Cairns Post (Qld. : 1909 - 1954), Friday 22 May 1931, page 3


FATHER CLANCYS PEATH

OUTSTANDING PHWON- !

ALITY.

I- - ,

INNISFAIL'S GREAT PATRIOT. I INNISFAIL. Mav 21.

I A«»xv>A-m.w, AH a.jr i.V.

i . .Last-night the death occurred

of the Rev. Father Clancy, and i with: his demise there has been j removed not only an outstanding

prelate of the Catholic Church, but one'who has been conspicu-ous in the public life of Innisfail and- district for the best portion of half a century, also one .who was. a very keen and staunch ad-vocate for Northern settlement.

. A drew days ago Father Clancy, ?"who up to then had been in his. usual

robust health, -was taken suddenly ill, and removed to hospital, lt was i reported yesterday that he had: im? proved somewhat, but last night he

j took:a-turn' for the worser arid¿pássed , peacefully.'- away, ^-/J.-. v^iffe-;;-^

. ; NOTABLE CAREER. .

The. histo^/ ot ^vthe'v late "\ Father

Clancy is; almost interesting ,ohe. It i is :' 33"; year's since he first came ¿d ! 'Queensland; ; . from ':,'' Ireland, and ; he : sented-'in'/other-portions of the vict ariàte before 'coming to Innisfail half I a'lifetime ago. During his long resid-

ence' hefe^hàs has been responsible I for the building of three .churches, I the. -present .-convent .¿building, and

schoól,-ánd;wás's^olély fesponsible for bringing the Order riof: : the>- Gp.od Samaritans here for the education,;pi tMe'^hildrén. >ïhev deceased priest; îogeihér. with Messrs.'C? E.- Joddrell, W.V >Stevensen, G^'W.* McGowan, . Hon. ; Wm. Lennon,' and the! late /.Tom Wiïcôx;:iwcrev;ablës^ sole credit;, bythe^ yocacy^fpr th^

ing 'into; Innisfail. The 'original inten-tion of .the ^department was that the linemen route to Cairns,1 should make a: detour, hear : Innisfail^^and- hardly even>skirt; the; town. -. ¿Hpwéver,' the keen:¿agitation of : tfie¿;band^ oilmen ;aboyéWreferred ito, anband- that': was üifüsedtrwith' determination-v born- ;d that ceaseless energy; which: ^was"1 sc

characteristic ^ of - thc ; late y. Father Çlàncy.i -caused the department'1'tc "alter :;;its^plans¿:;with-{the . result'.í'thál ithe.railway came to the town of In-nisfail and embraced the latter withir the^ambit .of - its 'sphere 'of', ppèrajiohs. : Thé latëîFathèr' Clancy'-'was'a member/&í^tiié: Order of Si. ^Augiistine arid - Recently ' paid "a visit to Ireland I*, -iè^ri^ot'so :.yery long" since he j re-

turned; arid;";his arrival back in . Innis

-;fáíl-?.^s,>:'th^sfgnál''ipr a ;tumiiltupu: welcome ;aí$|te Regent Víheatre.;; I was" *'pyer;:.- SO '' years ^smcéívFáthé Clancy had 'seen ; his native Jand

in:' responding to thc welcome, .hom' accorded him, he gave a long and in teresting: account of his .trip, xonclud ing. by - saying that ; in Vall ;.the .'couti tries; of the old world,he-had ivlsitet ;he had seen, no place". to/equal;- thi portion of Far~$Iorth Queensland fe abundance, : of fertility <and.< agricu turál- production. During his-.visit t the. heaäChouse of the Order in In jlànd, ; Father. Clancy ' was made- Via ¡Provincial for the .; Order.; in Queéhi land,'rah -'honor ;wbich;~he'richly?d< served... - ; v'/'/ './'l;>~r'* ' ^

Father; Clancy:'; died ? as'/' - he, ha wished-in - harness arid working ;i the,,last. ;:- <?<??,????-< y.-';.: ;^:-;:''.,-..;.?.-'vf«

. * 'PROGRESS.

