As we celebrated Bloomsday in Brisbane on Tuesday, June 16 at Queen Street Mall, we also had another big celebration in the works.

We are having a Roast of our past President Jeff Spender at City Hall on 24 July. What can you expect? A delicious two-course lunch at The Ithaca Room, a cash bar, brilliant speakers, and some hilarious tales from Jeff’s life. Join us to wish Jeff all the best on his retirement.

We had a fantastic turnout for our talk on The Forgotten Irish Explorer John Finnegan at The Commissariat Store, thank you to all who came along. What a fascinating story it is, big thanks to Al Finegan for sharing it with us.

In this issue, we also remember some of Queensland’s fallen Irish police officers, we have entertainment news, a look at how Bloomsday is being celebrated by readers around the world, and we reveal Mary Poppins’ surprising Irish connection!