*This is a lengthy blog but a beautiful tribute to a both a beautiful and generous woman so worth including here in its entirety. As an historian I am every grateful to Josie's tenacious work to preserve the history of this district. I am grateful to Vivienne and Christopher Parry and Kerry Davison and the Sheahan family for this touching and fulsome tribute to Josie.*
Josephina
Rosa Miguel, “Josie” Miguel, was born to a Spanish immigrant family in February
1932, and as she proudly would say was the same age as the Sydney Harbour
Bridge.
Her grandfather, Antonio, came to Australia in 1907 to work in the canefields and his wife Teodora and two sons, Joseph and John followed in 1910. By this time Antonio was cutting cane with a gang on 10 acre blocks at Beeva, and Teodora joined with another of the wives in cooking for the gang of men. What a different and challenging life these migrants had, but they took it willingly with gusto and appreciation of the opportunities offered by this new and wonderful country.
In 1929 at age 26 Josie’s father, Joe, went on an overseas trip with his friend Joe Donatiu from Innisfail. They sailed via Suva, the US, through Europe and ended in Spain. As the family hailed from Catalunya he visited there first. In San Feliu de Guixols, he met and courted Dolores “Lola” Rabionet, married her there and brought her back over to join his family at Hawkins Creek.
Josie’s early life was a happy one on the Forest Home farm at Hawkins Creek. Her beloved sister Mary was born in 1934. As she said in her Miguel family history book, “There were not many luxuries, but not having had them, we did not miss them.” To our generation of technology and labour saving devices, this pioneering era was life of hard work and minimal comforts.
To quote from Josie’s Miguel book again – “In the tributes to the early cane cutters of the sugar industry, the work efforts and sacrifices of the women are often overlooked. Whether wielding a hoe or raising a family in conditions never before encountered, the women who supported their men in overcoming the hardships of a new country merit some attention. With courage and determination, they battled the problems of language, climate, isolation and often physically gruelling work, maintaining family stability throughout the Depression and uncertainties of war time”.
Josie’s brother Henry was born in 1941. At that time Joe leased the farm out and joined the Civil Construction Corp based at Mt Spec as part of the war effort. The family were evacuated down to Inglewood for the duration. After the battle of the Coral Sea was won in 1942, the family returned to a rented house in Cartwright Street and resumed “real life”. Another brother Ray joined the family in 1943. Real life for Josie involved Lourdes Convent School and later a Scholarship year at St Pat’s College in Townsville.
It was at this time, in 1948, that Josie first met Shaun Sheahan when he brought his parents down to Townsville to visit his sister Mary who was also attending St Pat’s.
Josie’s first job in Ingham was as a stenographer in a solicitor’s office and she then joined the Commercial Bank. Her free time was spent as a member of the basketball and tennis association and as a Lifesaver’s Club Associate with her sister Mary and her many friends, in particular, Vi Day, and going to dances at the Drill Hall and the pictures at the De Luxe theatre. It was here that she reconnected with Shaun Sheahan.
It was a romance threaded with work and family commitments and punctuated by Shaun’s decision to learn to fly and Josie’s work stint in Brisbane. A major highlight in their lives was when Shaun achieved his pilot’s wings and acquired his Tiger Moth…..the “other woman in his life”.
Eventually however, they were married in Ingham in November 1958 with a huge celebration of 400 guests at the Drill Hall. There were Italian caterers, Spanish singers and a Scottish bagpipe band in the mix that ended up, in Shaun’s words, “The best wedding I’ve ever been to!”
Family and work continued to be the major facets of their new life on the farm at Elphinstone Pocket. Lives came and went – Shaun Jnr was born in September 1959 to much joyful celebration and Joe Miguel died in August 1960 to much sadness and heartbreak. More children were welcomed – Kerry in 1962, Peter in 1963 and Brendan in 1966.
Throughout the ensuing years, Josie and Shaun were the mainstay of each of the branches of the Miguel and Sheahan families. They were always there to give their time, effort and support to anyone who needed it regardless of the personal cost to themselves.
When Dan “Pop” Sheahan eventually retired from physical work, his thoughts turned to the poetry that he had written throughout his life. He decided to publish his poems and asked Josie to help him with this. Of course Josie agreed, but with a young family and workmen to cook for as well she didn’t have much spare time. So it took almost 10 years to come to fruition. Pop would walk across from his home when he was in the mood, and it didn’t matter what Josie was doing, she had to put it aside and sit down with him and type as he recited. There were quite a few “interesting discussions” over his brogue and its translation! Eventually though all this time and effort resulted in the “Songs of the Canfields” book which gave Dan much pride and pleasure. Josie then did a huge amount of work alongside Robert Clarke in 1988 to get Dan’s biography published.
Josie and Shaun’s house and shed were the mainstay for the family and local community. There were many weddings and celebrations hosted there and the shed always had someone who had called in to borrow equipment, get something repaired and just get advice and/or company. It was the generous spirits of Josie and Shaun that was the feature of hearth and home.
The family expanded further and life continued, always busy and messy and ever-changing. Especially heartbreaking was the death of Josie’s beloved sister Mary after a lengthy illness. Josie and Lola took on the role of surrogate mother to Janine, Louise and Diane.
Life in the sugar industry had its ups and downs. The 1980s saw the family in a very low patch economically and Josie was finally able to benefit from her 12 years of volunteer time at Abergowrie State School and St Teresa’s College to become Librarian at the Hinchinbrook Shire Library. She held this role for sixteen years, also being the Shire Historian. Josie built and maintained the Local History section of the library and it is thanks to her that we have this wonderful resource today. Josie was very generous helping many researchers with family and district histories. She initiated research into private burial sites in the district, work that has been continued by others.
While she selflessly divided her time between her own family, the extended family, her job and community work, Shaun was her “other half” throughout all of this. Then the unthinkable happened and Shaun passed away in 1994 after a relatively short illness. To quote Josie, “I was Shaun’s passenger many times, but he was always the pilot of my life”. Eventually life resumed for heartbroken Josie but unfortunately she was dealt another blow less than six months later when her mother Lola passed away. But life resumed and Josie’s time was filled again with family, work and community obligations
Josie had two amazing trips overseas to Spain, Ireland and Europe and in doing so completed the circle that both Shaun and Lola did not get to do by visiting the home countries and revelling in the people, the history and the landscapes that were so dear to them both.
Josie also continued her community work along with her enthusiastic lifetime friend and stalwart Vi Groundwater. The Museum at Halifax came about largely thanks to their work. In the years after her retirement from the library Josie continued to be contacted for help and advice on historical matters by many people from near and far. She did enjoy peaceful times to be amongst her stories and books and it is her record keeping and amazing personal photo and historical collection that will be one of her ongoing legacies to family and the community.
Everyone who has been connected with Josie and Shaun, and then later Josie alone, will appreciate their good fortune and treasure that friendship. Josie was truly a kind and humble woman who was very generous with her love and she will be remembered as one of the great women of the Herbert Valley.
Thanks
to Kerry Davison and the Sheahan family.
