Stynes Family helps with commemorative garden
Australian-based friends of Éamonn Goggin met with the family of Jim Styne's in Melbourne and were presented with bricks from Melbourne Football Club for inclusion in the Irish national commemorative garden to organ donors being planned for Salthill.
The aim of the Foundation in the symbolic gesture of including in the garden a special represenational stone/tablet/brick from each of the five continents is to highligt the universality of the life giving cause of organ donation. All of these stones are being sourced from iconic sites associated in some way with the advancement of humanity, i.e. a stone from Ellis Island representing the US; the African stone from the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town where the world's first heart transplant took plae in l967.
Denis Goggin, speaking on behalf of Strange Boat, spoke of the amazing loyalty of Éamonn's friends whom he said "travelled over 1,000 miles to meet with Jim's parents and to accept the bricks on our behalf - Mikey Conneely of Mikcon Pty, who is sponsoring the bricks from Australia, Mark O'Toole, Jason & Garry O'Connor and Paddy Grehan, all close friends and neighbours of Éamonn, whose constant friendship has been a great source of comfort to us".
Denis also wished to acknowledge the assistance given by Jim Styne's friend, former fooballer and sports commentator, Bernard Flynn and Jim's brothers, Brian and David, when first contacted about the possibility of acquiring a stone or bricks from MCG. "We look forward to meeting with the Stynes Family and to inviting them to the Park when they visit Ireland later this year", said Denis.
