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The Innisfail song



The following song ("I've set sail for Innisfail") was provided some years ago by the Innisfail Chamber of Commerce (Queensland, Australia) and is now put online by John Ray, who was born and bred in Innisfail.

The words and music are by Reg. Hudson









I was born in Innisfail in the '40s but my family moved to Stratford in Cairns when I was 13 so my memories of Innisfail are a bit vague. I do remember however that there was a secondhand dealer in the main street called Clem Theodossiou, a member of Innisfail's considerable Greek community and I also remember some sort of trucking firm run by people with the surname "Blennerhasset" -- which is actually an English name from the old Norse -- reflecting the times when Northern England in particular was under Norse domination. And there was a man there by the surname of Mascarenhas -- a Portuguese or Goan name. I think he was a bootmaker (cobbler) but I may be mixing him up with a Sydney bootmaker of that name.

I also remember the "Airdome" picture theatre (with canvas seats) and the Greek cafe beside it called the "Bluebird"

And there was of course the Chinese Joss House (temple) where once as a cheeky schoolboy I walked in and banged the drum. An old Chinese man came out when I did that and gave me a mango. He obviously wasn't a Muslim. So ask me why to this day I think highly of the Chinese.

And beside the Joss House but downstairs was the Greek Club. I first tasted yohgurt there. I would never have dared enter the club myself but I was taken there by the wonderful Panayotis Kokkinidis. Can you get a more Greek name than that?

And our family doctor when I was there was Dr. Cotter, who worked from a small white stuccoed house on a corner. I remember the ficus creeper that covered much of the fence. I also first got to like crepe myrtles in Innisfail. They are called "Christmas bushes" there because they blossom there just before Christmas.

By the way, Innisfail is an old romantic name for Ireland. It means "Isle of Destiny". My home town would appear to have been named by a homesick Irishman. Tropical Australia must indeed have seemed a long way from Ireland.




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