous Sydney property rental groups and landlords, the Irish Echo has learned.
One Irish victim has claimed that tenants are getting “ripped off left, right and centre”.
Adel Burke, from Dublin, says she was landed with a host of undisclosed charges related to the short-term lease of a property in the eastern suburbs of Sydney – money which was taken out of her bond.
Adel then took the company in question to the Consumer, Trade and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT) where she and her friends finally received the refund they were due in an out-of-court settlement.
Adel says she would have taken the case even further and not settled at all only for the fact that she was due to go home to Ireland.
She did say, however, that she was delighted to expose a phenomenon from which many of her other friends have also suffered.
“People are being charged $600 for bills that should only come to around $100 but these groups think they can get away with it. They’re advertising directly at backpackers who don’t know any better and they’re taking advantage of them,” Adel said.
“We thought it was a great deal when we came over first, and that the charges were reasonable. But it was only when we looked into it further that we realised we were getting screwed, so we decided to fight them tooth and nail.
“Backpackers just getting off the plane are thinking the same thing and signing these rental agreements thinking it’s the handiest way to get set up, but really you’re better off just finding somewhere on Gumtree and avoiding these groups altogether.”
Michael Hampton of the Eastern Sydney Area Tenants Service says his group regularly receive complaints from Irish and British backpackers who have been duped by landlords and rental agencies.
Mr Hampton told the Echo that many rental agencies that offer short-term rentals to backpackers are acting “illegally” and flouting the New South Wales Residential Tenancy Act, which protects tenants’ rights.
“In the eastern suburbs area we get a high proportion of backpackers calling us who are often keen to move in somewhere quickly and who don’t know the residential tenancy laws and they call us when things go bad.”
He took a look at Adel’s particular case and said that there were a host of illegal charges being applied.
Adel rented a two-bedroom apartment with friends in Coogee from November until mid-February, paying $850 per week between four people as well as a bond of $2,000.
It was when Adel went to reclaim her bond that things began to go wrong with unexplained charges popping up all over the place. Mr Hampton took a look at her particular case explaining that several clauses on her rental agreement were “illegal”.
Part of the agreement was that Adel and her friends would be charged a “non-refundable” agency fee of $100 per person to cover the drawing up of the tenancy agreement and administrative costs.
Mr Hampton explained that under NSW residential tenancy law it is illegal to charge any more than $15 for the preparation of a rental agreement, but that he had seen similar cases where agencies can charge anywhere between $100-$150.
Second, Adel and her friends agreed to pay $2 per day for water, gas and electricity, amounting to a whopping $664. Mr Hampton again pointed out that these charges were illegal, while Adel said she researched how much this should have cost, estimating that $100 would have been the correct amount.
“To charge this daily fee – an all-in fee of electricity and water – is an offence in NSW and under the Electricity Supply Act. Your property must be individually metered or the bill must be in your name,” he explained.
A further $575 was also deducted from Adel’s bond – $542 for cleaning costs and $33 for rubbish collection.
However, Adel explained that she had taken two days off work to clean the apartment before her departure, making sure to take photos documenting the cleanliness of the property.
Another charge written into the rental agreement was that of an $11 fee for every missed rental payment.
Again, Mr Hampton said that such a charge was illegal, explaining that “under residential law here there are no late fees”, but that he had also seen such charges written into agreements in other similar cases.
He urged new arrivals to be cautious about signing agreements before understanding their rights.
by Aileen Lee
3 comments May 20, 2009
457 numbers stall as bar is raised for applicants
The number of 457 sponsorship visas being granted to Irish nationals has plateaued as the jobs market tightens up due to the global financial crisis.
Latest figures released by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) show that while the overall numbers of 457 visas issues to Irish nationals is up on last year, the trend is down since Christmas.
A total of 1,790 employer-sponsored 457 visas were issued to Irish passport holders in the nine months to March 2009. This represents a 30 per cent increase on the 1,370 issued during the same period last year.
