When my father-in-law suggested we watch a documentary about the disappearance of Paddy Moriarty, the name rang a bell. His words were “…about that Irish fella and his dog going missing in a small outback town starting with L”. Within a couple of weeks I came across the book named ‘Larrimah’ on a friend’s bookshelf, and the mystery of the ‘L’ solved – a serendipitous moment. Still enamoured by the secrets of the desert after a recent visit, it was an opportunity to immerse myself in the outback through a good book and a cup of tea.
The tiny town of Larrimah, halfway between Mataranka and Daly Waters, used to have 12 residents, that is until Paddy Moriarty went missing – now it’s down to 11.
The story is centred around the hotel known as the Pink Panther. The pub is the beating heart of the community; it can’t be missed with its bright pink painted exterior adorned with a giant beer bottle. Amongst the beers and pub atmosphere lies a shop, stocking a few cans of food, mostly tinned asparagus. The authors describe it beautifully: “If it’s possible for a place to look hungover, the Larrimah hotel does”.
Throughout the book we get to meet most of the Larrimah residents. The pivotal character is Barry, the publican, a great friend of Paddy’s. He spent many hours chewing the fat with Paddy as he consumed his eight beers on a daily basis. Fran, the café owner, features prominently too. Fran and Paddy clearly didn’t get on. There were tales of high jinx and shenanigans, one such story involved Paddy throwing a rotten kangaroo carcass into Fran’s garden. Fran tried to get a restraining order in place against Paddy. She claimed that he’d stolen her umbrella, abused café customers and destroyed her furniture. There’s also Cookie, who was banned from the pub for stealing chocolate bars, Owen the elusive gardener, and a myriad of other eccentric characters who are somehow connected to Paddy.
Journalists Kylie Stevenson and Caroline Graham have spent years investigating the disappearance of Paddy, details resulting in the production of their own podcast. Stevenson and Graham have made a thorough job of delving into all aspects of Paddy’s life, constantly looking for clues or leads. During their research they came across some interesting snippets about the history of Larrimah, the train line and how it used to be a thriving community. Traditional owners have always been superstitious about the Never Never; it’s Kadaitja land, littered with sinkholes, people go missing.
The irony is that this tale of mystery and intrigue (which is much more than a whodunnit), is that I can relate to how some people have referred to it as a love letter to Larrimah.
