Rathangan man in East Africa; Bill Sheppard

Leinster Leader, 17 March 1945

Rathangan man in East Africa; Bill Sheppard

Mr. “Bill” Sheppard, Rathangan, is on leave after 7½ years’ work in the gold mines of the Geita Gold Mining Company, Tanganyika, East Africa. He is refinery foreman, and handles about 2,000 ounces of fine gold every month. The plant crushes 500 tons of ore a day and each ton yields about a quarter to half an ounce of gold.

There is an Irish society in Tanganyika. Mr. Sheppard told our representative, and amongst the employees in the company are a number of Irishmen, including Mr. George W. Holmes, a former well-known Irish International rugby player, who was “capped” in 1912. Mr. Pike, another Irish International, is secretary to the society. The nearest Mission centre is over 300 miles away, and Catholic missionaries visit the town three or four times a year. On his way home Mr. Sheppard ran into his brother, Mr. Jack Sheppard, who is in Cairo. Another brother is Mr. E. V. Sheppard, Chairman of the Kildare County Board, N.A.C.A., and a well-known cyclist. Before he returns in a fortnight, Mr. Sheppard is marrying a Kildare girl whom he met overseas. She is Miss Violet Pearson, formerly of Balkanstown House, Nurney, Co. Kildare.