Australind ships

[Steve Packer]

Dave i myself served on the Araluen late 60s . You can find ships picrures on the AIS web site.

I joined Araluen at Avonmouth Bristol in June 68 we sailed to Finland,Sweden, then to Australia via Capetown arriving in Freemantle on the 31st of July which was my 18th birthday. found it hard to get a drink in Freemantle or Perth as it was 21 for drinking in those days in Australia. Having my head shaved first trip over the line I probably looked about 15 at the time.?? We went round the Coast stopping at Melbourne,Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and up to Cairns where we loaded raw sugar to take to Japan. Great place to visit when your a young lad wanting to sow your wild oats.?? that's a story for another day.. Sign off now
Regards
Steve ( Originally from Bristol England. Now Melbourne Australia )

[sailor63]

Did a "run job" on the Australind, Antwerp to London march 1963 as "Peggy" First job after leaving the "Vindy", turned up at K.G.V.pool in Connaught Road and got given a warrant to travel from Luton to Antwerp! Quite an adventure for a 16 year old who had been no further than the journey to sea school in Gloucestershire. That journey was memorable for all the wrong reasons, took a day and a half to complete the journey, a saga in itself, only to be told, " your job is the washing up and keeping the mess room clean etc. Spent the rest of that day, and one night, departed dry dock next day, in london and paid off same day! 3 days plus the travelling, Bet those guys down the "pool" laughed their socks off with that one. Be interesting to see how many of todays 16 year olds would, or could, cope with an out of the blue journey like that, " Ere yare son, get yerself to Antwerp" end of.

[Keith Tindell]

Sailor, they are still being directed to which classroom they are in, at school today at 16, kt

[j.sabourn]

And they still probably wouldn't know where Antwerp was. JS

[David Williams]

Hi Martin.
Everybody seems to have sailed on the ARELUEN,
and nobody on the AJANA apart from me !!!!!!!!
Dave Williams

[Richard Culligan]

I was also on that voyage joining the Araluen (my 3rd trip on her) as a cadet in Hamburg 24.6.68 and we 'paid-off' in Hull 20/8/69.

Richard (R846959)

[John Muckley]

Hi Martin

My father Ivan "Paddy" Cloherty was bosun on Araluen from 8/69 to 5/71 came ashore after heart attack, previous to that was bosun on "Galway" from 7/66 to 2/69 He liked that ship called it his namesake, as he was born in Galway

Believe captain was a Patrick Geurrier

All the best, enjoy the site

the other
Ivan Cloherty
R611450

Hello Ivan, I was Deck Cadet on the Galway from 1966 to 1968 and remember your Dad with great affection,as a 16 year old first-tripper, he looked after me like a father.
The old memory is getting a bit shaky at times now but I'm sure he told me that he had been in the army at Dunkirk but,after the evacuation, was forced to go back in the Merchant Navy due to the desperate need for trained seamen.
A real diamond geezer.

[cappy]

Hello Ivan, I was Deck Cadet on the Galway from 1966 to 1968 and remember your Dad with great affection,as a 16 year old first-tripper, he looked after me like a father.
The old memory is getting a bit shaky at times now but I'm sure he told me that he had been in the army at Dunkirk but,after the evacuation, was forced to go back in the Merchant Navy due to the desperate need for trained seamen.
A real diamond geezer.

##methinks the apples dont fall far from the tree ......like father like son ......ivan is a man who does not suffer fools gladly ......respected by many.....regards cappy

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hello Ivan, I was Deck Cadet on the Galway from 1966 to 1968 and remember your Dad with great affection,as a 16 year old first-tripper, he looked after me like a father.
The old memory is getting a bit shaky at times now but I'm sure he told me that he had been in the army at Dunkirk but,after the evacuation, was forced to go back in the Merchant Navy due to the desperate need for trained seamen.
A real diamond geezer.

John, Thank you for those kind comments about my father, I have met a number of cadets who sailed with him and all echoed your sentiments, he served his time with Reardon Smiths in the 1920's and they were hard task masters and he was determined that he would ensure that he would not let any cadet who sailed with him become just a source of cheap labour. He was in the MN but joined the Army in September 1939 at the outbreak of war, he was evacuated from Dunkirk and after was asked to rejoin the MN, as were many others, he was also in the D-Day Landings and made many return trips to the Beaches. He died in November 1976 of a heart attack but at least he got to hold his twin grand daughters who were born in January 1976. As mentioned in an earlier post we kids often came down to breakfast to find some strange seaman/men or ex seamen he'd bumped into (which wasn't hard in Hull!) at our breakfast table.

- - - Updated - - -

##methinks the apples dont fall far from the tree ......like father like son ......ivan is a man who does not suffer fools gladly ......respected by many.....regards cappy

Many wouldn't agree with you Cappy! I do keep my eye on you all, but the older I get the busier I seem to get with fighting our MN corner and also assisting others, thought I'd have a quiet retirement and would be bored, hasn't happened yet. Regards

[j.sabourn]

And here’s me thinkng you were reclining in one of these health spas for gentlemen Ivan. Hope your weddings etc. went off ok. That Cappy needs someone to keep an eye on him .cheers JS