But for the first three months of 2009 the number of 457 visa grants is down slightly, from 520 in 2008 to 510 this year.
Total applications for the 457 visas have been trending downward – onshore and offshore – since September 2008 in response to the slowing economy.
Applications lodged in March 2009 are at the lowest rate since July 2006. The number of primary applications lodged in March 2009 was 33 per cent lower than those received in September 2008.
The overall number of visa grants has also fallen. The number of Subclass 457 primary visa grants in March 2009 was 53 per cent lower than those granted in September 2008.
The number of 457 primary visa grants in March 2009 was almost 35 per cent lower than those in February 2009.
Sydney-based migration agent John McQuaid says the figures are not surprising.
“We were expecting that the figures for the last few months would drop off. The Department has been a lot stricter on applications and a lot of them are being refused.
“It’s not just that a lot of them are being refused, it’s the fact that those refusals are putting other people off applying because they don’t think they can get through under the stricter criteria. So in that regard application levels are down as well,” he said.
“The Department has really been clamping down in the past few months. There was a big political move to reduce the number of 457s granted and we’re seeing that now. They’re finding reasons to turn down applications a lot more.
“It’s not that they’ve changed their policies or anything like that, they’re just enforcing their own existing rules a lot more stringently.
“People are being refused visas who might have been granted this time six months ago, and that, in its own way, is putting off other people from applying at all.
“Trades people in particular are being looked at a lot more closely, and they really need to be careful.”
Mr McQuaid says that employers are being dissuaded from sponsoring because of the tougher rules.
“A lot of companies are reading about how much harder it is to get a sponsorship through and a lot of them are just not bothering because they don’t think it’s worth the hassle.
“It seems the main changes are in the area of wages and training. It’s now more important to demonstrate that you’re paying or being paid above the average wage for your profession and that your company hasn’t made anyone redundant recently and are providing training to Australians.
“It will eventually relax again, but in the current climate, it’s important for the Government to demonstrate a vigorous approach to immigration.”
by Aaron Dunne
1 comment May 20, 2009
Search on for missing Waterford man
Friends and family of an Irishman missing in Sydney since Sunday have appealed to the local community for help.
Sean Walsh, 26, from Dungarvan in Co Waterford, has been missing since Sunday night leading his friends and family to launch a search for him in the hope that someone may have seen him in a pub or at a party over the weekend.
Waterford native Sean Walsh went missing on Sunday in Sydney
Sean was last seen at his home on Howard Street in Randwick on May 10, and friends and family – including his sisters Brid and Mairead – have been frantically searching for him ever since, while police in Maroubra have also joined the search.
“We have escalated our response based on the concerns of the family,” Detective Inspector Paul Pisanos of Maroubra Police said.
“We are not treating it as a suspicious death, but as a high risk missing person. It is definitely out of
character,” he added.
Since being reported missing, police from Eastern Beaches Local Area Command with the assistance of police air wing, Polair, conducted a search of the surrounding area without success and police have said they hold serious concerns for the welfare of Mr Walsh.
He is described as being 175cm tall with a thin build, shaved brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was last seen wearing khaki boardshorts, khaki hooded jumper and thongs.
If you have seen Mr Walsh since Sunday morning, please contact Brian Flanagan on +353 87 950 9895 or Maroubra Police on (02) 9349 9299.
1 comment May 13, 2009
Offaly man killed in Perth road crash
A 23-year-old Offaly man has been killed in a road accident in Perth while two other Irish nationals were also injured in the crash which occurred last Friday night in Perth.
Richard Gahan, from the small town of Geashill near Tullamore, was killed when the Toyota Corolla hatchback in which he was traveling crashed into a pole in Doubleview shortly after 10.30pm.
Two other male passengers in the car, a 32-year-old and a 19-year-old both believed to be from Co Offaly, were also injured in the crash and remain in hostpital.
“Both the other men in the car have serious injuries and are currently in hospital and will be for some weeks,” and WA Police spokesperson told the Irish Echo.
