Treasured in family and community
A PIONEERING businesswoman and philanthropist is being fondly remembered as a patient and loving mum but also a formidable and unforgettable backbone of the Cairns community.
The matriarch of the Ireland family car business, Marion Alberta Ireland, led a successful life, but from very humble beginnings, she understood it was a privilege to live such a life and was always grateful for the hand she had been dealt.
Mrs Ireland died on August 26 at Bupa Aged Care, Mt Sheridan, aged 93.
At her funeral on Wednesday, son Richard Ireland remembered a woman who enjoyed painting and gardening and was heavily involved in charity.
“And she loved music and whistled all day, every day,” he said.
“Marion appreciated good art, and together Marion and (late husband) Ron have provided an annual award at the Cairns Regional Gallery since it opened.”
Mrs Ireland was born on May 10, 1928, to Vera and Max Potts at Macknade.
Daughter of a timber worker, Mrs Ireland as a girl moved to Townsville when a flood and cyclone destroyed the family business.
Relocating to Cooktown, Mrs Ireland shifted to Hughenden – when the town was evacuated in 1941 due to World War II – before moving to Cairns and meeting future husband, Ron, after taking a job as a clerk at a local car sales firm.
“She was also a business partner or shareholder in many of the family’s business ventures, from automotive to tea, farming to tourism,” Mr Ireland said.
“(And) for decades, Marion was actively involved in the Church of England, the Cairns Inner Wheel Club and Meals on Wheels.
“She was patient, accepting and loving.
“(But) there were plenty of occasions where she would speak her mind to the surprise of those in the firing line.
“One was a managing director of Holden who mistook her vivacious personality for some invitation and ended up in the swimming pool at an evening function,” Mr Ireland said in his eulogy.