"Ian Joseph Ireland was born at Boothville Private Hospital at Windsor on the 22nd of July, 1931.
He was the eldest child of Joseph Henry and Ivy May Ireland. He was one of eight children, with three brothers and four sisters.
Ian was educated at the Holy Cross Catholic School at Wooloowin and later at Eagle Junction State School. He also spent many years in Montrose Home for crippled children where he was further educated.
Ian was entitled to go an a pension for the rest of his life, as he was considered to be unable to support himself, but he did not accept it and chose to work for a living.
After he was married, he went to college in the evenings and passed Junior and part of Senior, which he did not finish as he found it too much being a parent by this time.
Ian’s first job was an office boy at a plumbers shop in Spring Hill with a weekly wage of 30 shillings per week.
He left there, plumbing not really being his calling in life, and went to work for D W Murrys (something like Myers to-day) where he was much happier. He then worked at Overells in the valley where he met June.
Ian and June were married in 1955 and were blessed with five children.
Ian loved sports and excelled in A grade table tennis for which he won many trophies. He was also an excellent swimmer and was a member of the Valley Swimming Club when he was younger.
Ian worked then at the Main Roads Department and later on at a few reps jobs, before finishing up at the Qld Coal Board as a statistician for many years, which suited him nicely with his good head for figures and excellent memory.
For 51 years he served the community as a Justice of the Peace and received both the Silver 25 year and Gold 50 year Awards for distinguished service in the State of Queensland.
He then retired to pursue his work so many of you know well, of distributing videos, DVDs and other teaching materials. I know this was such a blessing to a lot of people for all the years he was able to do it.
He was well known for remembering everyone’s birthday and giving them a chocolate, or phoning them if they were too far away for a chocolate.
He never needed to write down phone numbers and could be relied upon to tell you your rego number, not only of your current vehicle but every one you had ever owned.
Ian will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
He is survived by his wife, June, children, Karen, Peter, Phillip, Wendy-Leigh and David, and by his grandchildren, Daniel, Deborah, Desiree, Joshua and Keri-Lee, and great grandchildren, Aaron and Bella."
