Businessman acknowledges youth club years with generous donation

A BUSINESSMAN has generously donated thousands of Canadian dollars to Omagh Boys & Girls Club, to acknowledge the tremendous influence it had on his formative years.

When Larry Bradley left Omagh for the USA in 1969, having completed his apprenticeship as a linesman with the Electricity Board for Northern Ireland, little did he imagine how life’s events would culminate for him.

His early years growing up in Omagh seemed uneventful but Larry’s reflections on his upbringing in Gortmore Park on the Derry Road, and his participation in recreational activities at Omagh Boys and Girls Club in the 1960s, put into fuller perspective the value of family and community.

Larry said, “Gortmore Park was newly built in the early 1950s with 74 houses of young couples starting families. I was fortunate to grow up in that community where children were safe and where the whole park was a family really.

“The Boys and Girls Club was a great outlet for me as I had an interest in boxing, gymnastics and basketball and it was at the club where the voluntary leaders like my uncle, Frankie Bradley, Paddy Crawford and Paddy Gillease (boxing), Brian O’Neill and Dermot Groogan (gymnastics) and Roddy Tierney (basketball), gave their time to pass on their knowledge and skills.

“So I gained a proficiency in those sports and confidence that I have never forgotten. The friendships I made during those years have remained even though I have been away for over 50 years.

Larry spent six months in the United States before moving to Canada which has been his base since.

“In time I was able to start my own construction business, get married and moved to Ottawa where I started another business and those years have been kind to me so it is time for me to recognise where it all began for me as a young person.

“I owe so much to my roots, to the community I grew up in and to Omagh Boys and Girls Club for giving me the important values that have helped me on my life’s journey.”

Larry has donated C$10,000 Canadian dollars to the club from pre-Covid fundraising events in Canada.

He said, “This will help it to continue to offer programmes and activities to local young people to benefit their education and development as I was a grateful beneficiary in my youth.”

Responding on behalf of the club management committee, secretary, Paddy McMahon, said, “This is a phenomenal gesture of kindness by Larry Bradley, a former club member who never forgot his roots.

“It’s remarkable that this tradition still continues at the club which was founded in 1952 by Fr Seamus Shields.

“Our club will invest this contribution from Larry directly towards promoting activities for the young people and we will keep him appraised of the progress of these activities.”