All around the world but never together

Press, 14 August 1989, Page 32

All around the world but never together

PA Auckland The Callaghan brothers have travelled the world but never in the last 45 years have they all been together at the same time. But with the arrival in Auckland of Frank Callaghan, aged 60, the four brothers finally stopped passing each other like ships in the night. Frank, the only one to carve a career for himself on land, arrived after repeated invitations from his former Merchant and Royal Navy brothers. The arrival of the last of the Liverpool brothers and his wife Pat proved to be even more of an anxious wait because of his

failure to turn up on the expected day.

His three brothers had tried for years to convince Frank to join them. But the grand reunion the Kiwi Callaghans expected on August 5 — 45 years to the day since the brothers were last together — did not take place.

Establishing what had gone wrong proved difficult. Frank, struck deaf by meningitis at the age of nine, could not be contacted.

The brothers were loath to believe Frank had let them down again. He was sent the fare almost 30

years ago, but never arrived.

“He chickened out at the last minute,” said Gerald, who came to New Zealand 14 years ago. However, the brothers’ anxious wait finally ended.

Frank told the brothers the last-minute hiccup was caused by a double booking.

The three other Callaghan brothers settled in New Zealand at different periods over 40 years. Desmond, aged 62, arrived first. He and Gerald live in Auckland while Brian, aged 58, lives in Rotorua.