”The 32-year-old man, who we believe to be the driver, has leg and pelvis injuries. The other, a 19-year-old, has various injuries,” the spokesperson added.
Full details in the next edition of the Echo.
Add comment April 28, 2009
Irish welfare groups to escape funding cuts
The Embassy of Ireland in Canberra has told the Irish Echo that it is not expecting measures taken in the recent Irish emergency budget to affect funding for welfare groups in Australia.
It had been feared that any reduction in the level of overseas spending could have had an adverse affect on Australian groups planning to apply for funding this year, but first secretary Orla Tunney told the Echo that as far as the Embassy is aware no such cuts are forthcoming.
“We haven’t heard of any cutbacks, and as far as I’m aware there aren’t any in the offing,” she said.
“The number of organizations applying for funding from Australia would be relatively small as compared to from other parts of the world like Britain and America, so I really don’t think it will affect groups down here at all.
“Welfare funding is more important now than ever and funding for the different welfare groups around Australia is of the highest priority.
“The priority has to be to help these groups continue to provide the crucial services they do to the most vulnerable people in our society, in particular the elderly.
“We’ve been working closely with the different groups to help them with their applications for funding which are due in the next few weeks as there is a new on-line application procedure which is a little different.
“When Minister [Eamon] Ó Cuiv was out here over St Patrick’s Day he said that he was more than hopeful the Government would maintain the funding they provide to these groups, and as far as we’re aware that’s still the case.”
Mr Ó Cuiv told a gathering at the launch at the Irish Australian Support Association of Queensland (IASAQ) in Brisbane that it was the “intention of the Irish Government to maintain this funding because we realise the key importance of us, as a government, supporting those of our citizens, or those who have a connection with our country, through organisations like yours”.
1 comment April 24, 2009
Community rallies behind stricken Cork woman
The Irish communities of Melbourne and Sydney have rallied in support of a Cork woman who has been in a Melbourne hospital since November of last year.
Siobhán Collins, 36, had just returned home from work at the Celtic Club in Melbourne on November 23 when she suffered a brain aneurism.
Her partner , Dunmanway native Dan Cronin, 37, came home to find her unconscious and rushed her to St Vincent’s Hospital where she suffered a second aneurism.
As a result, the decision has now been made to fly Siobhan home to Cork in the hope that familiar surrounds might help her along the road to recovery.
“She’s still the same unfortunately. There is no communication there at all and she has zero alertness,” Dan told the Echo.
“Things are pretty bleak at the minute. It’s at the stage now that she needs people around her that she knows.
“She has what they call lock-in syndrome, but it’s hoped that the environmental stimulation of having her family around her might help.
“I hadn’t a thought of taking her home, to be honest. I really thought we could ride it out here.
“We were really trying not to push it, but it’s come to the stage now where she needs to have more people around her.
“It’s not going to happen overnight, it could take a couple of years, but it’s obvious now that this is the only thing we can do.
“The conclusion was that the best thing we could do was to bring her home.”
The couple first met at the Cock ’n’ Bull in Sydney in 1995 where Siobhán, originally from Newmarket, was working as a barmaid.
The pair went home to Ireland for 10 years soon afterwards, but returned to Australia in 2007.
They are very well known within the Irish community, particularly in Sydney where they both lived for several years.
And now their friends have come together to host joint fundraisers in Sydney and Melbourne.
Both functions will take place on May 16, with the Celtic Club hosting the Melbourne event and the Pine Inn holding the Sydney one.
Although not yet officially confirmed by medical staff, it is understood that a specialist may have to travel with Siobhán on the journey home, adding extra expense to the already daunting ordeal.
It is estimated that at least $50,000 will be needed to transport her home safely.
Tickets for the Melbourne event are available through the Celtic Club in Melbourne on (03) 9670 6472 and tickets for the Sydney function can be got by calling Gerry Power on 0414 512 165.
Alternatively, you can contribute by bank transfer to St George bank. The BSB is 112 879 and the account number is 043612218.
by Aaron Dunne
1 comment April 22, 2009
