FAMILY and friends of Ted O’Callaghan will today farewell the legendary trainer at a funeral service at St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco.
Mr O’Callaghan died on April 10 from pneumonia, aged 101.
Daughter Dot Hill said he would be sadly missed but knew he had enjoyed life to the full.
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READ NOW“He was a great person who made the most out of every day,” she said.
“He lived a very full life.”
Mr O’Callaghan was born in Narrogin on July 20, 1916 to Irish parents who had emigrated to Australia.
He was told that after leaving hospital, his family returned to the family tent in the Wheatbelt town of Dudinin.
He spent his working career with the Western Australian Government Railways, was a St John’s first aid instructor, married wife Kathleen Dearle in 1936, travelled Australia and Asia and watched as his family grew around him.
Mr O’Callaghan was head trainer for the Perth Demons for 16 years, including their three consecutive premierships in the 1960s.
Club champion Barry Cable said Mr O’Callaghan had the magic touch.
“Ted was head trainer and without question he was able to get me through games which normally I would not have been able to do,” he said in a piece on the Perth Demons’ website.
“He helped me achieve my 400 senior games with his expertise in treating injuries.”
Club legend Colin Lofts said Mr O’Callaghan was an icon of the club.
Cable later convinced him to join East Perth and the pair won a premiership together in 1978, ironically against their former side.
Mr O’Callaghan lived at the Royal Australian Air Force Association Memorial Estate in Bull Creek, having moved there from Bibra Lake after his 100th birthday in July 2016.
He leaves behind two daughters, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
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