, When^ Father Óáncy came'; to" Ii

nisfail byer ; 30 .years- ago-th'e towri " those; days ;'had ??..not'.'.'the ? modei

semblance it bears now. He saw it ;

4ts pristine* state, visualised its "gra .val. and .progressive growth, and' à sisted . in; many ways towards the^d velopment; of this big:area. 'In t early-,days', of his charge ^t Jnnisfa ihe - made many ; trips on ; - hors'eba from Innisfail to Herberton. Tho were the - times . of :xough-;tracks an when in a ' reminiscent ímóod. Fáth laáncy woüld^reläte ; manyintërestii

iàheçdotës.

cred on .those journeys-. . .'?'.£-,'

'. The knowledge ^the- : late . Fath Clancy ppsscssed.of the Innisfail di trier, fthe ^riaturé ; of, the .soils at yai ous places, r. and ; the general su .ability.-oL;this: area. and-; that ; fois j t production,,of..; crops,Jiwas ^wonderf Many-people in; théîpast went td hi ipr^advice in respect to farmihg pr positionsand vv'al way s benefited 1 . that ¿adviccrv - He ' was;;very * keen -"' land .settlement and . there vare1 pepj "in -the; district to-day.VVidio, as a i ,sult of ' the .radvice."give.n them Father Clancy, have ''made good" < the" lándj and have tö jthank him i the information -'.-he" imparted in/-t first- instance;/ v ; ''? ?://" ;,:' ;? ( ?:: ¡As a'mèmbêr pf the Innisfail Chái ber . of ; Cpriunerce,: the ? Rev-. Fat! Clancy^ gaye- ithat ; body^much/va able^assistanc^eV'He was relentless ;hisj advocacy ipr 'theV.pperiingJ. ; a settlement] of -the great^stretch of f tilevifgiri-land "lyirig^bëtweên Ihiri fail arid the back, country. He/kn that country;; ; reälBed^its pössibilit irpm/a settlement^pö^

Avhat ;ihát ?settlement w

Innisfail 'I irpm.; a ^prMUcripnVpp

view.- Héjmsuáliscd^h^:.6^ar^i i also; sàwl^ôurilyaiT Harbor;yíás: ;" riatùral port- of -¿putlet ' for. the; p duceTS'^Naturer has ' blessedly this p : tiori'. of(thesfar northern province ..w a mtísV.bóüntcoús. hand" rhe once'si ''All we¿>wánt is settlraéntíidevel ment,, and . means of cómmuhicatic

'"REAL PIONEERS.

iNpt/lopg; ago*- ;the;" Rev. Fat Clancy, '.when .speaking to a "P< 5 representative at "Innisfail, referred :íhfí;;Uate: ^Mr. A. J. Draper. " Draper" he said, "went to Cairns m ifeársí agol He; made good there, res fing; great: heights as a business

public; mari. Had the late Mr. Dra and others who were associated i him who' have since departed

;life,' settled in Innisfail instead Cairns, what a wonderful^differer l-wonld^hate made to the'Johns:

:Rivef ^districtl When the late ;Draper made a sufficiency of things of -. this life he did not ri and depart for the south as s others have done. He stayed oi Cairns,, and was living an active . ful public life right up to the tim

,h|s death. It is men with breadt vision and patriotism . that thc r requires to assist its further dev* ment, and the Johnstone River ..tract' has ;;all the potentalities

tropical--.^région awaiting dev nient."ï , 'i' : W

..../-.. :;¡ VISIÓN.

,-<;-i- r. . j, :.. :,'.,:.;' .,; >;; Oné;';6ldi résident' of Innisfail sj jp^^dayi ísáid:'; ' "No man in district :al|;the present time had a clear conception bf the progre the Innisfail area, or the actua portancc pf this vast sugar belt its' possibilities, as Father C had. Time and again in public Father i Clancy, always a; . speaker, ilhammercd out- facts tn

port, our ^request's, for thíf development of the; Innisfail districf, and-he never tired of proclaiming its prospects to the public and" press.in a meeting place or out of it. His advice to his legion of friends as a townsman and a far-seeing authority, has been ac-cepted and rarely "have his opinions -been discounted. In church matters the work of .the deceased clergyman remains as a monument to his energy, and it was a labor of love, zeal, and patriotism to the town where the greater portion of . his life was spent. , In his last days, the devoted priest was organising further improvements to the church here. One of the most

widely known northern residents, and I an outstanding pioneer who saw the rise/pf- the district from its ¿radie, his memory will live down the genera-

tions "to come." -

- INNISFAIL TRIBUTES.

'¿ -.On 'taking his: seat in .court this {.morning, Mr. A. E. Aitkin, P.M. said:^ j"B.efore opening the Coroner's Court rF;desif ¿Ito: express- great regret . at "the7 deep loss the district has susitamed in the death of the Rev. Father ;Clancy. He has been a wonderful man, and; has assisted the court here irt .many ways for many years, and I am sure everyone in an official posi'ition will regret his demise, arid: sym-pathise with the district in the1 loss it; has to bear."

