Quietly He Built His Wealth…
But tragedy struck and how he dealt with it reflects the astounding human being he had stayed true to
They were boys together...
...living in a part of Adelaide seemingly reserved for British and Irish migrants, a selective enclave, all of them finding comfort in their ethnicity…and their ten-pound-pomness (meaning their parents were lured Downunda with a six-week cruise for ten pounds a head!).
Who could possibly resist?
This story is about Seamus, an ordinary boy, who became extraordinary for reasons not many would be privy to.
From an extra-large Irish family of eight, Seamus’ kin was a hugely -inclusive group. No room for shyness if you visited. You just had to fit in.
They were loud, and boisterous, and enjoyed socializing together, dart playing and beer drinking being their favourite Friday-night fun.
My husband, a young man at the time, was happily absorbed into the group.
But life beckons different paths...
Seamus and my husband worked together for a long while, but eventually Seamus joined the army, my husband went to university, and over time, they just gradually lost touch with each other.
Later, through another friend, they reconnected in Queensland, by which time Seamus was a successful lawyer, having trained whilst still in the army.
He was still the same Seamus, still proud of his Irish roots, still grounded. With four children and a wife, that was easy to do…a MUST if you think about it!
He took us to dinner on the harbour, still the old Seamus, still proud of his Irish roots, still full of fun, we had a lovely time together.
Later still, we gathered together for his ‘significant’ birthday, as he called it, a total surprise event to him, and a truly wonderful coming together for the men who had once been boys together.
It was such a fun night. Stories were told, some refuted or amended, all in the spirit of camaraderie.
We vowed and declared we would keep in touch on a more regular basis.
My husband is not the best at keeping in touch, so, but for the odd Christmas card, it didn’t happen.
The day everything changed…
I remember the morning well, one Saturday, reading The Canberra Times, reading about a terrible pleasure cruise accident.
The name of the owner of the company was there, on the page before me, and I froze.
“You have to read this,” I said to my husband.
“Yes later,” he answered absently.
“No now!” I urged, “NOW.”
The cruise ship had been involved in an accident and people had died!
Seamus’ family business, involved in a freak accident, the details of what exactly happened never made clear, but lives were lost and the family was totally plunged into darkness.
Though the business was fully-insured, whatever happened between passengers being on the boat and disembarking, was seemingly not covered.
Lives lost…insurance voided…one can only imagine their horror.
As a lawyer, he could have pursued all options. He may even have been guided by colleagues, but this was nothing about rescuing him and his family.
It was all about doing the right thing.
Self-preservation was not how he had been brought up.
Lives had been lost and families were severely impacted.
And so he and his wife quietly did what they considered to be right.
He sold all his investments, including his family home, a penthouse property, plus all items of value, and paid every family out.
The business was subsequently closed down...
Knowing Seamus, only his family would have been privy to his decision, the ones close to him, and they would not have been surprised.
The people who were compensated I know, just assumed their payout came from insurance, the flip side of a horrid accident, making them wealthy overnight.
Making them wealthy and him not so!
He was a broken man...
...not because he was suddenly poor, but because of the weight of the lives lost, ones he felt responsible for.
Money can’t bring people back.
Nor can it buy happiness.
But it can buy you a semblance of peace, used appropriately.
It’s a steep price to pay, but it’s the right thing to do.
Knowing your way around any legal system can never afford anyone peace of mind.
And here’s the welcome life lesson...
Seamus and his wife moved into their daughter’s tiny apartment.
We went to visit. It was a happy reconnection, and they assured us they had never been happier. Chasing wealth had never afforded them such contentment.
As the saying goes…
If you want to know what a man is really like, take notice of how he acts when he loses money.
Seamus is an honorable man who took responsibility for his actions even at great personal cost. Those kinds of people are extremely rare.