Former patrol officer Barry Creedy dies in Sydney
30 June 2014
WARREN READ | Ex-kiap website
BARRY Creedy passed away several minutes before 9am last Wednesday 25 June in the intensive care unit at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. He was 74.
He succumbed to cancer, first of the oesophagus and then pancreas - both deadly forms of the disease. Chemotherapy worked for a while but in the end was insufficient.
I first met Barry when he took over from me at Komo Patrol Post in early 1963. Komo was restricted territory then - now it lands large cargo jets; what 50 years and oil discovery can achieve. Barry and I remained friends for over 50 years and were continually in touch.
In 1968, Barry married Joy who was a nursing sister in Tari. They had two children, Bassil and Tara, and there are a considerable number of grandchildren. All live in close proximity at Cremorne in Sydney where Barry and Joy lived.
Before electing to come to Papua New Guinea as part of the February 1958 patrol officer’s course, Barry had applied for pilot training in the Naval Fleet Air arm - they only take the best – and had passed all exams; in the end he opted for PNG.
On leaving PNG from Kimbe in 1977, Barry and Joy opened a motel on the NSW-Victorian border, Ned Kelly country. After this they purchased another motel at Nambour in Queensland.
Eventually Barry settled for buying and selling property and receiving income from rentals. He always seemed to be in front. They eventually settled in Cremorne.
Barry completed the ASOPA course in 1960 with companions such as Mal Lang, Col Sanderson - both have already 'crossed the Jordan'- plus that great gentleman Bob Fayle as well as Jack Matter who later went to the Sydney bar and was best man at Mal's marriage to Kay. I think in 1960 they all had a memorable time.
Barry and I, and later our families, stayed in touch for more than 50 years. He was highly intelligent; a brilliant raconteur and a good friend. I will miss him.
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