. -..'Speaking, at the monthly meeting of the Johnstone Shire' Council .this 'morning, the Chaman ..-' '.(Cri >S./K.; Page)i;Said: VBefpre "commencing/the .business of thecouncil to-dayv'it'Ms-my duty, to inform you that I have .bçeni. 'officially .advised of. the démise of the .Rev. Father Clancy. He' has been"1' a ;most respected citizen of Innisfail for imkiiy y^s, ànâ;hasy^^'ays stood, for progress /and . advancement .' of the Ktowirairid! its great ¿tirró'uñding' disIjf'rrict?-After '- ,'¿ residence in ? Innisfail ¿fbrA^er/30 yeársvHe--has^ left behind ilandniarkis^ that Avili :?: be . enduring mônumënts to; hisT'life; here and of his

[great and. persistent desire for pro-gress. I. refer 'to the fine rtew church

/which was opened ¡ some- time: , agolithe largest church; in . the northland

.td'ithei'convent- and'.-öther -structures.; -The . death: of Father ¡Giahc'yj;wi! 1 ' \ be mourned not-only by his own parishr |iioners, tbut it -will .^casioñí'untyersal fregrèt among all .demoninations. / i\ "I very much* ; regret " ;'vproceeded

the _ chairman, ."that; Father Clancy i has "departed- this life before .Innisfail

:hà"s/heën ,' Hhkejd* «with ihç ? Tableland and Millaa Millaa. He was; an aident ?and most persistent -worker..'.'.in'*-ïh'at >mbst . important - caisse,- and ' many tfimes he expressed the'wish to'-.THC ithat, he . would - live . to . see ' the da> i when : this portion of the . coast' woülc

be linked by-a- good'road. I -think we xanTpay<:every " tribute; to hint'? for "his ;Wholerhéârtedpublic spirited '? efforts

He took a keen interest1 in -"the wort

' of,'f'thc - Innisfail "'[ Chamber bf Qom ; merce- and supported them tb the full rest5 possible extent in their, adypeaej ; of the /development-; bf/ -Mourilya! '¡Harbor^^-arid ithe^ppenihg of- tóe .Palm : érstbn -airçai

bf i the "Palmerston; Province ^Develop * ment -League*'and I; kiibw1 we ' are. go

<ng to. miss liim'"veryv;much. .T taye re ; ferred to. the ; enduring'1 monuments \ Father 'CjànçyJ.Jia5^''left.7;b'ehihd°'''hin: but L think there ^another, and thá ris the, gréât landmark in this. distriç known- as Mt.'*Fafher Clancy \Moun Vain.itlf .Ke/is- not with us>in the flesl ïtïp/sé^

: área; he "willbe . present in-íspirit¿ ? ?

UftaÚ'ask you tb stand .in isilencevfo

.qh'è'minùteou

)qty. .ót. thé latc' Father Clancy. ¡hay ;rhstructcd,'].the ;,-clerk /-to .^-secure';, wreath to send¿t0.ithe^funeral."- ,V i;j3ountíllorsthen;; sjoodr" in silcno

,àfs a; mark; of r^eçt^i^ y fy^'

; / The. funeral, í.'obsequies / will : tai ; place Ío-moTÍúw.'{-: -/./>,': -< ;r.:<: ' '''' /'

''-:I-C*I^SÍ'.A1^Í^CE .'/E

, BRIGADE'S TRIBUTE. .. .

! "Prior tb the-general bilsiness of tl ;Cairns /^Ambulance -Brigade,; Board 'monthly meeting being proceedc with last night,.'the chairman; (Mr./ j ' G. Wilks) referred. in tones of - ? ri

igret: to thc {death of ;Father{ Clanc, ¡'which occurred.in Innisfail_onv We<

nesday nigh¿:. Mr. ..Wilks- paid a. . tr |'bute,.;i,tp ^ÏHtlï^'rexçèllcnt.ise.rv.îce.tpe ibnhècl'by'? Father-,Clancy during ¡h Jong' sbjpurnpin -Innisfail, . y ;r. .

j -^Mis-WïèS: Prewctt said that mar years ago he was 'one of the "first me In " Cairns toj meet Fathër.-Clànc Since ' that:-occasion he; had met ; tl latter 'several time's, and always four *him' an ? enérgeticl: man,. and' one. wi was {loved-'by'''-'persons . bf alf ; creed

As a mark-pf respect .'thV-^etptie

of/the- Bbard 'stob

Silence* ;,befbre."proceeding With '.il business bf-the-meeting, v '= '