County Roscommon native presented with Order of Australia Medal
John Bligh at the Order of Australia Awards ceremony with the Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner.
A Castlerea native was presented with an Order of Australia Medal, at a recent ceremony, for his services to Australian Rules Football.
The Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner presented John Bligh with his award at Government House.
It was a proud day for John and his friends who gathered for the special ceremony where 90 awards were presented in front of 300 guests.
John is a member of North Shore Football Club in Geelong, a port city in Victoria. He emigrated to Australia in 1952 when he was just nine years old.
An only child, his parents Roger and Mary from Clooncoose, Castlerea, took him to Australia as they sought to make a new life.
He returned to Ireland for the first time in 2012 after he retired, catching up with relatives in Roscommon, Mayo, and Galway.
He got involved in Australian Rules Football through his neighbourhood friends.
He did play for a period, but found he enjoyed the junior coaching side of the game, which he continued for approximately 35 years.
A supporter of his local North Shore Football Club, he has also become a Legend of the Club in its Hall of Fame, as well as being a life member, former president, and committee member.
He said that the Order of Australia Medal meant the world to him and he did not expect recognition for something he loved doing.
