When chips were down, potato farmers came to rescue of backpackers Down Under
Photo above - The Corcoran family, Peter, Tootsie, and children Rose, Cillian and Pearce.
When the chips were down potato grower Peter Corcoran proved to be the salt of the earth for stranded Irish back-packers in Australia.
Peter, whose great-grandparents were from the Multyfarnham, came to the rescue of three Mayo girls who were grounded in Melbourne, because of the Covid-19 lockdown.
The trio, who asked not to be identified, arrived in Melbourne just two days before the introduction of the coronavirus emergency measures.
The girls from Ballyhaunis, Tooreen and Bohola, found themselves without work, no flights home and their cash reserves were running low from staying in Airbnbs.
Peter and his Mayo born wife, Mary Corcoran, have now employed the three emigrants on their 7,000-hectare farm, located four hours from Melbourne, but not before they had isolated there for two weeks.
Mary, fondly known as Tootsie, who is expecting their fourth child in August is daughter of Joe and Rose Freeley from ‘Rosmarine’, Hazelhill, Ballyhaunis, County Mayo.
She went to Australia 10 years ago for a year after finishing college, and ended up meeting Australian native, Peter Corcoran.
The couple returned to Ballyhaunis seven years ago to get married. They now have three children: Rose, Cillian and Pearce.
Tootsie’s father, former taxi driver Joe Freeley, said: “The family live 20 miles South of Robinvale, which is an hour South of Mildura, Victoria.
“They have Irish people working with them all the time. In Australia if you work 12 weeks in an agricultural area, you then are entitled to extend your visa for a further 12 months.
“The couple get requests all the time from people looking for the 12 weeks’ farm work, mainly through people who have been with them in the past.
“This is their busiest time of the year – when they pick, grade and make chips of their potato crop.
“Coming to the rescue of the girls was Peter and Tootsie’s way of helping out Mayo people struck abroad in these difficult times.
“The girls, one of them our neighbour, are now living and working on the farm until all this Covid-19 crisis blows over.”
They will be joined this week by two more Irish workers, a primary school teacher from Galway and a banker from Dublin, both out of work because of the Covid-19 crisis.