Patrick Michael Brian COVELL
Born March 1931 in London, England [64]
His father died in an accident while cycling to work and 18 months later his mother was murdered [317: Apr-1998]
At the time of his mother's death he was only three years of age and his elder brother Frank was aged ten [317: Apr-1998]
He was placed into care, while his brother was adopted by their uncle and aunt who had a son near his brother's age [317: Apr-1998]
As an orphan he was placed into care at Nazareth House in Hammersmith, London, England [317: Apr-1998]
He was moved to Nazareth House in Southampton, England where he resided until being sent to Western Australia [317: Apr-1998]
Along with 29 other boys from Nazareth House he departed London, England on the steamship Otranto on 15 July 1938 [203]
After just over a month they arrived on the steamship Otranto in Fremantle, Western Australia on 16 August 1938 [63]
They were greeted by the Clontarf Boys' Band and were given their first meal of scrambled eggs cut into big squares [317: Apr-1998]
Resided at the Christian Brothers' Castledare Boys Home and Clontarf Boys Home in Perth [317: Apr-1998]
In 1942 Clontarf was taken over by the Royal Australian Air Force and he was one of 101 boys evacuated to Tardun [317: Apr-1998]
It took over a week to unload at Tardun a train of livestock and chattels that they'd taken with them from Clontarf [317: Apr-1998]
Along with other boys from Geraldton they swelled the population of Tardun from just 27 residents to around 200 [317: Apr-1998]
Eight brothers and three nuns managed the unexpected number of boys in a time when resources were in short supply [317: Apr-1998]
Successfully acquired his Junior Certificate at Christian Brothers' Agricultural School in Tardun in 1947 [86: 20-Jan-1948]
He passed in subjects English, History, Arithmetic and Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology [86]
After leaving school he worked as a Shearer around Geraldton and Yuna [64]
Farmhand in Yuna 1953-1962 [19]
Machinery Salesman / Representative for Wigmore's in Carnamah 1964-1971 [19] [64]
Merchandise Representative for the Westralian Farmers' Co-op Ltd in Carnamah in 1969 [60]
In 1969 his home in Carnamah was telephone number Carnamah-118 [60]
Manager of 74 Ewers Avenue in Morawa 1974-1976 [19]
Merchandise Officer of 6 Norman Street in the Geraldton suburb of Tarcoola in 1983 [19]
Member of the Geraldton Bowling Club - served as President[45]
Whenever his wife would speak of relations he would say "don't dwell on the past, think of the future" [317: Apr-1998]
As his daughter approached marriage and a family of her own he realised she had a right to know about her paternal family [317]
An agency located his brother living in Leeds, Yorkshire, England and in September 1997 he wrote and sent him a letter [317]
Just before Christmas in 1997 he received a card back from his brother and they spoke on the telephone on Christmas Day [317]
Although not usually an emotional person he broke down with emotion, fell to pieces and went to his room to sob his heart out [317]
In 1998 the television program 60 Minutes offered him an all-expenses paid trip to meet his brother in return for his story [317]
He accepted on the provision that his wife and daughter accompany him, and the three of them travelled to England [317]
After returning from England he had weekly telephone calls with his brother and regular contact with his niece Rosemary [317]
He commented afterwards "I've always been very positive and happy. I guess I'm an even more contended man now." [317]
"It's like there was an empty cupboard in my life and it's full now" I'm the happiest man in the world." [317]
Later resided in the southern coastal Perth suburb of Mandurah [45]
Member of the Mandurah Gardens Estate Social Club [45]
Husband of Joyce [45]
Father of Taryn [45]
Died 11 May 2003 [2] at Peel Health Campus in Mandurah; cremated at the Fremantle Cemetery in the Perth suburb of Palmyra [45]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Patrick Michael Brian Covell' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 10 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/patrick-michael-brian-covell [reference list] |
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