Above. Wedding day is Vince Keliher, Jeremiah Patrick Keliher (Miah), Rose May Keliher (nee Wight), Kathleen Wright (sister) and Beryl Tweddell (neice).

After ninety-seven years the Gunalda region has lost another golden oldie.

Rose May Keliher (nee Wright) born 28 August 1913 at Rosewood, Queensland, began her working life at the age of sixteen as the cook and house-keeper at the Theebine Hotel.  Around the 1930's Theebine was a bustling little railway intersection with people and freight passing through up to Wondai and Proston or on to Maryborough and beyond. 
She told the stories of the hours of drudgery that involved keeping that big wooden building clean; laundering sheets and linen for the hotel in primitive conditions and the work that went into cooking to meet the demands of a busy hotel dining room. 

Mary Ellen Ryan (one of Rose’s mother’s friends) asked Rose if she would go over to Gootchie Homestead to support a much loved first cousin, Cate (nee Green) married to Jeremiah Stephen Keliher.  The family was struggling to cope with grief after the sudden death twenty-four year old Tom. 
Rose became a companion, helper and friend to everyone in that family - Johanna, Miah, Lal, Jim and Vince, their Uncle and Aunt, Dan and Kate Keliher and their cousins Frank and Ned. 

Love blossomed and Rose married Jeremiah Patrick Keliher (Miah) in St Brigid’s Church, Rosewood on Saturday 31 October 1936. 
Rose and Jeremiah established their first home in a house on the banks of Deagon’s Creek at Kanighan.  This was later to be the home of Frank and Eileen Keliher.  Their daughter Pauline Irwin lives there still. 
Rose's father came up to Kanighan and moved the first old Keliher family home on Keliher's Creek out to Robin Hill, east of Kanighan.  Their property eventually became part of the development that is down the Arborten Road. 
Rose and Jeremiah started a new generation of Kelihers when their first son Terence Thomas was born in August 1937.  He was followed by two little sister's Carmel and Bernice (who died at birth) a son Patrick born in March 1943, followed by Kevin in May 1946, Carol Anne in 1948 and Leo in 1950. 

Pictured below: Jean Keliher (nee Paterson) & Lawrence (Lal) Keliher, Rose & Miah Keliher with baby son Terry, and Jim Keliher. Kanighan 1937.

She was a great caterer, seamstress, a generous and hospitable hostess and good fun to boot.  Her fundraising efforts for the construction of the little Catholic Church at Gunalda are part of the family legends.  
Around Gunalda, Glenwood, Kanighan, Theebine, Bauple, Tiaro, Gootchie, Gundiah, Miva and wherever else in the region folk sang or danced, enjoyed their picnics and swims, played tennis, gathered together for community and social events, Rose and Miah Keliher were part of the team. 

Rose lost her mate on 21 November 1951. She ceased to be a young wife living in a fairly remote country home caring for her husband and family and became a widow with little money and five children to rear on her own. 
When Rose moved to Gympie and established the “in-town” Keliher family’s HQ at 25 Musgrave Road she created a new home that was always overflowing with relatives on their way to or from Gootchie or Kanighan.
Eighteen other Kelihers had joined the generation that she started in 1937.  She knew and loved ever member of the grand extended family that they have gone on to create and they loved her in return. 

By the mid 1960's her own children were well into their teens and she took on the role of Matron at the Christian Brother's Sacred Heart College in Gympie.  She was in contact with the many local families whose children attended the Gympie Christian Brothers including the Connor's, Carlson and Sommerfield families.

She never forgot her connections with the region and derived great pleasure from the conversations, reverie and stories told at the many local church, hall and school jubilee celebrations she attended over her years.  These events and significant family celebrations and funerals bought her back to the district on a very regular basis until her early ninties. 

At her own funeral she was farewelled by her family, many old friends from Gunalda such as the Balkin family who grew up in Gunalda and still call it home and the Kunst family from Miva whose friendship with the Keliher family goes back three generations. 

Her connection with this district that she loved will go on for a very long time now.  She left this life on 10 March 2011 and is buried in Tiaro with her husband Jeremiah Patrick.  She is at rest with many friends and relatives, back home in this particularly beautiful part of the Mary River valley.

Pictured Right: Rose Keliher, aged 80, 1993.