Joseph Nunan

Joseph Denis Nunan (some say Noonan) (February 1842 – 18 May 1885) was an Irish born patriot and builder transported to Fremantle for wounding a policeman. He became an architect and building contractor involved in significant buildings in Perth, Fremantle and York. He never gave up his Fenian beliefs and died before he could return to Ireland.

Life Nunan was born in Rathcormac, a small town in north County Cork where he learnt the building trade from his father Denis Noonan. Joseph and his brother Frank established a building company that was able to successfully contract for the construction of buildings locally and in County Kerry. Nunan fled to England, but he was identified and arrested in London by an Irish policeman. He escaped on the return railway trip to Dublin by jumping through the window of a train reputedly travelling leaving behind his two escorts. During the voyage Nunan wrote humorously for the ship's newspaper (The Wild Goose) about his escape from the train and he also organised social events for his fellow convicts. Most of these were there as a result of the March 1867 abortive Fenian Rising. Nunan was taken to the convict establishment in Fremantle where he had to remain until 1869. In May the British Government under William Gladstone decided on a more conciliatory approach to Irish politics and Nunan was amongst those who were pardoned. Nunan could have returned to County Kerry but he elected to remain in Western Australia. which had been designed by Richard Roach Jewell. Nunan was already known as an expert in design and he had been approached by Father Patrick Gibney who was the new resident priest in York to build a new larger church for his growing congregation.

Architect Hugh Francis Brophy photographed in Mountjoy Prison in 1866.

Nunan established another general contracting company with another builder from Dublin who was also a pardoned, Fenian, ex-convict. This was one of Nunan's buildings,

On 21 June 1871 Nunan married Anne Marie Farelly at St Mary's Cathedral in Perth. The following year his partner Hugh Brophy moved to Melbourne, but Nunan continued to take on work. Before he died in 1885 of tuberculosis he had built or designed the Greenough Police station, the Edwards building for the Christian Brothers School in 1882–83, St Patrick's Boys School in Perth and what has been called Nunan's best work, St Patrick's Church in York. He also built a store and house for Walter Padbury near his flour mill in Guildford. He is also said to have been involved with the building of Jewell's Perth Town Hall. Nunan died in Perth wanting to leave and return to his native Ireland where his affections still lay.

Nunan continued to be a Fenian as he and Brophy had served as treasurers for funds gathered from Irish sympathisers in Australia. The five hundred pounds was mainly in Nunan's control and was intended to help Fenians after they were pardoned or had finished their sentences in Australia. There was disagreement that accused Nunan of failing to deliver funds promptly and fairly and that this had led to hardship. (1886)