More than a century after Richard O'Halloran opened his eponymous law firm on Fitzroy St in Tamworth, his great great grandson and namesake sat in that very office as he ventured down memory lane.
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And on Friday night at No 1 Oval, Richard O'Halloran - the fourth generation of his family to practice the law at the venerable RJ O'Halloran and Co - will attempt to create more history by helping City United win the Twenty20 final.
Beating North Tamworth would end his and City's long silverware drought.
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"I don't think my father's ever seen me win a cricket premiership here," said O'Halloran, the fourth Richard in his family. "So it might be the first one on Friday night, which will bring a smile to his face."
His father, Patrick, is managing partner of RJ O'Halloran and Co, which was established in 1903 on its current site after RJ provided Australia's first prime minister, Edmund Barton, with legal advice and served as his secretary on the hustings.
Patrick's late father, Harry, previously ran the firm and was one of the oldest practicing lawyers in Australia (his career spanned 55 years).
Harry's wife, Nola, is 93. O'Halloran said she "regularly attends office to monitor things and checks up". Those O'Hallorans are slaves to detail.
O'Halloran's uncle, Andrew, also works at the firm. As does Doug Biffin, his Pirates teammate.
O'Halloran, 30, made his top-grade debut for Pirates in 2019 and was on the bench in their grand final win over Walcha.
"Looking forward to another rugby season, pending COVID, and hopefully another premiership," the halfback said.
"The club's aiming for a historic five-peat - hopefully coinciding with City's first [premiership] in over a decade."
City's last premiership was in 1996-97.
O'Halloran - who has scored 213 run at an average of 21.67 this season - said beating Norths on Friday night would provide the side with a "confidence boost" as they chased that elusive title.
City United will feature in all four Twenty20 finals.
"It's a huge achievement from where we've been," said O'Halloran, whose cricket education included a stint at Uplyme and Lyme Regis Cricket Club, in the Devon Cricket League, while working as a lawyer in London for two years.
He travelled there at age 25. It was a "great" and "eye-opening" experience. "To live and work and travel and meet people from all different walks of life ... Yeah, it was very special."
A win on Friday would also be very special for a club who lost the one-day final to Old Boys in November and who have emerged from a barren landscape.
