With a Little Help from Innisfail: A Small Town’s Big Heart for Family History

A few months ago I purchased a bundle of old photographs from a lady having a garage sale here in Perth, Western Australia. Some had no labels. Some were address to “Kath” or “Aunty Kath” and some had names. One of the key clues came from the stamps on the photos. Several bore the names of photo studios, one of which led me to Innisfail in Far North Queensland.

The first person I had identified solo and researched most extensively was Jo Couche. Originally from Tipperary, Ireland, she fled with her family at age 8 after Republicans burned down two of their homes. They were Protestant loyalists. Her aunt had emigrated to Mourilyan around 1915 and married Joseph Francis McCutcheon, and together they established a successful sugarcane plantation.

Jo later trained and worked at Innisfail Hospital before serving as a nursing sister in the Middle East during WW2. She led an extraordinary life, and I’m currently writing about her early years in Mourilyan and her wartime service. You can read part one of her story here.

But the others were a bit of a mystery to me, and I was itching to know more.

So I did what any family historian with an itch to solve a mystery would do, I turned to the internet, specifically social media.

I shared a selection of the photographs in a Facebook group dedicated to Innisfail history. What happened next reminded me of exactly why I love this work.

Within hours, members of the group began chiming in, not just with vague guesses, but with names, relationships, and even memories. People recognised faces. They shared family stories. They tagged relatives. Some even messaged me privately with extra information, determined to help. I was genuinely taken aback by the generosity, warmth, and sheer knowledge that poured in.

Thanks to them, many of the individuals in the photographs now have names again.

Here are the discoveries we found:

Josephine Winifred Couche

Jo’s great niece popped up in the comments, instantly recognising her Great-Aunt. She assured me that my research so far was spot-on, and that her family had loved reading what I had already written about their extraordinary family member.

Grace(Gay) Stanfield

Grace’s daughter recognised her beautiful mother and provided some background. Grace had been nursing at Kingaroy Hospital with Kathleen Ryan (who we now suspect is the “Kath” these photos were addressed to). Kath introduced Gay to Lewis Stack, who was in the Air Force and training in Kingaroy. They married in April 1943. Grace is still alive and well today, at 102 years old!!

Mary Ryan

Identified by her great-nephew. There were two Mary Ryans (just to complicate things), one born in 1903 and the other in 1935. From the dress and hairstyle, we’re confident this photo shows the older Mary.

The Wedding of Bridget Ryan and Richard Tait (1934)

In the photo, Bridget's two sisters, Kathleen and Eileen, stand on either side of her. Their father, Michael Martin Ryan, is seated on the far right.

Phyllis Ryan (possible/probable)

Most likely Phyllis Ryan, a second cousin of Kathleen Ryan, who married John Evans.

Laurence and Pat Laffan

Sons of Mary Ryan (not the one pictured) and Martin Laffan. They were cousins to the Ryans in Townsville and Innisfail. It’s believed both brothers became priests, though it’s not yet clear whether they were ordained in Ireland or Australia.

Eileen, Bridget & Kathleen Ryan (Sisters)

Kathleen Ryan is now believed to be the “Kath” and “Aunty Kathleen” to whom many of the photos were addressed.

Extra special thank you to Rob and and Gavin (relations of many pictured above) who helped with identifying lots of these people.

We also got some wonderful local history input from residents who knew Mr. McCutcheon (Joseph Francis McCutcheon). One resident recalled his mother telling him how exciting it was to go by sugar cane train to MCutcheon park where it is believed the farm was. His mother was born in 1927 at Cowley, not far from Mourilyan and the train was used to take families to the park for Christmas sugar mill breakup parties. His father bought his first car from Mr McCutcheon.

Another resident said about him “He is was great and philanthropic man. Known by my Mother’s family as Uncle Joe.”

In genealogy, we often talk about the thrill of discovery. But what strikes me most is the generosity of strangers, many of them researchers and family historians themselves, who are willing to take time out of their day to help someone else reconnect the pieces.

This is what makes genealogy more than a solitary pursuit. It’s communal. It’s deeply human. And it’s one of the few spaces online that still feels warm, cooperative, and rooted in something real.

To the Innisfail History group: thank you. You reminded me of why I started doing this in the first place.

You can contact me here via the contact form, on Substack or on my Facebook page Knext Gen Genealogy

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