Jobs For The Boys?

**John Gill** · 8th April 2014, 03:33 PM

Joined the Orion just before Christmas 1961 in Tilbury and signed on as a bedroom steward (brs). We were Aussie bound and called at Piraeus and Genoa to collect immigrant passengers en route to Australia. These consisted entirely of women and children who were joining their husbands/partners who had gone on earlier as part of that country's population scheme. These families were obviously travelling tourist class and myself, along with two other br's were responsible for looking after them. It was not a pleasant experience especially in bad weather when the decks were awash with the results of mal de mare and screaming kids all over the place. Some of the mothers tried to get me to obtain medicines, extra food, etc, but i never obliged in spite of offers of 'favours'.
However, to illustrate the reason for the title of this post, after a while, it became apparent that both of my workmates were batting for the other side. This made me realise that perhaps the policy of the company was to employ faggots whenever this sort of situation arose- all female passengers- to avoid falling into temptation.All well and good, but it dawned on me that perhaps I was included in the mix!! After that revelation, until we docked in Fremantle,I lowered my voice a couple of octaves sang along with all the other heterosexuals in the pig. Just a footnote- there was not one black face amongst the passengers, i think it was the then policy in Oz to exclude certain ethnic groups, perhaps the argument being there was adequate indigenous population in situ. Not sure what the policy is there now, I'm sure it's a little more tolerant these days.
gilly

**j.sabourn** · 8th April 2014, 10:39 PM

Harder to get in if you are Anglo Saxon. Next door neighbours brother wanted to emigrate, failed his English test. Born and bred in the uk, only language he spoke. JS