Joseph Durkin was born in Scotland on the 10th October 1947, as Joseph Dawson. His mother however got divorced and remarried, becoming Mrs Durkin, and Joseph changed his name accordingly.In 1964 his parents took the opportunity to send Joseph to a new life in Australia. He travelled there by ship, taking six weeks to travel there, with only £10 in his pocket [a weeks wages for his father in Britain].
When he arrived he had to stay with his sponsors for a minimum of six weeks. He got a job as a Joiner/carpenter and was earning £24.00 / week, however his 'sponsors' took £21/week from him for romm and board and 'travel expenses' - as they gave him a lift to and from his work each day despite the fact that they went past his place of work to get to their own!! Joseph left their 'hospitality' as soon as he could and got an apartment of his own. He worked for quite a while in Melbourne at Luna Park, living a good life, working by day, playing music in clubs by night. Skiing and speed skating were just acouple of his hobbies.
Unfortunately he had a bad accident at Luna Park. Part of his job in the mornings was to 'walk the roller coaster'. This was a wooden structure, so it had to be given safety check daily - Joseph and his supervisor were walking at the top of the ride, when a strut gave way underneath Joseph and he fell to the ground - landing across a small safety barrier. He was taken to the hospital, and was diagnosed with a broken spine, at the lumbar area. He was told he would be lucky if he could ever walk again............however, Joseph was nothing if not determined, and did all the physiotherapy and more and evetually became fit again, and able to enjoy life once more, although his speed skating days were unfortunately over.
He became extremely good at guitar, having learnt a lot from the members of the Australian Blues Society, and was even filling venues by himself. He was also very good on electric guitar, and eventually became lead guitar with the Ray Burgess Band, and he recalls that they played Melbourne Stadium the week after ABBA.ABBA had an audience of 35,000 - and they had an audience of 75,000 people!!!
Unfortunately, during one of his trips home to visit his parents, his flat had been broken into and he was robbed and vandalised, with many of his favourite possesions stolen or broken, smashed or burnt. He said he was so upset when he returned to discover this that he just closed the door and walked away from the place.
What little memorabilia he did have was destroyed when he had returned home to Cambuslang to look after his parents, when his brother unfotunately set fire to their home, whilst Joseph and his father were asleep - luckily Joseph woke up and was able to get his father [ in a wheelchair] out of the house - and also to 'rescue' his guitars [although one of them - which had been custom made for him in Australian woods - was subsequently stolen and he believed sold to a guy in Belshill].
He worked for a while with Radio Clyde as a 'Roadie' setting up the radio Clyde disco's and also worked with some other musicians as session musicians and doing small evening gigs [weddings etc.]
In 2000, he was at a friends home when he met his friend's sister,Elspeth, and he said this was a woman he would marry [but not to her!].
He did a few job's for his friends' Mum, and used to pop in for chats with her on an occasional afternoon. In 2001 he got a phone call from Elspeth with an unusal question....'Do you know how to mix concrete?' the reason was that, Elspeth was in charge of the construction of a Sensory Garden for a Special Needs School in Glasgow, and she needed some help building a raised bed with concrete blocks. The foundations had already been laid and all the materials obtained, etc. Joseph said he would be better to come and see what was required. She collected him a couple of days later and took him to the school so that he could start laying the wall. He had got out of the car and walked over to the work area, and turned round to say goodbye to Elspeth, but was surprised to see her donning a boiler suit - getting ready to work alongside him!! They worked away together - Elspeth as the 'labourer' and Joseph building the wall and chatting about life, music, etc. As the weeks progressed they became gradually closer, until the final day when the project was completed - on deadline! The following week Joseph asked Elspeth out - to go to a songwriters club, which they both enjoyed. This continued for a few weeks and then they went to see The Vagabonds playing in the Scotia Bar in Glasgow. The band were friends with Joe and were delighted to see him.
Over the next few months Joseph and Elspeth became much much closer, and finally Joseph decided to ask Elspeth to marry him - asking her on her birthday!! and she said YES.
Joseph began to play in public once again, a lot more , attending Sandy Watson's Open Mic sessions in the Scotia Bar from 2002, and then moving [with Sandy] to the Clutha Vaults Open Mics until 2004.
They got married in October 2003, at Trinity Church in Cambuslang.and enjoyed six months of blissful marriage without a single problem
Joseph and Elspeth being piped out of church .
by friend Ron Simpson
Joseph with Best Man Brian McLachlan
However in April 2004, Elspeth came home from work to find Joseph looking very ill. She insisted they call a doctor - and got an appointment for the next day. Unfortunately the following day was a friends funeral which they both attended before going to the doctors appointment in the afternoon. The Doctor decided to send Joseph straight to hospital [which Joseph hated] and Elspeth made sure that he went...the doctors had diagnosed obstructive Jaundice and admitted him immediately. Joseph did NOT want to stay but again Elspeth insisted...The next day Joseph apologised for his sullen behaviour the day before and said that he had had a painfree nights sleep for the first time in months! BUT the doctors could not find the blockage and decided to send him to the Liver unit at Edinburgh - 25 miles away. He got to come home for the weekend before Elspeth drove him to the new Edinburgh Infirmary where he was to stay.The bad news however was that Joseph had Bile Duct Cancer which was now starting to spread throughout his body. He was given 3-8 months to live.
They were both devastated.
Three weeks later Joseph finally got home - with medication. His friends were delighted to see him thinking he was better but then shocked to find out their news. Joseph made a couple of recordings on the 12th June 2004, and sang at the Clutha Vaults Open Mic night on the 16th of June 2004 for the last time.
The following weekend he went downhill really fast, and with some home nursing for his last few days, died at home on the 24th June 2004 at 1.00a.m.
