GALLERY: St Paddy's Day the South Burnett Way

St Patrick's day brings the community some cheer when we need it the most.

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH: All the fun and games from the St Joseph's Auxiliary St Patrick's Day morning tea at the Royal Hotel in Murgon. . Picture: Kate McCormack

THERE'S no denying the last several days have been a trying time for everyone around the world.

While most parades and celebrations are cancelled across the globe as large gatherings are banned in many countries in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus, one small group of determined South Burnett residents tried to bring about a bit of St Paddy's day cheer.

And after all, where better to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland than inside a pub?

A small gathering of members from St Joseph's parish Auxiliary gathered together at the Royal Hotel Murgon for a morning tea and a catch up to bolster spirits and share a bit of old-fashioned Irish spirit at a time when the community undoubtedly needed it the most.

"We host a St Patrick's Day morning tea each year as a bit of fun for our church community and guests to enjoy," Auxiliary member Elaine Thompson said.

"A large group of us hail from Irish backgrounds so it's nice to come together and honour the tradition over a cup of tea and some green food and drinks."

There was indeed a number of delicious food on offer - including some wonderful green "paddy" cakes - but attendees appeared to be having a great time simply catching up with one another and sharing a few laughs over some cheeky Irish-inspired jokes and tales and of course, a generous raffle loaded with great prizes.

"We're extremely grateful to have the support of the Royal Hotel in Murgon each year, they always put on a marvellous morning for us and are very accommodating," Ms Thompson said.

"We decided as a group to go ahead with today's morning tea because we felt it was important to do something small to lift people's spirits a bit.

"It was a sign of trust between us all I think, because we trusted each other not to come if we were feeling unwell or were showing any signs of the virus.

"But it was important for this morning tea to go ahead because it gave everyone a little bit of reprieve from all the negative news we're hearing about this COVID-19 outbreak in the region and around the country.

"It was just nice to forget all the doom and gloom for a couple of hours and spend the morning in the company of friends."

See our photo gallery on the right below for all the fun and games from yesterday's morning tea in Murgon.

St Patrick's Day in the South Burnett 2020

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