A tragic yet heart-warming story that forever bonds Kilkenny and Cape Town

When human suffering makes its presence felt, many will opt not to face it head-on, telling themselves that it’s not their problem.

That’s certainly not the case for Bridget Parker and Liam Heffernan.

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These two Kilkenny natives have been incredible humanitarians in South Africa over the years, stepping in when called upon to help those who needed it the most.

Last week, everything came full circle when four former inhabitants of an orphanage that the pair helped establish and run in Cape Town visited Kilkenny.

When these men needed humanity the most, at a time in their lives when it seemed like society was turning the other cheek, Bridget and Liam were amongst the few willing to help them.

Bridget lived in South Africa for approximately four decades, before moving back to Ireland.

During her time in the country, she set up a night shelter for those most in need in the townships around Cape Town.

“People were dying in the doorways,” she said.

“Young people were left to fend for themselves, given no opportunities or no help, all while the government turned a blind eye.”

Bridget explained that most of the humanitarian aid and services being provided in Cape Town came from overseas volunteers, and that people from Ireland were a vital part of this effort.

In the early 2000s, Bridget’s path crossed with fellow Kilkenny native Liam Heffernan, who was in the country as part of the Niall Mellon Township Trust.

The Trust was set up with the aim of providing homes to impoverished communities in South Africa’s townships.

“We used to go and build schools and extensions to schools,” Liam explains.

“Bridget came to visit us one day to see the work we were doing and that’s where it all started.

“Bridget befriended a woman called Mrs Juqu, her husband was a taxi driver who had abandoned her. She had three young kids at the time and was battling AIDS.

“Unfortunately, she later passed away and the kids were left without parents and we were wondering what we could do to help them, so we said we’d set up an orphanage.”

Liam was involved with a union at the time, the Communication Workers Union, and most of the members of the union were happy to put away about twenty cents a week to help raise enough money to set up an orphanage.

“It doesn’t sound like much but when you multiply it by 18,000 it becomes a handsome sum of money,” Liam said.

“Eventually we raised approximately €50,000 from the union and had to use our own contacts to generate another €30,000.”

Liam and his wife then went looking for a suitable property for the orphanage in and started looking around the almost exclusively white suburban enclave of Somerset West.

“We travelled around there and we saw this house, it was ideal for our needs, ticked all the boxes,” Liam said.

“Myself and my wife started negotiations with the owner who was a Boer and was relocating back to Holland.

“He thought we were going into the house, and had no idea about any of our plans to establish an orphanage there.”

After securing the property, and after some initial protesting from locals that later died down, Liam knew he would need trusted people to help him run the orphanage.

This was especially true for times when he would not be there, and he extended the offer to Bridget and her late husband Dave.

Mrs Juqu’s three orphaned sons now had somewhere they could call their own, and people who cared for them, as did all of the others who came into the care of the orphanage over the years.

Liam said that the five lads that he was closest to went on to do very well for themselves.

“One is a doctor, one is a trader in Botswana, one is a taxi driver, another is a chef and the youngest is an electrician.

“You’d be proud to have them as your own sons. They are all so mannerly and polite, it’s an inspirational story.”

For Liam and Bridget, seeing some of the lads make the journey back to them in Ireland last week was a moving event.

Their first port of call was to visit Bridget down in Glandore in Cork, where she lives now, before coming to Kilkenny to meet up with Liam.

“We brought them on a tour of Kilkenny and down to a traditional music session in John Cleere’s Bar, and they really enjoyed it.”

Liam would like to thank all of those over the years who helped with the donations.

“People often see us getting money and wonder where it went, but that’s where it went. It was invested in these orphans who society had abandoned and that investment has more than paid off.

“Kilkenny has well and truly left its mark on the townships of Cape Town, and it was worth every penny.”